LUCIANO | Luciano is a fine-dining Italian restaurant just off of Airport Road in Huntsville. It’s somewhat hidden in a row of small storefronts. The size of the entrance is misleading as the dining area of the restaurant is surprisingly large. We were seated in the back of the place in the “courtyard” area, so we walked past the main dining room and the piano bar area and down a few steps into the courtyard dining room. It was very dim and quiet in that part of the restaurant, so it was easy for us to hear each other talking, which was nice.
Mr. Clearwater
The service was slooooooooow. The food honestly was really really good. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. I feel like I waited for such a long time I would have liked anything placed before me, but at the same time it was really good. I don’t know. I just feel like I got let down by a pretty good friend, but not bff friend.
WHAT HE ATE:
Spaghetti Bolognese - $12.90
three meat sauce, topped with fresh Parmesan
Like I said above, the food was super good. After waiting for about 45 minutes, we got our appetizer of escargot. It was really good. It’s only the second time I’ve ever eaten snails, but this dish was very flavorful. After this, my bread eaten/minute ratio was actually very low compared to the populous, but as they say, “There’s lies, dang lies, and statistics.” Truth is, even with a low BE/M ratio, I waited for so long that the nominal amount of bread eaten was quite substantial. Had a couple small bites of bolognese, but tbh, I was breaded to the gills and had to force down those bites. All-in-all, I’m medium to medium-high bullish on this food.
The Apprentice
Luciano is just off Airport Road, hanging somewhere in between irrelevancy and “meh”. The first thing I noticed upon arriving was how dark the dining area was. Secondly, how empty the room was. I only saw about 3-4 other patrons in the entire 2 hours we were there, which wasn’t that surprising after the fact. Our waiter wasn’t bad, but also nothing too special. It took a very long time, an hour plus, to get our food and our service in general wasn’t that fast. The men’s bathroom was dirty and looked to be in disrepair. However, on a positive note, the chairs were comfortable and the table had more than enough space to fit our party of 9. I would give the experience a 2/5.
WHAT HE ATE:
Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo - $19.90
served with a garden salad, Greek salad, or soup of the day
I think it speaks volumes to how bad an Italian restaurant is when I’ve had better fettuccine Alfredo’s at Nothing but Noodles. The shrimp on my dish was cooked nicely and tasted very good. The Alfredo sauce, however, was very bland, to the point I had to add table salt to make it somewhat flavorful. The noodles were cooked nicely, but again, that doesn’t really matter if the sauce they’re slathered in doesn’t taste good. I also had their potato soup, which, despite being a little cold, was tasty. The best thing BY FAR was the freshly made bread they provided to hold us over during our hour plus wait for the entrees. As with most restaurants, it’s very possible the rest of their menu is amazing. The Alfredo however is not, don’t order it. 1/5 for food.
The Boss
I’ve really enjoy the ambiance in Luciano both times I’ve visited. The courtyard “downstairs” is a really unique environment for a Huntsville restaurant. The staff has been friendly both times, but the time it took to get our food was extremely long both times we’ve been. As long as you have plenty of time to spare and want to go eat to really spend time with your friends/date, this is a great place with a lovely, quiet environment to sit and talk for long periods of time while you wait for your food to come out. Bread and oil comes out first, then appetizers, then soup/salad, then entrees.
WHAT SHE ATE:
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo - $17.90
served with a garden salad, Greek salad, or soup of the day
Disclaimer: the first time we ate at this restaurant, my food was really delicious. This time, though, I ordered chicken fettuccine alfredo and it tasted like key ingredients were missing. It was so bland that I couldn’t eat it and had to send it back to the kitchen and have it removed from our ticket. I’m not a picky person, but my dish today was inedible because it lacked any seasoning/flavor. The presentation was really good and the consistency of the pasta were great! I was really impressed by the customer service of the wait staff – when we were done with our meal, one of the managers at the restaurant came out to me and gave me a gift card for an amount exceeding the cost of my meal to make it up to me. I really appreciated that gesture and I’m sure I will be back in the future!
Judge J.
I have driven past Luciano’s numerous times and have been dying to check it out! Our waitress was very sweet and attended to our needs well. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan, which I enjoyed. It was paired with some fresh veggies, pasta, and the chicken was crisped nicely. The bread that came out beforehand was freshly baked and I definitely tucked in. Due to the fact that we had a large party, it took a while for the food to come out, but I was not too bothered. I would definitely try it out again!
WHAT SHE ATE:
Chicken Parmesan - $13.90
breaded, baked, tomato sauce, mozzerella, Parmesan, spaghetti
The Hipster
Today we went to Luciano off of Airport in south Huntsville. The atmosphere is very sophisticated and Italian. It was a little too dim for my taste, and made us all a little sleepy, while eating all of the carbs. The service was okay, but the wait time was very long in between each course.
WHAT SHE ATE:
Grilled Chicken Salad - $13.90
I had the Grilled Chicken Salad for lunch. The grilled chicken was pretty great, well-seasoned and tasty. The onions were aromatic, but not in the good sense of onion smell. When you see your food, you do not really want the smell of gym socks permeating your nose. Not a great idea to add onions that smell that way to a salad in my opinion. This restaurant is great for a romantic date where you have no later plans, and want time to talk in between courses… and have onion breath together.
The Engineer
This is the second time that I went to Luciano’s. The first time that I went, it was an incredible experience, and the food was absolutely delicious! This second time we went, unfortunately, it was a bit of a different experience. The service was pretty slow, as we were there for about two hours, and we were waiting for food for about an hour. The first experience I had was quick on bringing the food out, while also being friendly. The employees were definitely friendly this time as well, but the wait on the food was a bit too long for my taste. The atmosphere of the building is amazing in my opinion, as it is a little dark and there is soft jazz in the background that is very soothing. This is a place that feels very cozy. I think part of the reason things ran so slowly was because we had a group of nine and didn’t have a reservation. The only reason I was confused by the wait time though, was the fact that the restaurant was nearly empty. I would say that the restaurant was a 3/5 this time around, as it was OK, but nothing extraordinary.
WHAT HE ATE:
Fettuccine Alfredo - $13.90
As far as the food goes, I ran into the same problem. The first time I went, I got the same dish and it was incredible! I thought it was a safe bet going for the same dish, but there was something off with it this time. It tasted as though it was missing spices from the sauce. There was a general consensus from those who ordered the Alfredo-based dishes. The flavor was just bland, so that was sad since it was so flavorful and fulfilling the first time around. The bread that came out, the salad that came with my meal, and the escargot appetizer were all incredible, it was just the main course that had some issues. I am hoping that when I take my leftovers home, I can engineer some spice concoction to add that grand zing back to it!
Give them a visit!
Luciano
964 Airport Rd SW, #4
Huntsville, AL 35802
