Review: Lorenzo's Ristorante Italiano - Las Cruces, New Mexico

I went down to visit M in Alamogordo last weekend. If you haven't ever been here there are a couple of hot spots to check out, but there's not a whole lot of restaurants. So, M and I went to Las Cruces for dinner on Saturday night. We found this great Italian Restaurant in the Old Mesilla area called Lorenzo's. According to the sign out front they are not to be confused with any other restaurants with the Lorenzo name that may be in or open in the Las Cruces area. Well, then...

We were greeted and seated very promptly by a very nice hostess. Immediately we noticed that the ceiling was littered with hundreds of one dollar bills that seemed to have floated up on their own. We asked our waitress about it, and she said that they did indeed float up there by a magic trick that Lorenzo performs for guests. Of course, I HAD to see this but Lorenzo declined our request for a show; he had to get home to tend to his newborn baby. Whatever! I'm joking...There was also a guitarist on hand playing great musical hits like YMCA.

Before I go any further, I have to apologize for my horrible pictures. My one complaint about the restaurant was that the lighting was terribly dim. It was so dark that we could hardly read the menu. I hate it when restaurants do that. I appreciate great ambiance, but I like to see what I'm eating and not to mention the person I'm dining with. SO with horrible lighting comes horrible pictures. My camera would just not focus on our meals no matter what setting it was on. One day I'll have a fantastic camera, but for now I don't.

Blurry Calamari

Anyway, we ordered the calamari to start (I think that we will try calamari from every restaurant in the world). It was great; fresh, crispy. It came with a spicy mayonnaise-y sauce that I didn't particularly care for. I would prefer a nice marinara.

 

The menu boasts several traditional Southern Italian dishes like lasagna, spaghetti, ravioli, etc. It also boasts several traditional dishes with New Mexico flare; of course, I'm talking about green chile! As soon I spotted it on the menu, I immediately knew that I was getting the Grilled Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with green chile. I thought M would get this too, but he opted for the Green Chile and Meat Lasagna. Once the entree was served he had buyers remorse, and we ended up switching plates. I got a taste first, and man was the fettuccine delicious. It tasted like the pasta was made fresh made that day, and the green chile was flavorful and had just the right kick. There was a ton of chicken too! The lasagna was excellent also; the tomato sauce was plentiful and very tasty; there were lots of layers, and plenty of cheese.

We practically cleaned our plates, so there was no room for dessert (this time). I definitely want to make another trip to Lorenzo's. People all around us were having pizza and it looked and smelled delicious. I'd like to try that!