Luigino's

[Bill32]

Wife and I went to the new Italian restaurant in S.S. today. We give it an initial "very good" rating. We shared the crab cake and the brushetta appetizers, both were very good. For entree's we had the lasagna and the penne ala vodka. The Penne was a little different than I'm used to ( not as creamy) but very good. My wife's lasagna was also very tasty. Our waiter, Derek, was friendly and professional ( his lovely fiancee Angela also works there and was keeping an eye on him ;) ) Our buss boy Conrad also kept an eye on us and was very professional. All items on the menu not yet available but that's to be expected with a "soft" opening. Price wise I would say a 1 to 4 dollars per more per entree than than other places in the area.

[buggyone]

Rack of Lamb for $33 is too high for a restaurant in Spanish Springs. I would also like to know the reasoning for having vegetables and potato as ala carte with the steaks.

Personally, I think the restaurant is pricing themself out of business.

[FMF Doc]

Rack of Lamb for $33 is too high for a restaurant in Spanish Springs. I would also like to know the reasoning for having vegetables and potato as ala carte with the steaks.

Personally, I think the restaurant is pricing themself out of business.

I think they may just want to offer those items for those that want them.

Did you like the food? What did you have?

My wife and I enjoyed our dinner very much and thought the prices were fair for the quality of food we received. Definitely have to agree with Bill about the service. All in all for their first day open I think everything ran pretty smooth and food very tasty.

[wjoyc56]

We went there tonight with friends. Also felt is was very good. I had Chicken French and Husband had the Salmon. Would order either again. But what I was really impressed with was the 5 star restaurant quality deserts!!!! The creme burlee and the tiramasu were the best I have ever had. Would highly recommend the desert menu even for a quick after the movies stop....:wave:

[Skip]

Rack of Lamb for $33 is too high for a restaurant in Spanish Springs. I would also like to know the reasoning for having vegetables and potato as ala carte with the steaks.

Personally, I think the restaurant is pricing themself out of business.

They have items on the menu that go to $43. Ouch!

Skip

[aln]

Personally, I'm glad to have them. I'm tired of mediocore chain type food.
Gators this and Gators that, Margurerita Rep, Ruby Tues, Panera, Pauly's, Toojays "the Darden group" and Katie Bells. I've been to everyone and I've been back but once in a while, a little more quality is nice.
We NEED something a little more. I hope to frequent this restaurant.
:mmmm:

[2catsmeow]

We also had dinner there last night and had a very enjoyable time and some good food. My happy hour vodka tonic was $2.75 which I think is a very fair price. I had the lasagna for $13.00 and my husband had the filet tips risotto which was $15.00 - both came with either a cup of soup or a salad. I didn't think the prices were too high - most of the entrees are between $13-$18. We hope everyone gives them a try.

[Bosoxfan]

:agree::BigApplause::mademyday:Personally, I'm glad to have them. I'm tired of mediocore chain type food.
Gators this and Gators that, Margurerita Rep, Ruby Tues, Panera, Pauly's, Toojays "the Darden group" and Katie Bells. I've been to everyone and I've been back but once in a while, a little more quality is nice.
We NEED something a little more. I hope to frequent this restaurant.
:mmmm:

[Shirleevee]

Personally, I'm glad to have them. I'm tired of mediocore chain type food.
Gators this and Gators that, Margurerita Rep, Ruby Tues, Panera, Pauly's, Toojays "the Darden group" and Katie Bells. I've been to everyone and I've been back but once in a while, a little more quality is nice.
We NEED something a little more. I hope to frequent this restaurant.
:mmmm:

I agree!!!!!!!!!:wine:

[nitehawk]

Its not against the law to "cook at home". This way you never have to send it back because its too well done or too rare, or the food is cold, the service is slow, etc. There would be nothing to complain about. You can make you own drink for about $.50 per drink and no time limit when you have to order the next one before the happy hour ends - happy hour can be all night. If you like two ice cubes a twist of lime and a dash of cam berry juice in a tall glass with two napkins and no stirrer, you can have it ( and you dont have to tip ). If you want extra cheese or ground black pepper or salad dressing on the side -- its your call. If everything does dont come out perfect you can post your complaints on this site about what you did wrong. Then leave some suggestion how to improve the meal next time, so you can do it better next time.

