[Huntington Beach] [Italian] Luna Rossa Ristorante

Luna Rossa
7821 Edinger Ave #110
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 890-9118
http://www.lunarossaristorante.com

We went on a double date with friends last weekend. My friend suggested we meet at Bella Terra for dinner, and she felt like having Italian. The choices were Macaroni Grill, Buca di Beppo, and Luna Rossa. I picked Luna Rossa because it is a smaller family owned restaurant. I always like those better than big chained restaurants.

Our waiter asked if it was our first time there, and gave us a brief introduction of the restaurant. The chef moved here from Rome about 5 years ago. Half of their pasta was made fresh daily, and if it's not freshly made, it was imported from Italy. Sounds good already!

I had too much fun talking and enjoying the night with friends, and didn't take much pictures. But I really want to write about this place because it is simply amazing!


Luna Rossa Le Pizza
Tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, olives and mixed vegetables

We opened a bottle of chanti and ordered a wood oven pizza as our starter. If you like vegetables, it is THE pizza to get! Lots of fresh and yummy vegetables on top of the delicious thin crust pizza. It was a huge pizza, and I believe it was $14. What a steal! The 4 of us only finished 1/2 pizza because we want to leave room for more food.

After the pizza, two of us had soup, and two of us had salad. I had the Minestrone Soup. It came on a huge plate, and this place is not stingy with their vegetable at all. After the big plate of soup, I was pretty much full already. Dr. P also enjoyed his Cesar Salad.


Fettuccine Ai Funghi
Fresh egg fettuccine with mushroom and shallots in a pink vodka sauce

I ordered Rigatoni Ai Funghi, but asked if I could have their fresh egg fettuccine instead. The waiter told us that they are very flexible with personalized orders, and was more than happy to make the switch for me. Let me tell you, the fresh pasta makes a big difference! Their pink vodka sauce was so good that I think I can drink just drink it. And the juicy mushroom made this already delicious pasta dish insanely good.

Dr. P ordered Spaghetti Alle Vongole (Spaghetti with clams in a light spiced white wine and garlic sauce). He liked it but wish they added a bit more salt. Our friends ordered Spaghetti Pescatora (Spaghetti with clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp combination, in light tomato garlic sauce) and Fettuccine Alfredo. Everyone raved about how good their dishes were.


Classic Tiramisu

For dessert, we ordered a Classic Tiramisu to share. They also served us complimentary dessert champagne. What a perfect ending!

To make this night even more perfect, I checked in on Yelp and received a coupon for 30% off!! Can you believe that? Don't be fool by the quality and quantity of the food. The price is VERY reasonable (cheaper than Macaroni Grill!). With 30% off, it is a steal!!

We fell in love with Luna Rossa Ristorante, and can't wait to go back again to try more of their fresh pasta dishes. They are opening a branch in The District soon. Yeah! It'll be closer to us, and I am sure we will be visiting often!