Business & Tech

Luna Rossa's Classic Italian Fare Attracts Lasting Loyalty of Customers

Pretty-in-pink dining room in Bedminster also attached to La Pizzeria, with same owners.

Luna Rossa Ristorante

318 Route 202/206 North

Bedminster, NJ

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Phone: 908-781-5100

La Pizzeria (attached): 908-781-5525

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Proprieters: Luigi and Salvatore Terraglia

As an Italian restaurant, Luna Rossa isn't exactly in rare company in the Bernards-Bedminster area. So why does it hold a special place in my affections?

To begin with, there's the menu that the owners say are based on many recipes from mama, although some have been adapted or updated. There's the sauce that smells a little like my grandmother's sauce. And if you're at least partly Italian, the family sauce is as personal as, say, the clan tartan for a Scot.

But enough of my personal prejudices! Luna Rossa also offers a great deal on Monday and Tuesday nights for a choice of pasta dishes, including everything from salad to coffee and tea with dessert, for $10.95.

And one choice for dessert is a small cannoli with filling made on site. All for a few dollars more than a meal at Burger King, a little further down the highway!

Luna Rossa is connected with La Pizzeria, also located at The Courtyard in Bedminster. Both are owned by brothers Salvatore and Luigi Terraglia, whose first restaurants together were in Plainfield and North Plainfield.

The brothers started the restaurant in Bedminster about 20 years ago, but still draw fans from the earlier dining establishments, Luigi Terraglia said.

It's easy to see why. Luna Rossa serves classic Italian food that reminds one of being at a family dinner. The friendly servers convey that feeling, too.

Of course, there always are updates to the menu, Luigi Terraglia said. 

Standing in his kitchen earlier this week, with brother Salvatore nearby rolling out and cutting dozens of cheese ravioli, Luigi said a treat that will be coming up in July is tomato and mozzarella salad.

The mozzarella is just one of the menu items made fresh in the kitchen behind La Pizzeria, he said. Tomatos come fresh from Sal's organic garden at home, he added.

Another relatively new addition is gluten-free pasta and other gluten-free meals, he said.

Some other favorites are chicken mimosa ($16.50), served with prosciutto and a white wine sauce and the restaurant's version of tiramisu, made with plenty of mascarpone cheese and lady fingers soaked in espresso, Luigi said. Of course, the sauce is made fresh, too, he said.

The pizzeria serves pizza (of course) and a wide variety of subs and Italian sandwiches.

La Pizzeria is a standard pizzeria setting, but the pink and mauve dining room at the front of the building, along with small white holiday lights and garlands of (not real) flowers create an old fashioned setting which, under the right circumstances, might be considered romantic.

But on the recent Monday where I'm here with a 15-year-old kid to take advantage of the Pasta Night Specials, I'm clearly not here for romance. Or even scintillating conversation.

To put it bluntly, we are here for the food.

Somehow, I've never gotten around to bringing the kid here before, something for which he chides me. After all, we've sampled most of the other Italian eateries in the area.

We both are in the mood for similar dishes, ordering ziti parmesan (his choice) and rigatoni bolognese (mine.)

But first we recieve some hearty Italian bread with olive oil and a nice, fresh side salad. We both opt for the pepper parmesan dressing. It's a bit spicy, but delicious, with a tangible presence of grated parmesan.

When the meals arrive, my dish is good, but his is even better. The generous serving of mozzarella cheese is the key. (And we didn't know then that it was freshly made!)

Included in the $10.95 deal is dessert and coffee or tea. I opt for the mini-cannoli, which is stuffed with filling prepared back in that kitchen. He sticks with ice cream.

By the time we are done, the adolescent gourmet has moved Luna Rossa into the top tier of his choices for local Italian restaurants.

On the night we were there, the dining room included lots of different types of people. There was a large family birthday party with everyone from grandparents to children, and a distinguished looking gentleman in a tweed suit jacket dining alone. (This is Bedminster, after all.)

I had been at Luna Rossa previously with an adult, one who likes to bring his own choice of wine. Luna Rossa is B.Y.O.B. I honestly don't remember what we had, but it was enjoyable. On a Saturday night, the standard prices, at least a few dollars more, were in effect. (Steaks can go for almost $30, but most dishes are under $20.)

The next day, stopping by to talk to the brothers, I ordered a to-go meatball parmesan sub ($6 for 8-inch sub) at La Pizzeria. Again, the fresh mozzarella pleased their next-generation juvenile fan. 

Bottom line: I'm not going to wait so long to go back again.

Décor: The dining room is romantic in a kitschy way. Your Italian grandmother would love it.

The Drinks: B.Y.O.B and standard non-alcoholic drinks, Italian coffees.

Entrees: Mostly Italian specialties, but wide list beyond pasta, including chicken, veal, steak and fish. The menu is online.

Desserts: Some Italian specialties, such as tiramasu and cannoli.

Service: Efficient and friendly.

Cost: $$


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