Luigi's Pizza Fresca

I don’t want to make this too long, so I will cut to the day of the event; let’s suffice it to say that Marco made a couple of visits to the venue and even met with my daughter for a couple of hours to go over every detail. On the day of the event I arrived at the Stenton House about an hour and a half before dinner would be served and who did I find standing stirring sauce in a big pot on the stove but Luigi himself! This was a small kitchen stove that the staff at the Stenton House has for their personal use. He introduced himself as Luigi at which point I asked him, “Are you cooking the sauce here? I thought you were delivering everything in trays and leaving.” His response, “Do you think I would trust someone else with MY FOOD?! We will be here until the end.” The appetizer, which was an incredible Carpese Salad, was already setup for the cocktail hour and everyone was already raving about the salad with fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, and many other fresh ingredients. Under the main tent where dinner would be served, along with Luigi, where three sharply dressed assistants in Luigi uniforms with Luigi dressed in a crisp white “head-chef” type shirt (think, Mario Batali on the Iron Chef). I had no idea that Luigi and these three assistants would be staying to serve and monitor all the activity that involved the food. Have you ever been to an event where pasta is served and the macaroni gets mushy because it has been sitting in the tomato sauce for an hour above the sterno canned heat? That is what Luigi would NOT let happen with his food. The pasta was amazing and perfectly al dente with the sauce ladled over just a few moments before it was served. I have never tasted penne pasta prepared and served for a large venue that came close to the taste and quality of that dish. The chicken cutlet parmigiana and eggplant parmigiana were also amazing. But the dish that won the night was the manicotti. It was as good (perhaps better) than any manicotti I have tasted in a fine Italian restaurant. Okay, I hope I have convinced you that the food was amazing, the service and dedication to execution was impeccable, but this is not the most important thing that I can share with you about Luigi’s ability to make our event a success. It is hard to put it into words, but I will try. Luigi’s dedication made us all feel like we had four additional family members at the wedding!

Nothing amazing here, but if you're hungry and aren't particular about pizza, Luigi's will do the trick.

Dropped in for the first time last night since moving to the neighborhood from Brooklyn. Closest thing I have found to NY Pizza (and probably better). The slices were perfectly done with quality ingredients. (I used to manage a pizza place; believe me I can tell the difference!) The service was extraordinary and friendly. Ate on their outdoor patio facing Bishops Collar (lovely local bar). Highly recommended!

Luigi's has amazing food, especially the sicilian pizza.