Restaurant Review:

I had heard that the crepes that Luigi’s had on its specials list were being made permanent, and I had to go and make sure that this news was true.

The restaurant introduced the crepes a few months ago, and they were so popular with diners that the restaurant owners decided to put them on the menu permanently.

That is great news for people like me who grew fond of the thin, delicate crepes with the unusual fillings. It was also an opportunity for people who have not had them yet to experience them.

The restaurant is strong enough without the crepes.

The menu is filled with outstanding dishes, like the chicken Marsala.

The very thin slices of tender chicken breast were a joy to eat. The mushrooms on top were fresh, not out of a can like at some places.

The sauce, though, was the star of the dish. Some places will use sherry instead of wine, but not Luigi’s. The Marsala was perfect and gave the dish the traditional taste that I have enjoyed at other authentic Italian restaurants over the years.

Tradition is also followed with the gnocchi, another favorite of mine at Luigi’s.

The potato dumplings are served with either marinara sauce or pesto, and even though I enjoy the marinara, the pesto is the better choice.

The gnocchi is light, and the pesto seems to balance out the thickness of the gnocchi and give it an almost light feel — well, as light as gnocchi can be.

Crepes, though, were our objective on this evening, and we stuck to the separate menu that features the six crepes.

There were three main crepes and three dessert-style crepes. The first of the dinner ones was the crepe Siciliano. If you like vegetables, this is a great one. It has eggplant, onion and zucchini in marinara sauce, topped with melted cheese and Italian sausage.

I liked it, but wanted more sausage and less zucchini. But, of course that was a personal bias and not an indictment on the dish, which was perfectly acceptable.

The second is the crepe Alfredo, which is chicken breast in a creamy Alfredo sauce and topped with mozzarella.

My favorite was the crepe tutto mare. The crepe is stuffed with crab meat and topped with shrimp. It is served with a pink sauce, which is a creamy tomato, and topped with mozzarella.

I liked the sweet flavor of the crab. I was disappointed that there were only two shrimp on top of the crepe.

I think I would have preferred more shrimp cut up and mixed inside.

After we had our meal, our waitress tempted us into the dessert crepes. Again, there are three to choose from, and this decision was much easier. Neither my guest nor I are big fans of Nutella, so we scratched the Nutella crepe of the list.

That left us with the Ghirardelli crepe or the tiramisu crepe. The chocolate sounded good, but the tiramisu seemed like it was a better fit.

We were instantly glad we ordered it. The crepe was filled with lady fingers dipped in espresso and mascarpone cream and topped with vanilla bean ice cream. It was an incredible dessert and one that my guest and I could not finish. It tasted just as good the next day.

While Luigi’s was already a great restaurant, it has now added to the depth of its menu and gives people yet another reason to visit.

Luigi’s Ristorante Italiano

Address: 221 Main St., Huntington Beach

Phone: (714) 536-2234

Website: www.luigishb.com

Cuisine: Italian

Specialty dish: Crepes

Alcohol served: Wine and beer

Entrée price range: $10.95 to $31.95

Family friendly: Yes

Credit cards accepted: MasterCard, American Express and Visa

Rating: *** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at [email protected] or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.