|
Prepare to loosen your belt a notch or two when visiting
the brand new Luggatti's Italian Grill. From the moment
you step into the richly-decorated room with a fabulous
centerpiece bar in dark wood tones and cozy firepit at
the opposite wall, the rock music greets you in downtown
Huntington Beach fashion. Young, hip and delicious is
the the menu and mood at this remake of "The Shed", a
tired old building that was essentially gutted,
receiving an extreme makeover. Now morphed into one of the
nicest restaurant along or near Main Street in
Huntington Beach, an extensive menu features traditional
Italian pasta selections plus a large list of fish and
seafood dishes, beef or chicken burgers, sandwiches,
salads, appetizers, steaks, chicken, veal and specialty
plates ranging from Baked Mostaccioli to Eggplant
Parmigiana with Spaghetti. There are so many delicious
items to try that you'll soon be waiting in line to
enjoy the newcomer to Huntington Beach, once the word
gets out. and sure to win awards for its flavorful menu
and reasonable prices.
Open room seating at
comfortable tables with chairs or at the elegant bar in
a slightly darkened room provide a bit of intimacy, yet
visibility so you can see what everyone around you is
being served. Food presentations are dynamic at this new
restaurant from co-owners who've been in the restaurant
business for quite some time with another Italian
restaurant, Lino's located on Edwards near Edinger.
Hiring Chef Jason Trail from New
York who's worked at many top restaurants, the food is
clearly a winner. Start your meal with an awesome appetizer such as Luggatti Caprese, a delicious plate of fresh red
tomatoes served with thinly-sliced sweet red onions,
topped with fresh Mozzarella, garlic and basil oil
(shown in photo above). A meal in itself, don't be
deterred—a world of flavors awaits those who persevere
to complete a meal. Other appetizers include
Sticks and Stones (Fried Mozzarella sticks & Gnocchi
cheese-filled potato Dumplings); Fire Roasted
Artichokes, Garlic Fried Calamari with Marinara Sauce;
Fried Stuffed Artichokes with Goat Cheese, Roasted
Pepper Puree topped with a Tomato Cream Sauce; Grilled
Pancetta Wrapped Shrimp (Jumbo Shrimp wrapped with
Italian Bacon accompanied by Tuscany white beans and
spinach); Spinacci and Artichoke Dip and more.
If you need a salad, there
are some fabulous choices such as Mama's Antipasto in an
individual serving or for two people, Italian Chopped
Salad, Southwest Salad, Jimmy' Greek Salad, Chicken
Tender Chopped Salad, Chinese Chicken Salad, Double
Barrel BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad, Caesar Salad and
Garden Salad or Wedge Salad.
Sandwiches include
Cheeseburger, The Double Barrel BBQ Burger, BBQ Chicken
Burger and Fire Grilled Portabello Burger ranging from
under $7 to 9 (subject to change). Meatball Sandwich,
Coney Island Hot Pastrami Sandwich, Double Barrel BBQ
Beef, Ant Lin's Eggplant Parmigiana, Foccacia Sub, BLT
with Avocado and The Manhattan are affordable, filling
and yummy.
One of our favorites on
the menu is Luggatti's Pesto Salmon. A rich filet of
large proportions with the juices sealed into a crusty
Pesto seasoned Panko is seared to perfection and
decorated with sweet Tomato Cream Puree. It's difficult
to finish the plate that includes Roasted Baby Red
Potatoes and Grilled Vegetables so we left the beautiful
potatoes seen in top photo above. The fish dishes are
staggering in quality. We shared the Pesto Salmon and
Ultimo Frutte Di Mare (ultimate fruits of the sea)
included a huge soup-style plate containing fresh-made
linguine pasta topped with Sauteed Shrimp, Calamari,
Clams, Mussels and Scallops in light garlic, wine and
Marinara sauce. There are 14 entrees on the Seafood
list, 14 items on the Pasta selection, eight types of
chicken or veal, several steaks providing your choice of
seasoning and a variety of pizzas with extensive
toppings options.
Pizza buffs are going to
go crazy with Steak Fajita Pizza, New York Style Pizza,
Double Barrel BBQ Chicken Pizza and Buffalo Bleu Pizza
that includes Spicy Habanero, Chipotle Wing Sauce,
Chicken Jalapenos, Roasted Red & Yellow Peppers, Green
Onions, Mozzarella Cheese, Fresh Tomatoes and Bleu
Cheese Dressing.
If you manage to find room
for dessert after dining on appetizers and entrees, you
are in for a real treat. You must try the
heavenly Holi-Cannoli.
Meals are served with wine
by the glass or bottle, draft or bottled beers and
Martinis such as Ice Squeeze Martini with Blue Ice
Vodka, Cointreau, fresh squeezed lemons and a splash of
sweet & sour in a sugar rimmed glass garnished with
lemon zest. Shady Lady is a heavenly martini concoction
that is made of Blue Ice Vodka, Shyy Vanilla Vodka,
Chambord, Frangelico, Baileys and a splash of cream in a
chocolate rimmed glass. There are nine specialty
martinis on the menu, many Californian and Italian wines
and an elegant bar to sit and enjoy cocktails with your
friends or by yourself in a great place to unwind.
A kids men features chicken tenders, spaghetti, pizza and
grilled cheese sandwich so you can bring the entire
family or drop by after a beach day. A special
adjoining cafe was custom-made for take out dining so
guests don't have to wait for the regular seated guests.
 Do
these guys have their act together? You bet! The
co-owners also have Lino's Italian on 15491 Edwards
Street in Huntington Beach and Augustino's Italian on
12554 Valley View in Garden Grove (near the 22 Freeway).
We've attached our bill
for a complete meal. The servings were large, the dishes
superb and the service great. Don't hesitate to drop buy
and try this awesome restaurant. The menu is so diverse
that you can eat whatever suits you. If you order what
we had (see bill on left), you will be stuffed like that
fabulous Cannoli. If you're having a sugar urge, you
could drop to enjoy a coffee and dessert and be
absolutely satisfied.
Luggatti's Italian Grill, 210 5th Street,
Huntington Beach, CA 92648 | 714-536-8846 |
