Only 3 months old, Luca's New York Pizza is eager to please; I like that in a restaurant.
Located in a small commercial strip near a busy intersection in Reisterstown, Luca's brings a hint of New York pizzerias - without the attitude - to the far-flung suburbs.
The staff couldn't be nicer or more eager to accommodate. "You want larger? You got it! Just ask!!" the menu implores. On a recent night, a worker took a few extra moments to figure out how to ring up a large order - with the goal of saving the customer a buck or two. Hmmm, now that happens a lot, huh?
Luca's is small, only two tables and no bathroom for the public, but the menu is large. There are two kinds of pizza: thin crust (New York style, according to the menu) and thick crust. There's a long list of subs, sandwiches, salads, calzones, stromboli and pasta dishes, not to mention spicy chicken wings and chili.
By my standards, which are based on evaluating each eatery in the context of what it's trying to accomplish, Luca's is a three-star operation. It's nothing fancy, but everything is good. We stuck to the basics. The antipasto salad ($5.50) featured romaine lettuce, a pile of cold cuts, sliced provolone and other goodies. The dressing was spicy Italian and quite tasty.
An eggplant parmigiana sub ($4.99) had a not-too-greasy, fried eggplant taste and came on a fresh sub roll. From the "pasta bar," we picked spaghetti topped with creamy rose sauce ($8.95), bypassing such standbys as marinara and alfredo. It was a good choice because the sauce was a subtle blend of cream, spices and tomato. The pasta was served with a good-sized portion of garlic bread, which we devoured.
Finally, the pizza was quite impressive - a thin, chewy crust topped with a homemade sauce and plenty of cheese. A small plain pie ran $6.95; one with nice chunks of sausage cost $8.45.
Desserts are cheesecake and cannoli, neither of them made on the premises.
Luca's New York Pizza
Food: ***
Service:***1/2
Waiting area: ***
Parking: **1/2
Where: 18 Franklin Blvd., Reisterstown
Phone: 410-833-5008
Fax: 410-833-1366
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; noon to 8 p.m. Sunday
Prices: Pizza from $6.95 to $16.75; sandwiches, subs, salads and pasta from $2.75 to $8.95; credit cards accepted
Outstanding: ****
Good: ***
Fair or uneven: **
Poor: *