Venture
to Italy through Luciano's doors
By Andrea
Valdyke, Outpost
contributor
Click here for another review of Luciano's
"Grazie!" to Luciano's for an enchanting evening of bona fide Italian cuisine.
The authentic entrees,
exceptional service and charismatic atmosphere set the mood
for my husband and I to relive our adventures in Italy
earlier this
year.
Inside the unassuming building on South Virginia
Street patrons enjoy the ambiance, language and
food of Italy.
Photo by
Johnathan
L. Wright
As we approached the restaurant on a recent Tuesday night, the lingering aroma of robust garlic along South Virginia Street guided our appetites into the entrance. A pleasing blend of herbs floated in the air and excited our curiosity about the entrees created by Chef Luciano Pilisi.
Within a minute of entering, a hostess greeted and welcomed my husband and I to the restaurant. "Buona sera," she said with a smile.
We enjoyed the convenience of a 6:30 p.m. reservation. I highly recommend a reservation because the seating was full even on our weeknight outing. The restaurant is small, seating about 40 to 50 guests. The crisp white tablecloths, garden flowers in Chianti bottles and votive candles complimented the casual yet charming mood of the restaurant.
Spacing and size of the tables is intimate. Neighboring tables are no more than two feet away, so we could easily overhear other conversations. My husband and I enjoy this scenario because it reminds us of cafes and restaurants in Europe where we are often seated close to other guests.
Once seated our waiter, Gina, welcomed us and inquired about any dietary concerns. After another minute or so, she returned to inform us about the specials handwritten on a chalkboard, handed us our menus and asked about our beverage selections.
In the meantime, our second waiter, Julio, brought us each a glass of water abundant with ice. I requested water without ice and I was obliged promptly.
Within another two minutes, Julio brought us a basket of hot garlic bread, sliced thin. It was warm and crisp on the edges but soft in the center. As we snacked on the garlic bread, we meandered through the menu.
The dinner menu contains 19 entrée selections and about a dozen daily specials featuring pasta, fish, poultry, seafood and veal.
The antipasto, salad and soup menu includes: antipasto misto, a selection of Italian appetizers, for $7.50; salmone marinato al profumo di timo, marinated salmon with olive oil and lemon thyme, for $8; insalata di mele, apple salad with gorgonzola cheese and toasted walnuts with a champagne-raspberry vinaigrette, for $6.50; and calamari fritti, deep fried calamari with a spicy tomato sauce for $7.50.
Patrons also can enjoy two types of soup. I enjoyed the minestra di verdure, vegetable soup, before my meal. Each entrée includes a choice of either soup or salad. An individual bowl of either the vegetable soup or brodo di pollo con pastina, tiny pasta in chicken consomme, is available for $3.50.
The vegetable soup was hearty, pleasing and warm. Glancing at the large slices of carrots, beans, onions and other greens in the earth-brown broth, I was confident the soup contained an abundance of vitamins and other good things. The texture and diminutive traces of simmered vegetables indicated to me that the stock was made from scratch.
When Julio shredded fresh parmesan cheese from a large 6-inch block, it melted lazily onto the floating toasted bread and into the opaque reddish-brown soup. The soup was served in a wide 10-inch shallow bowl that allowed my senses to enjoy the steaming aroma.
My husband enjoyed the insalata di campo, mixed baby field green salad, with a creamy gorgonzola dressing. Either a creamy gorgonzola or Italian vinaigrette dressing is available.
He said his favorite ingredient in the salad was the dressing. The dressing's consistency is thin and feather-light to accomplish an appropriate balance for the sharp robustness of the gorgonzola cheese. The salad is tossed and gently arranged on a 10-inch plate, garnished with a wedge of tomato and can be complimented with fresh ground pepper.
The regular entrée menu includes: fettuccine verdi all'ortolana, spinach fettuccine tossed with fresh vegetables and herbs, for $11.95; linguine alle vongole, fresh clams with your choice of white wine or marina sauce, for $13.95; farfalle al pesto, bow-tie pasta with basil, garlic, pinenuts and grated pecorino cheese, for $11.95; salmone al forno, oven poached salmon fillet with a butter-lemon sauce, for $14.95; and scalloppe alla marsala, sauteed veal in a Marsala wine and mushroom sauce, for $16.95.
Within 20 minutes of ordering and just a few minutes after I finished my soup, I savored a plentiful serving of linguine con gamberi, shrimp with a white wine garlic sauce, on a 12-inch oval platter for $15.95.
The al-dente linguine, six large prawns and a multitude of bay shrimp were tossed in a savory sauce complimented by paper-thin sliced scallions. As I enjoyed swirling my linguine in a large spoon, I prepared my palate for the abundance of garlic and tiny bay shrimp in each spoonful. I enjoyed the generous portion of bay shrimp as well as the large prawns.
My husband ordered a plentiful serving of penne all'arrabbiata, pasta tubes in a spicy tomato sauce, on a 12-inch oval platter for $9.95. The sauce was delicious and generously fragrant. I refer to the entrée as angry pasta because the flavor is so strong with fiery seasonings. The al-dente pasta complimented the Herculean, spicy sauce.
Throughout the evening, we conversed with other groups in the restaurant. We exchanged entrée and dessert recommendations. Everyone praised their meals, especially dessert, and said they would be returning.
When dining at Luciano's, be sure to save room for dessert. My husband and I ordered the Italian custard with strawberries and raspberry sauce. It is exceptional!
The milky, cool, smooth custard contains a hint of raspberry liquor that melted in our mouths. It calmed by husband's taste buds, which were still reveling in exhilaration from the angry pasta. The dessert is drizzled with raspberry sauce and dusted with powdered sugar. The serving is generous and could be a dessert for two people.
The wine menu offers a selection of 23 Italian and domestic red, white and sparkling wines. About one-half of the selections are available by the glass, however, the Italian red wines are available only by the bottle. Bottles of wine range from $15 to $185. Individual glasses of wine range from $4 to $8. A variety of 12 apéritifs, including DiSaranno Amaretto, Grand Marnier and Romana Sambuca Black, are available to enjoy after dinner.
P.S. All of the waiters are
accommodating, courteous and good-humored, but if you want
to practice your Italian, ask for Frank. He insists on
correct pronunciation.
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719 S. Virginia St. 322-7373 |
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High Point:
Italian custard with strawberries and raspberry
sauce. |
Posted
Dec. 1, 1999
Copyright 1999
Nevada Outpost
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