Cafe Luigi

Going to a restaurant in a strip mall is almost never a very good idea. The food is likely going to be sh$t and the atmosphere is likely going to be about as charming as a T.J. Max. Cafe Luigi in Bedford, Massachusetts, however, is a big exception to that rule.

Even though it is is a leafy suburb about 30 minutes outside Boston, Luigi's is exactly the type of non-nonsense place ("open for lunch and dinner every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas") you'd have found 30 or 40 years ago in the North End (i.e. before all the Yuppies moved in), or in nearby former Italian-American strongholds of East Boston or Revere (birthplace of Mrs. HFG and her mother).

We were supposed to leave for London the day after Christmas but our flight out of Logan was canceled by the big storm last week. Thanks to American Express Platinum Travel Services we were able to re-book the entire trip for a week later. So, on Sunday, we flew out of Boston, but before we left we went for lunch with my mother-in-law at Cafe Luigi. My wife had taken me to Luigi's a couple of times before when we were visiting her family and we had good meals both times.

In fact, my mother-in-law and wife swear by Luigi's (my mother-in-law lives about 15 minutes away and my wife used to work just up the road) and it is easy to see why; the food is very good, the prices are great, and the service is quite respectable. The times I have been there there has always been a very good crowd and Sunday was no exception, with the place 2/3 full at 1 PM. In fact, my mother-in-law said that that was the least crowded she'd ever seen Luigi's, which should tell you something.

We started with an OK small antipasti ($5.99). The salad itself wasn't much to write home about, but the peppers, cheese, and smoked meat were pretty good.

For lunch, I had the cheese ravioli in Bolognese sauce ($8.49). Although it was pretty good, it was not worth the grief I took from my mother-in-law for ordering something I'd had at her house on Christmas Day a week earlier (a sin compounded by the fact that we did not bring any leftovers home). Still, I was satisfied.

My wife had the black pasta Aglio Oglio ($8.49) (black pasta is just regular pasta blackened with squid ink). The Aglio Oglio is made with pasta, garlic, olive oil, and calamari. I had some, and it was very, very good. The pasta was excellent and the calamari was very well-prepared, being neither too soft nor too rubbery. Frankly, I wished I had ordered it for myself.

My mother-in-law ordered the shrimp Verdicchio ($12.49), which consisted of a saute of gulf shrimp with white wine, mushrooms, black olives, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. It was also excellent. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and the flavors extremely well-balanced. It was every bit as good as my wife's lunch, which is saying something.

For desert, we shared a tiramisu, which was perfect. The consistency was excellent and the flavor great, without being too overpowering.

As you can see, the interior of Luigi's borders on the tacky (that said, they make it work) and the exterior is certainly nothing to look at. But, if you are in that part of Massachusetts Cafe Luigi is a great little spot and you won't be disappointed. If you won't take it from me, take it from my Italian wife and her even more Italian mother!

Here's the link to Luigi's website - http://luigisbedford.com/