[Bill32]

Its not against the law to "cook at home". This way you never have to send it back because its too well done or too rare, or the food is cold, the service is slow, etc. There would be nothing to complain about. You can make you own drink for about $.50 per drink and no time limit when you have to order the next one before the happy hour ends - happy hour can be all night. If you like two ice cubes a twist of lime and a dash of cam berry juice in a tall glass with two napkins and no stirrer, you can have it ( and you dont have to tip ). If you want extra cheese or ground black pepper or salad dressing on the side -- its your call. If everything does dont come out perfect you can post your complaints on this site about what you did wrong. Then leave some suggestion how to improve the meal next time, so you can do it better next time.

I can see you never had my wife fix you a meal!!!........................:22yikes:

[Bill32]

They also make their own salad dressings. We had Caesar and the creamy Parmesan, both were outstanding. I agree with the poster on the rack of lamb price. I wouldn't buy rack of lamb anywhere because the price is always high!

[golf2140]

Its not against the law to "cook at home". This way you never have to send it back because its too well done or too rare, or the food is cold, the service is slow, etc. There would be nothing to complain about. You can make you own drink for about $.50 per drink and no time limit when you have to order the next one before the happy hour ends - happy hour can be all night. If you like two ice cubes a twist of lime and a dash of cam berry juice in a tall glass with two napkins and no stirrer, you can have it ( and you dont have to tip ). If you want extra cheese or ground black pepper or salad dressing on the side -- its your call. If everything does dont come out perfect you can post your complaints on this site about what you did wrong. Then leave some suggestion how to improve the meal next time, so you can do it better next time.

Come to my house. We have all the restaurants on speed dial!!!!!:crap2:

[redwitch]

Its not against the law to "cook at home". This way you never have to send it back because its too well done or too rare, or the food is cold, the service is slow, etc. There would be nothing to complain about. You can make you own drink for about $.50 per drink and no time limit when you have to order the next one before the happy hour ends - happy hour can be all night. If you like two ice cubes a twist of lime and a dash of cam berry juice in a tall glass with two napkins and no stirrer, you can have it ( and you dont have to tip ). If you want extra cheese or ground black pepper or salad dressing on the side -- its your call. If everything does dont come out perfect you can post your complaints on this site about what you did wrong. Then leave some suggestion how to improve the meal next time, so you can do it better next time.

Yeah, but I don't have to clean up when I go out to eat.

[billybye]

After seeing their menu, I will probably continue to drive to Belleview to either Pasta Faire or Bellevue Pizza - the menu prices are too much for my budget.
The gas needed to drive to Belleview would be minor.

[Villages PL]

Its not against the law to "cook at home".

I'm glad to hear that. If it was against the law, I would either be on death row or serving a life sentence. I only eat out about once or twice per month so as to socialize with friends. It's a treat because it's a rare event. And I only go to restaurants that provide lots of healthy choices, like Golden Corral.

When I was young and didn't have any money my dream was to someday be able to afford fancy restaurants. I have since acquired the means but in the mean time I studied and learned a lot about nutrition and health. And there's no way I could ever eat in restaurants as healthily as I do at home. I value my health too much to eat out more often than I do.

:wave:

[Bogie Shooter]

After seeing their menu, I will probably continue to drive to Belleview to either Pasta Faire or Bellevue Pizza - the menu prices are too much for my budget.
The gas needed to drive to Belleview would be minor.

Really?
How much do you really save by going to Belleview. I had lunch at Belleview pizza today and the bill for two came to $18.00 no drinks. Seems that any savings would be lost on gasoline costs. Besides shouldn't we support our local restaurants. I did that on Sunday.

