We are very proud of the numerous acclaims, awards and neighborhood involvements we have had along the way.
American Pie (GQ Magazine) BY ALAN RICHMAN
Who makes the best pizza on earth? That is the eternal question, the one that must be answered. Because: Round or square, flat or stuffed, thick crust or thin, slathered in pork products or simply covered in cheese, pizza just might be the most perfect food ever invented. Which is why Alan Richman traveled more than 20,000 miles across the U.S.A.—the country that makes it best—in a search for the 25 best pizzas you’ll ever eat.
(HARRISON TOWNSHIP, MICH.)
13. Luigi's "the original"
Gourmet Veggie Pizza
My nearly endless and seemingly futile quest to find a wonderful vegetable—not merely vegetarian—pizza somehow led me to Luigi’s, which looks like a roadhouse but is apparently a greenhouse. Topping a pie with broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions, as is done here, seems to promise a chaotic chorus of sad, shriveled, sacrificial plant life, and that isn’t the end of the potential problems. The crust contained sesame seeds, and the grated cheese was Asiago. The combination succeeded magnificently. The seeds contributed nuttiness and the cheese pungency to an array of vegetables that tasted remarkably fresh, to say nothing of cooked to order. The secret, according to the waitress: Toss everything on the pie, cook. That’s it.
Detroit Free Press 2008 BY SYLVIA RECTOR · FREE PRESS RESTAURANT CRITIC
SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
3 out of 4 stars. SUPERIOR
Pizza stars at cozy, homey Luigis "the Original"
The two-tone blue wooden building with extra-wide eaves and wooden benches built onto the front looks like it might have been a roadhouse back in the day. Turns out, it was an odd combination of service station and ice cream parlor. Either way, you know the first time you see it that Luigis the Original is going to be a place with character.
But you may not be expecting quite this much personality. Inside, the old-school joint in Harrison Township still feels like 1953, the year it opened as a neighborhood pizzeria. Knotty pine covers the walls, while artificial grapevines and strings of red or green cone-shaped Christmas lights twine around beams and corners.
The main room seats just 52, not counting the 16 stools at the bar, and tables are so close together the servers sometimes have to turn sideways to squeeze through. An added room in back seats another 28, and there's an open-air deck beside it. For the authentic Luigis experience, though, you want the agreeably crowded front room, populated by an eclectic clientele that includes local folks, wealthy-looking boaters, couples on dates, birthday celebrants and family groups.
It's also where the bar is located, under a dropped ceiling so low that owner Dean Olgiati can't use bartenders taller than 6-foot-2 or they'll scrape their heads. (Smoking is allowed at the bar, but few people seem to do so. In three visits, the room never seemed smoky.)
When Olgiati bought Luigis in 1993, he became its fourth owner. By then, he says, it had lost much of the following it had in its heyday. But he kept the name and cleaned the place up, while carefully preserving much of the '50s personality people remembered. He also hired chef Matt Soulsby a couple of years later and began evolving the menu into its present-day blend of Italian favorites and American-style steaks, chicken and fish. Of course, they kept the pizza and its signature crust coated in sesame seeds; the seeds add a lightly toasted nutty flavor to the crisp, yeasty bread.
You can choose from 18 pizza toppings, but you really ought to order the terrific Luigis Special ($9.95, $11.95 and $13.95). It's loaded with good cheese, spicy pepperonis that bake into those beloved little grease cups, thin squares of smoky ham, and fresh mushrooms, diced onions and chopped green peppers that keep their rich colors and cook up tender-crisp in the oven. I may have to make the 80-mile round trip from my house to Luigis again, just to have another pizza.
I'd also go back for the famous Luigis Lamb Chops, cut by hand and broiled to order. Besides being meaty, tender, well-trimmed and wonderfully seasoned with the house blend of about 30 herbs and spices, they're served in signature Luigis style, deliciously topped with sautéed fresh spinach and tomato and crowned with crumbled feta cheese.
I had the small-course serving of three chops ($14.95) as an entrée with an added side of roasted red-skin potatoes ($2.95). But I saw several people ordering the full dinner ($27.95), which comes with six chops, soup or salad, Italian-style green beans and one other side. The option of smaller servings is a feature diners will like. Besides small-course dishes that can be lighter entrées, many of the pastas can be ordered in half sizes.
The homemade lasagna ($11.95), though, comes in only one size: huge. Weighing close to a pound, it's a homey, four-layer style made with thick noodles, fennel-rich Italian sausage and lots of cheese. I would have liked more tomato sauce, come to think of it, and it wasn't quite hot enough in the center. But I had to take half home anyway, and it was great again the next day. For $10.95 with soup or salad and bread, it's hard to beat an honest plate of good linguine, cooked a nice al dente with your choice of the homemade meat or marinara sauces; both are very good. You can add homemade meatballs or Italian sausages for a small charge.
