Lunetta

Last Friday my friends and I had tickets to see Death of a Salesman at a little community theater in Brooklyn. Since the show did not start until 8:00 p.m., we decided dinner nearby would be the best idea. My friend, an avid foodie, picked Lunetta ("little moon" in Italian) in Brooklyn because she loves their food. I must admit - when she first showed me the menu, I was a little skeptical. There didn't appear to be many choices, but I was willing to give it a try.

Since we went after work, we were one of the first groups in there. While we were placed near a window in a cozy corner, Lunetta does have a bar that one can sit at and watch the food being made. We started off with the ricotta (they make their own) with honey and lemon bruschetta, and it simply stated, it was amazing. The Italian bread was slathered with fresh ricotta and then drizzled with honey and lemon. My friends also had the escarole and radicchio salad with garlic, anchovy and lemon, and loved how fresh and light the salad tasted.

For the main course I ordered the orecchiette, rapini (broccoli raab) and housemade fennel sausage. Simple ingredients yet the dish was so flavorful and tasty. Plus the portion size was just perfect - not so small that I was starving later, nor was it so large that there was no way that I could finish the dish. Rather, the portion size is best described as the portion I would serve myself if I was at home cooking the dish. For their main courses, my friends sampled the papperdelle with Berkshire pork ragu, and one of the specials, the squid ink pasta with Shrimp. They also ordered a side of smashed pumpkin with brown butter and honey. All three, in my friends opinions, were simply amazing.

Whenever possible, Lunetta uses sustainable, local and organic produce, fish and meats, and you can certainly tell when sampling their menu.

Overall, I absolutely love this restaurant - it is my new favorite, and I don't think I can adequately express in words how good the dishes are. The menu is simple, but the dishes themselves are so fresh and pack so much flavor. This is truly food at its best.

Lunetta
116 Smith Street (between Pacific and Dean)
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11217
718-488-6269