[billybye]

what did you eat???
they have lunch special at $5.99 including drinks

[BaylorBear]

I'm glad to hear that. If it was against the law, I would either be on death row or serving a life sentence. I only eat out about once or twice per month so as to socialize. It's a treat because it's a rare event.

When I was young and didn't have any money my dream was to someday be able to afford fancy restaurants. I have since acquired the means but in the mean time I studied and learned a lot about nutrition and health. And there's no way I could ever eat in restaurants as healthy as I do at home. I value my health too much to consistently eat out.

:wave:

It would be quite nice to have a few establishments that do not cover everything with a cream sauce of some sort or cover it with cheese. Sure, it's easy enough to ask them to leave such items off, but it would be much healthier if there were more entrees with less fat. Don't get me wrong, I like those dishes just like everyone else, it's just they're pretty bad on the old ticker!:wine:

[ronsandi1]

Hey Guys....Just give US your Opinion on this Establishment....Not your opinion on eating & Life.....Thanks-:doh: ratty ron

[hedoman]

The best thing we make for dinner? A RESERVATION

:a20:

[Villages PL]

It would be quite nice to have a few establishments that do not cover everything with a cream sauce of some sort or cover it with cheese.

I agree. I modified my post above to mention that I only go to restaurants that offer some healthy choices. Golden Corral (early bird buffet from 1pm to 3pm) has many healthy choices, if you don't mind serving yourself. Another is KFC senior buffet. KFC doesn't have as many choices but you can ask for their (unbreaded) baked chicken breast. It's very good and you can go back for more. They don't have a big choice of vegetables but it's enough to satisfy me. I practice veganism at home but when I go to these places, I make an exception. That's what makes it a treat.

Otherwise, it's slim pickens for those of us who like to eat healthy food. If you go to a sit-down restaurant, you'll be lucky to find one healthy item on the menu.

:wave:

[MrMark]

Wife and I went to the new Italian restaurant in S.S. today. We give it an initial "very good" rating. We shared the crab cake and the brushetta appetizers, both were very good. For entree's we had the lasagna and the penne ala vodka. The Penne was a little different than I'm used to ( not as creamy) but very good. My wife's lasagna was also very tasty. Our waiter, Derek, was friendly and professional ( his lovely fiancee Angela also works there and was keeping an eye on him ;) ) Our buss boy Conrad also kept an eye on us and was very professional. All items on the menu not yet available but that's to be expected with a "soft" opening. Price wise I would say a 1 to 4 dollars per more per entree than than other places in the area.

Had lunch there today. Was very disappointed with the limited variety of lunch offerings. Had one of the only two sandwiches offered, Chicken Parm. The sauce was good but far to little of it to compensate for the overcooked chicken and the very dry roll. Brief look at the dinner menu confirms what others have said about prices a bit high. $33 for Rack of Lamb and $18 for Veal Parm is too much. The place was virtually empty between 12:30 and 1:30 today (Friday)

[whartonjelly]

Activia for breakfast, soup in a cup for lunch, and all out with a fried egg sandwich for supper suits me !!:wave:

[gemorc]

Hey Guys....Just give US your Opinion on this Establishment....Not your opinion on eating & Life.....Thanks-:doh: ratty ron
:BigApplause:This is a perfect example of thread hijacking.

[rubicon]

Hey Guys....Just give US your Opinion on this Establishment....Not your opinion on eating & Life.....Thanks-:doh: ratty ron

And where is your opinion in this post?

Personally, I can't offer one because I haven't eaten there yet. And since I eat out only once in a while it may be some time before I am able to offer that opinion.:wave:

[hedoman]

And where is your opinion in this post?

Personally, I can't offer one because I haven't eaten there yet. And since I eat out only once in a while it may be some time before I am able to offer that opinion.:wave:

Yo Rub!
I've learned from previous posts that 1) in 5 years you have never purchased an alchaholic beverage in the squares 2) hardly ever go to the squares and now RARELY go out to dinner.

