Restaurant Review: Cafe Luna

Cafe Luna $$$ ★★★☆☆

Location: 136 East Hargett St., Downtown Raleigh

Café Luna has been a fixture of Italian cuisine in downtown Raleigh since 1996.  It’s situated in a beautiful historic building on Moore Square with a contemporary Italian atmosphere similar to what you may find in an upscale restaurant in Tuscany.

I have attended various functions in the past at Café Luna, including a wedding and a college graduation party and have enjoyed the food.  This was the first time I’ve eaten there as a diner in the restaurant. The restaurant has garnered a reputation for its consistency and variety of Tuscan inspired dishes. I had a difficult time deciding which dish to order since they all looked so good.

I started my meal with the fried calamari and came away a bit disappointed.  The Calamari Fritti - Fried Squid was crisp with a tender flesh but it lacked flavor and the marinara was very bland. The Tomatoes Caprese (Mozzarella Fresca - Fresh Mozzarella with Sliced Tomatoes & Basil) was also disappointing.  The fresh mozzarella was excellent but the tomatoes were green and hard. Instead of melting in your mouth and complimenting the mozzarella and basil it distracted and overwhelmed the flavor of the dish.

My entrée of Penne con Carciofi (Pasta Sautéed with Artichokes, Black Olives and Spinach) was excellent.  The penne were cooked to perfection and it had the right balance of flavor between the kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and spinach. I would definitely order this dish again.

The Filet of Sole, which was a daily special, was cooked to perfection.  The lightly breaded and fried sole was covered with a light sauce and cooked grape tomatoes.  It was just the right level of spices so that the flavor of the sole came through without being overpowered. One of the disappointing aspects of this dish was the side of asparagus. They were steamed and were hard with no seasoning. I love asparagus, put I did not eat them this night.

For dessert we ordered Tiramisu and Tartufo. The tiramisu had decent flavor but was soggy and disappointing. The tartufo, an ice cream ball made with vanilla and chocolate ice cream blended with walnuts and a cherry and coated with chocolate shavings topped with whipped cream, was very good once it had time to soften. When it first came out it was too hard to cut.

Overall it was a nice meal but I wouldn’t rush back.