Celebrations at Pazza Luna

by Erin

The day I finished my exams (now seeming oh-so-long ago since school is almost starting again!!), Xani and I went to Pazza Luna to celebrate! (By the way, their website is beautiful and awesome!) Xani had been to Pazza Luna during Restaurant Week over the summer, but I had never been so we decided to go.

Pazza Luna is located in Locust Point, a neighborhood not far from Federal Hill. The space is warm and cozy, and we ended up sitting at the bar and chatting with the bartender. Apparently there is an upstairs to the restaurant but it was completely filled with a private party – ah well, hopefully I'll get to see it next time.

First we ordered some Prosecco to celebrate the end of my third semester – half-way done! Then we ordered a few appetizers, which were all awesome. First, we ordered the Prosciutto and Pears, which was great, and a nice twist on the traditional Proscuitto e Melone (this was a happy switch for Xani - she loves pears, hates melon). The dish consisted of a pear, poached in wine and some other wonderful things, with arugula, parmesan cheese, lots of proscuitto, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Next, we ordered grilled polenta with sausages, which was served with a red pepper sauce. This was also really good and a combination of flavors not often seen.

Last, we ordered the Calamari alla Griglia (grilled calamari), which was DELICIOUS. It was so simple too – grilled, large pieces of squid, with a little lemon, some tomato, and some arugula. This is what is great about authentic Italian food – great ingredients, simply prepared = AMAZING!

For our mains, we switched to red wine. I ordered the Risotto del Giorno, which was risotto with gorgonzola, tomatoes, and rosemary, and roasted duck breast on top.

Xani got the Casoncelli alla Bergamasca, which was a pasta (shaped sort of like large bow-ties), filled with pork, beef and lamb. It was served with proscuitto and asparagus and drizzled with truffle oil. Yum!

Both of our dishes were amazing. Xani's pasta was perfectly cooked and the filling of the pasta was delicious, as was the proscuitto. My dish was also awesome - it was pretty intense because (a) risotto is just, well, like that, (b) the gorgonzola cheese was a strong flavor throughout the dish, and (c) there was an entire duck breast on top! But, I'm not complaining. Have you ever known either of us to turn down anything with "duck" in the name?

We didn't have any dessert, since this was an obscene amount of food. But, it was still a great celebration and we had a great time. I would definitely go back and try other dishes - they seem to really know what they are doing over at Pazza Luna!

Happy eating,

EP

UPDATE: Pazza Luna has their own blog where they graciously linked to our review! Check it out!