Come on out and have some fun! Just sayin'

[The Villager II]

:clap2:Yo Rub!
I've learned from previous posts that 1) in 5 years you have never purchased an alchaholic beverage in the squares 2) hardly ever go to the squares and now RARELY go out to dinner.

Come on out and have some fun! Just sayin'

[travelguy]

went there on saturday night. minimal wait time to get a booth, about 20 minutes.
service was a bit slow, and with no explanation as to why it was taking so long. my veal and my wife's chicken were outstanding, and we got to take half of it home. could have had some more pasta, thought they were a bit stingy with the pasta. good caesar salad, minestrone soup was a little too much broth, and not enough vegetables. outstanding tiramisu.
a step above olive garden, i would try it again.:wave:

[LivingLarge]

For those that talk about the high price - They don't hide their prices. We went in last Thursday and they gave us the printed menu with prices before we were seated. The food was very good but we went for more moderate priced items. If you want to see the prices before you dine they will gladly show you. If it's too high for your tastes then tell them it's too high and take your leave. They'll get the message if it happens enough. But the market will bear what the market will bear.

[getdul981]

Has anyone got a phone number? (For Luigino's)

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Has anyone got a phone number? (For Luigino's)

From their web site: (352) 633-5250

http://www.luiginosatspanishsprings.com/

Bill :)

[Freeda]

We were there tonight and loved the food and nice decor; and upscale bar area. I like that they have some large 3-sided booths; my favorite type of seating.

Service was great. Our group had pizza, which was outstanding, lasagna, and penne pasta with sausage. All were excellent.

Starting tomorrow their happy hour begins at noon and goes till seven; and possibly they will have late night happy hour prices soon, according to our waiter.

I think this is a great addition to TV.

[getdul981]

Thanks Bill!!!!

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Yup - no problem, Greg!

Bill :wave:

[Tweety Bird]

Hey Guys....Just give US your Opinion on this Establishment....Not your opinion on eating & Life.....Thanks-:doh: ratty ron

Hey...I didn't mind those opinions. Eating is also about health and which establishment does what and how.

[starflyte1]

Had dinner Wednesday night at Luigino's. They did not have the ravioli or lamb, but the lasagna was absolutely the best! Service was good and the wait was approximately 30 minutes at 6pm. It was a very relaxed dinner-no rushing by staff to get you out.

[gongoozler]

Anyone know what draft beers they are selling there . . . is it the Village regulars: Miller Lite, Yuengling, Coors Lite, etc. or do they have any ales or good beers on tap?

[graciegirl]

I LOVE the warm soft bread served with oil and garlic and spices at Carrabbas and I love their chicken soup and I love everything on their menu.

Is Luigino's better than Carrabbas?

[villages07]

We ate there yesterday about 4:30, so no waiting. Bread was good. You get either soup or salad with entrees. I had lasagna, mr 07 had sausage with peppers and onions over penne. Food was very tasty but a bit pricey....lasagna 13 and sausage and peppers 15.

As to beer, most of the usual offerings plus Stella Artois. Happy hour was 50c off and the Stella draft was 4.50, a bit pricey by Villages standards.


The place is nicely decorated and they had a gentleman playing soft keyboard music from 5-8.


All in all a pleasant experience and we would go back. We also really like Carrabas and felt this was sorta comparable in price. Maybe Carrabas food is a touch better.

[Bosoxfan]

Hey Guys....Just give US your Opinion on this Establishment....Not your opinion on eating & Life.....Thanks-:doh: ratty ron

I can tell you're new here :welcome: keep the comments to the topic..:a20:not here!

[golfnut]

07 is Stella a premium beer? $4.50 for a draft during happy hour..whaaat?...gn

[ukgolfer]

Stella Artois is brewed in Belgium and the United Kingdom, In the United States, Stella Artois is imported and distributed by Anheuser-Busch.
Here in the uk it was advertised as "reassuringly expensive" for a while, and is potent.....have too many and you will know the day after!:beer3:

[graciegirl]

I THINK here in the U.S. the alcohol content of beer is all the same...but maybe not???

