Galveston.com Review

Located in the heart of Galveston’s Strand district, Luigi’s is a perfect venue for those wishing to combine great dining with a downtown shopping or entertainment experience. We arrived early on a Saturday evening to a busy but not hectic dining room. The atmosphere is lively Italian but not intrusive, lighting just right to be able to read the menu, but low enough to provide privacy. If you’re in the mood for a relaxed/casual but “island dressy” place to have a great meal, Luigi’s is the place to go.

Our enthusiastic waiter was obviously proud of his work in the restaurant, and seemed to have learned a great deal about food preparation as he described the menu to us. Throughout the evening he was perfectly attentive, friendly, and respectful of our needs.

The in-house-baked bread and herb-infused olive oil were tasty and tempting, but we did not let them divert us from our mission of experiencing the menu to our best ability. We shared an appetizer of “Portobello funghi e pomodoro”, grilled Portobello with tomatoes in white wine lemon butter sauce. It was served slightly warm, lemon-tangy with a sauce that did not overpower the subtle mushroom flavor. For salad I had the “Insalata Gorgonzola,” a mixture of spicy greens with Walnut Gorgonzola dressing—delicious! My companion had “Pomodoro Caprese,” of tomato with fresh mozzarella and basil, which benefited from olive oil and vinegar offered.

My friend’s entree of “Pesci del Giorno” was Red Drum grilled and topped with lemon butter white wine sauce, served with herbed grilled potatoes. The light sauce complemented the fish nicely without overwhelming its mild flavor. I felt obligated to try a pasta dish in an Italian restaurant, so I went for the “Tortellini Sugo Rosso,” stuffed with chicken, pork and ricotta cheese, and covered with tomato cream sauce. Wow! The tortellini had perfect texture, and the sauce couldn’t be beat. It had a deliciously dusky and robust character. We accompanied all this with a very reasonably priced Italian Chardonnay, which made a perfect complement.

For a finale we shared “Bavarese all Luigi”, a custard cream served with a scoop of Luigi’s own chocolate gelato. We found it to be extraordinarily light and not overly sweet. A tangy slice of fresh strawberry provided a pleasantly surprising complement. And the homemade gelato had satisfying texture and tasty chunks of chocolate. Even a non-dessert lover would be tempted by this creation.

The meal was satisfying and filling, but not at all heavy. We took our time and were never rushed. Of course Luigi came out to speak with us, to be certain everything was to our liking. Overall we enjoyed great food and a superb dining experience, one with which we could find no fault. Our only regret is that we could not sample every item on the menu! Luigi’s definitely lives up to its Zagat rating.