The linguine, by the way, is a better side-dish choice than risotto or potatoes.
I thought the Pasta ala Mama Luigi ($12.95) -- angel hair with olive oil, garlic, bacon, scallions, egg and parmesan -- was too dry. And I had mixed feelings about the 20-ounce New York strip steak ($23.95) with sautéed mushrooms and onions. The beef was good, if a bit overdone, but the sautéed vegetables were swimming in too much buttery oil.
Compliments to the hosts, servers, busers and bartenders, all of whom are quick to make eye contact, offer a smile and ask if there's anything you need.
Luigis is one of those old-time metro Detroit places you may have heard about but not quite gotten around to visiting. If you haven't, put it on your must-go list and take a drive out toward Lake St. Clair this fall.
And bring me back a pizza, OK
Metro Times 2008 BY TODD ABRAMS
First water
Luigis has quality service and old favorites
With abundant marinas and miles of Lake St. Clair shoreline, the far east side suburb of Harrison Township is a boater's paradise — but not exactly the first locale that springs to mind when considering a meal out. The area's restaurants are few and generally unremarkable, with the exception of Italian hot spot Luigi's, where you might wait as long as an hour for a table during prime dinner service hours. As devoted diners who have visited Luigi's for decades will tell you, they're drawn by much more than just "location."
Indeed, the somewhat kitschy setting of checkered tablecloth, faux grapevines and strings of small red and green lights doesn't prepare you for the quality of service. Whether you're dining in the dark and boisterous front room or the more sedate and well-lit back, you're sure to be impressed by the efficiency of the waitstaff. Children are welcomed in both dining areas with crayon-based activities and ample menu options. Starting off, they always seem to go directly for the very thin, pencil-shaped crunchy breadsticks simply as a medium for butter intake while calorie-conscious adults look on in envy.
There are also thick and soft breadsticks that are good enough to present the risk of filling you up before you order. Don't be tempted. You'll want to try one of the appetizers like rice-mozzarella-and-sausage balls baked in a breadcrumb crust and covered with tomato basil sauce (arancini). You can imagine someone's cousin Vinnie making noise about them. Other interesting starters include an Italian version of nachos and gnocchi with walnuts and gorgonzola cream sauce. It will require more than a couple meals just to explore the most attention-grabbing dishes.
Of course, Luigi's offers typical Italian fare as well: various pasta dishes, ravioli, veal or chicken done in your choice of Parmesan, marsala or picatta. The menu veers further American with steaks, chops and the ubiquitous slab of baby back ribs. The fussiest meat-and-potatoes eater won't have a problem ordering (though they'll probably still find something to gripe about ... you know the type). More enthusiastic eaters will find consolation in what appears to be a vague grounding in Sicilian cuisine.
For seafood options, you have whitefish, either broiled with white wine and lemon or prepared Siciliano. Also select from steamed mussels, Cajun crawfish, or fish and chips. A special of lobster ravioli in a deeply flavored Asiago cream sauce was pleasant eating if not particularly special. Pasta casino might have been a better choice in retrospect. The house specialty of veal sautéed a la oglio was a standout. The topping was a bright, delectable mix of roasted red peppers, capers and enough garlic to warrant a tacky vampire joke.
Before the meal, the side minestrone-style cup of soup was all the more gratifying for the bits of spicy sausage inside. The dinner salad was not completely iceberg lettuce, and was tasty enough slathered in the creamy house Caesar. One side dish that left the table nearly untouched was a pasty risotto covered with tomato basil sauce. Presumably this same risotto is also the filling for the arancini balls, where the texture works in contrast to the crisp breadcrumb crust. In any case, next time we'd order the side of linguine.
Then you have an entire faction of regulars that doesn't even bother with the menu and goes directly for Luigi's exceptional pizza. The fresh toppings on the "gourmet vegetable" specialty pizza still had bite and one diner in our party repeatedly celebrated the fact that the pepperonis on his pie had curled up into little cups filled with the rendered sausage fat. More than that, the crisp outer crust comes standard with a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds. Or choose one of the other optional crust add-ons like garlic or butter. You won't find many uneaten crusts at Luigi's.
Complement your meal with a bottle from the adequate wine list that pays just enough homage to the Old World. Beer drinkers will also find a decent range to choose from. And though we didn't test the cocktail bar, we did gaze longingly at a swell-looking frosty martini that once floated by on a platter. With both food and drinks, Luigi's just about covers everyone's taste sensibilities.
Although Harrison Township isn't on the way to anything but water and will likely never be settled by hipsters, the locals know the value of a satisfying meal at Luigi's. After dinner, neutralize some of those calories by walking the marsh trail at nearby Metro Beach Metropark. Good food then a stroll while chatting with birds is most always an evening well spent.
