Dinner at Lunetta

I tried to go to the new Watty & Meg last Friday but it was their soft opening so they closed the kitchen early & we were turned away! Major bummer, but not for long since we ended up going to Lunetta (116 Smith Street, between Pacific & Dean Streets, 718-488-6269), one of my favorite restaurants in Boerum Hill. Luckily there were a few tables available so we were seated right away.

I knew exactly what I wanted to start with and was delighted to hear that the Fried Artichokes were on the specials menu. I had them last time I was at Lunetta and have thought of them since. The ends of the leaves are trimmed and the bulk of the outside layers are peeled away. The center bunch is then fried with garlic and parsley and end up tasting and feeling a bit like potato chips, all crunchy and wafer thin. I've never seen this dish anywhere else and think it's the bomb! They disappeared very quickly!



It was difficult to decide what to get for our main entrees, as there are so many yummy dishes on the menu to choose from. I settled on the Linguini with Little Neck Clams with tomatoes, escarole and sea salt. The tomatoes lent a sweetness to the dish, but the main flavor came from the numerous plump little clams dispersed throughout the pasta. Delicious!



My BF got the Spaghetti Carbonara with Smoked Pancetta. It was a bit too heavy on the red pepper and in turn became to hot to enjoy. A few slices of crusty bread cured that problem though! This dish was hearty and deeply flavored from the pancetta and lightly creamy, not overwhelmingly so. Very nice!



We were way too stuffed to even think about dessert, so next time I'm saving room for the Chocolate-Hazelnut Budino!