Caffé Luna, Under the Stars

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Caffé Luna

Want a tasty lunch or dinner for a reasonable price and great service? Choosing Caffé Luna was the best decision I made for an Italian restaurant.

It is located at 136 East Hargett Street.

Never thought that 518 West would be booted off my number one list, but after trying this restaurant, there was a new number one in town.

My mother and I went to during lunch time, and along with us there were about 10 other people waiting outside the door as well. As we were seated, more walked in. Probably the most popular place I have been during a lunch hour and it was only even 11:30.

As we were looking over the menu, our waitress asked if we had any questions and as I informed her about doing an Italian food blog on restaurants in downtown Raleigh, she instantly named an item that were their most popular.

The dish was called Fiocchi, which is a fresh pasta stuffed with four Italian cheeses and pear saute in cream with tomatoes. When she described that, I could feel the drool rolling down my mouth. I only wished that it was dinner time ….

After looking at the menu for about twenty minutes, I finally made my decision and went with Faralle al Salmon which is bowtie pasta with fresh salmon in a pink cream sauce.

The way it looks, is exactly how it taste, incredible and delicious along with the fresh salmon and a smooth cream sauce.

Before, eating my lunch, we ate my favorite appetizer, Calamari. It was the best Calamari I have ever eaten in my entire life. It was fresh, lightly breaded with just little seasoning to give it flavor and topped with lemon juice.

Not only was our meal incredible, but the prices were unbelievable too! Especially for a college student! My meal was only $7.95 along with the Calamari being $5.95. A cheap and amazing meal.

After eating our meal, this man came up to our table and asked our names and where we were from. I noticed before how he was going around to every table and after he left, my mother informed me that it was the owner, Mr. Kennedy.

I have never been to a restaurant where the owner would walk around and make a friendly conversation and get to know who you were instead of asking, "Is your meal okay?"

I fell in love. I fell in love with the food, with my waitress and of course Mr. Kennedy. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. I even asked him if I could make a reservation for dinner tonight, he simply replied back, "Of course. I'll put you right on there."

When we were walking out, I noticed a picture frame that held an article from the Southern Living about Caffé Luna. It talked about the food and the paintings that hung on the walls that Mr. Kennedy's wife, Nicole had painted.

There was a lot of history behind this place and the owners, I only wish I had time to read the entire article.

Not only was the food delicious, but the atmosphere and history behind it made it even more remarkable. I think coming here once or even twice a week would be beyond perfect. I am that addicted after my first time going.