With the Chesapeake Bay all around, brick buildings, cobblestone streets, and such a lucrative restaurant industry, it’s no wonder taverns and pubs that both celebrate food and Annapolis history do so well downtown. The city’s close proximity to the Bay means that local seafood can often be the star of traditional dishes like Oysters Rockefeller and Crab Imperial. Even still, a surprising amount of time carved out for eating in Annapolis restaurants, we want something different and dare I say it–a bit exotic? For those times, Luna Blu, a traditional Italian restaurant on West Street in Annapolis, delivers. Been there before? Wonderful; visit again soon. Never gotten around to visiting the Italian upscale eatery? Never heard of it? Keep reading if you know what’s good for your stomach and satisfaction.
As a way of introduction, it’s important to provide a brief history on the restaurant. Established several years ago, the restaurant was founded on the hope to bring good people good food. The two female owners house their restaurant at 36 West Street.
As the Italians (and anyone who truly appreciates a good meal) knows, you eat with your eyes first. This assertion deems both the aesthetics of food and the atmosphere in which food is eaten significant. At Luna Blu, both are ideal. The food is presented in a simple, inviting manner. The atmosphere is something of a spectacle. The owners, Erin Dryden and Michelina Scotto, created a vision of Naples with expansive hand painted murals of the famous city. There are freshly cut flowers in the walkways and candles on the tables. The tables also have white linen tablecloths and small decorations on them. The setting is intimate and friendly. Imagine an Italian cafe hidden on the side of a mountain, with sunlight that comes into the dining floor through large glass windows.
The menus–lunch, dinner, wine and cocktails, and catering–offer a range of choices, all Italian, of course. Lunch brings classic dishes like bruschetta, mozzarella caprese, calamari, and baked brie in croute antipasti. The lunch appetizers range from $6 to $11. Soups are also on the menu for lunch, mostly tomato broth and seafood soups. Salads can be anything from Caesar to Mediterranean-inspired with ingredients like artichokes, black olives, and parmagiano cheese. More hearty lunches include sandwiches, pizzas with interesting twists like pesto and fried green tomatoes on top, and pasta dishes with meats and specialty cheeses. What’s also marvelous about the lunch menu is that it offers desserts made in-house, like chocolate mousse and tiramisu.
Dinner comes with specials like a four-course meal for $35; however, ordering one entree is certainly acceptable too. Many antipasti, salads, soups, and pastas from the lunch menu appear on the dinner menu. Specialty dishes like “Salmone Con Spinaci,” salmon grilled and sauteed in alfredo sauce then smothered with crabmeat and spinach, populate the dinner menu. Another enticing new option for dinner is the “Pollo o Vitello Carciofi,” a dish of either chicken or veal scallopine with artichokes, roasted red peppers, and alfredo. Specialty dinner options like these two cost what the average dinner item costs: around $22. Dessert complements these entrees beautifully.
The catering menu is similar to the lunch and dinner menus, with accommodations for wedding treats and numerous guests. The wine and cocktail menu includes a blend of American drinks and Italian drinks, like Limoncello martinis and Italian wines. The prices of drinks and bottles of wine are comparable. One drink special allows guests to receive half-priced bottles of wine on Mondays and Wednesdays (though some are excluded).
Events at the restaurant change frequently. Presently, Luna Blu will donate 10% of each dinner check to the ASPCA in Anne Arundel on Sunday, March 24. Then, on April 7, Luna Blu staffers will participate in “Walk for the Animals” at 9 a.m. Join Luna Blu for both chances to benefit local animals.
In closing, Luna Blu is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and then 5 p.m. for dinner. May through October, Luna Blu opens for lunch at noon and is open through dinner. Contact Luna Blu via Facbook (Luna Blu Ristorante), phone (410-267-9950), or web (http://www.lunabluofannapolis.com/events.shtml). Buon appetito!
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