The 34-seat, exquisitely designed restaurant Ask for Luigi is the perfect neighborhood spot. The Italian-inspired menu skews toward comfort food, with a mix of classic dishes (rigatoni Bolognese) and spaghetti pomodoro and seasonal pastas tossed with greenmarket finds.
Though it doesn’t call itself an enoteca, there’s a focus on Italian wine (of course). There’s brunch on weekends, with frittatas and pasta with vegetables and egg. Aperitivo hour features a small menu of spritzes, Negronis, and Americanos. And there’s a serious design sensibility at Ask For Luigi, with black and white checkered floors in a dining room with warm woods and cinematic light.
The sounds of smells of boiling pasta and simmering ragù coming from the kitchen add to the atmosphere. Dishes are served family-style and chef Mike MacLean says, “The menu is not designed to be particularly traditional, but more classical dishes with a Canadian mentality.”
Ask For Luigi’s name is inspired by the idea that “we are always more inclined to have a better experience when we go where we know somebody, or when a friend sends us to see someone they know.”
Mission accomplished.