Just a few
weeks ago we reported that Hampden is surprisingly becoming a major player in
the pursuit of delicious authentic Italian food in Baltimore. It has been less than a year since Daniela’s
opened on The Avenue, joining both locations of Grano; and now, we’re
announcing another addition to Hamden’s Italian scene – Luigi’s Italian Deli and Market.
Luigi’s,
which opened this week in the former location of Lovely Yarns, is a
modest-sized Italian market offering deli meats, sandwiches, and various
Italian goods. And the owners informed
us on our visit this past Saturday, that they will have more coming, including
an expresso machine. For those of us
enjoying one of their sandwiches, they have a few tables in the front of the
shop, a few tables on the front porch, and weather permitting, a few tables on
the back porch. And – the piece de
resistance – the back porch back
up to the Wine Source, so one can easily grab
a bottle of wine at the Wine Source and bring it in the back door to eat with
your sandwich.
We ordered an
Italian Cold Cut ($8) and the Isabella (also $8). The Italian Cold Cut included salami, capicolla,
prosciutto, mortadello, and provolone, and was seasoned with olive oil,
vinegar, hot peppers, and some of the other basic fixins. The Isabella was stuffed with prosciutto, soppressata,
coppa, asiago cheese, roasted red peppers, and an olive spread. Both sandwiches were generously stuffed and
served on a soft Italian role. All of
the meats were flavorful, fresh, and well portioned. The olive spread was delicious, and the red
peppers on the Isabella were very tasty, though if you don’t like red peppers I’d
suggest telling them to hold the peppers, as they strongly affect the
flavor. Both plates also came with a
side of homemade pasta salad, which was pretty tasty, and a nice touch.
Overall, we
were extremely impressed with the sandwiches, especially since they are so
reasonably priced and well portioned. We
also got some cold cuts to take home, which were comparable in price to our
local grocery store, and a lot tastier.
And most
importantly – the owners are extremely friendly and welcoming. And a cool trivia fact: the vigilantecross-walk painter works there too!
Luigi’s is a
very good, and well overdue, addition to Hampden food scene. I have a feeling I will be giving them a lot
of my money!
Luigi’s Italian Market and Deli
846 West 36th Street
Baltimore, MD 21211
410-814-0652
5-Star Rating
Food: ****
Service: N/A
Ambiance: ****
Price: $$ ($10-20)
Food: ****
Service: N/A
Ambiance: ****
Price: $$ ($10-20)
Posts
