Luna Rossa Wine Bar

Stillwater, Minnesota is and has been home to some of the best restaurants in Minnesota. It has a lovely riverside setting and a historic downtown area. Luna Rossa Wine Bar is one of the newest entries into a highly competitive and highly taxed downtown that seems able to accommodate all types of fare.

First let me say this really wasn't a wine bar, unless you consider a wine bar to be a place with a safe, uninspired, and limited wine selection. That said, the wines they do have are all decent wines and prices asked are on the high end of fair.

The space was really trying to be something nice and succeeded for the most part. The areas closer to the street were nice and open, there were some cozy booths also. Each table has plenty of space, and the owners had the foresight to have an extra chair at the end of each booth. There is a half-open kitchen and a small bar area also.

We just went there for lunch, and we will have another review after going there a few times. The lunch special was a pasta bar which both my friend and I opted for. We started with Calamari though, and I can honestly tell you it was the second best Calamari I have had in Minnesota besides Osteria I Nonni. The pasta was fine, as expected since we were choosing our own ingredients. Ingredients used seemed of good quality, and the pasta was a nice al dente.

Service was sub-par, especially given adequate staffing and a small mid-afternoon clientele. We sat around for quite a while before our order was taken. Food came with good timing, and then we waited a while for our check. Our server seemed a bit grumpy (it's not our problem that you're bored working the day shift). Pricing was fair for what we had.

The owners also have restaurants in Champlin and Maple Grove along with something else in Stillwater (I think it was a Gelato bar or something). I hear the Champlin restaurant is quite good. I'll make a few trips back to this one for dinner and get a better feel for the menu.

Website: http://www.lunarossawinebar.com/