In Ohio years ago you could drink beer with 3.2% alcohol when you were 18, but not now...so maybe beer can have more than 6% now.

Someone will tell me.

[PennBF]

We read some of the TOTV posting on Luigino's and decided we should at least visit it and see what we thought. We had lunch there today and it was very good. The sause was excellent that came with my lasagna and the dish itsself was very good. The prices were reasonable. My wife had the salad with chicken and 2 soda's=total check of $25.00.
Regarding the $33 rack of lamb, etc. These were not available at lunch and only after 4PM as dinner. This plus one other item appeared to out of the general average. I have had rack of lamb and if it is very good this is not out of line. The other dinner items costs were within being reasonable if the food was good and we found the food we had as very good,
Would we go back. Absolutely..We have tried most of the Italian Restaurants in The Villages and this was the best with Giovanni's a close second. :eclipsee_gold_cup:

[brostholder]

Just a quick thought regarding price. My wife and I have been fortunate to eat in some great restaurants around the country. I don't mind paying $150.00 for some great food, great wine, etc. But it really burns me to pay $20.00 for mediocre stuff. I believe the truth is in the value, not the price.

[JMMFL]

Since no one has mentioned the eggplant rollatini... Took my mother to Luigini's for lunch today, and we were both pleased. Though it was not listed on the lunch menu, she had spaghetti with meat sauce, and I had eggplant rollatini. Both items were just under $10 and quite tasty. The bread was standard - nothing to write home about - and the salad croutons were lousy, but we were there for the Italian fare, so we didn't much mind. (But, obviously, I'm mentioning it, so maybe it's haunting me. Ha!)

[gongoozler]

I THINK here in the U.S. the alcohol content of beer is all the same...but maybe not???

In Ohio years ago you could drink beer with 3.2% alcohol when you were 18, but not now...so maybe beer can have more than 6% now.

Someone will tell me.

Stella Artois at 5.2 per cent alcohol is stronger than some lagers and it has acquired the unflattering nickname of "the wife beater". However 5% ABV is equal to regular Bud, MGD, Coors, Bass, Heineken, Corona, St. Pauli Girl, Becks... as most mass-produced simple beers are right about the same strength. The customary strength of British ales is low, with many session beers being around 4% abv with India Pale Ales normally being higher in alcohol by volume as it was produced in England for shipping to the troops in India and the higher ABV helps to preserve it.
Samuel Adams reached 20% abv with its Millennium brew and many Scotish ales run about 10%. There are much stronger beers out there (reaching over 30%) but they are rare and cost a ton.

[Chief X]

I've been there twice now. Both times I was pleased with the food and service. Saturday evening I went there (we had 5 in our group) and after our meal, my s.o. (significant other) and I spoke with the owner. We had met him and talked with him during our first visit too.
We were the last customers out, as they were closing. The owner is passionate about the restaurant business (he owns 2 others) and it showed in his excitement as he gave my lady and I a tour of the kitchen, including the walk in freezers. They do in-fact make everything fresh, including the bread and salad dressings. He purchases his tomatoes from just one reputable farm in CA. He spoke about everything from the pasta to chicken to the bread.
The best part however, was how clean the kitchen was, and this was after a very busy evening. His staff were scrubbing everything in site.
I agree that the prices are somewhat higher than other places, but to me, good service, great food and a clean environment are money well spent.

[MelZ]

Another positive vote if our dinner last Saturday was any indication we are going to be regulars. There was a 45 minute wait for dinner, but it was well worth it. Minestrone soup was excellent. The Calamari was fried to perfection with a great red dipping sauce. my Veal parm was the best I've has since leaving NY.

A bit higher than the other Italian restaurants but worth every penny.:mmmm::mmmm::mmmm: