During Huntsville’s recent Restaurant Week, I wanted to check out at least two eateries that were new to Steve and me. Different parts of the city, different cuisines, and different atmospheres. Both had good food and are worth a visit.
At 964 Airport Road, Suite 4, Luciano is NOT what you’d expect from a restaurant in a strip mall — far from it. When you turn off of Memorial Parkway onto Airport Road, you’ll find it on the left before you reach Crestwood Hospital and pretty much across the street from Steinmart, Rolo’s, Chicken Salad Chick, etc. When I called to reserve a table, I was given a choice of patio seating, the garden room, the bar or the terrace room. We wanted to enjoy both the live jazz music AND conversation with friends, so we chose the terrace room and were able to do both. 
As expected, Luciano calls itself “a fine Italian restaurant,” and I found that to be accurate. Both the menu and the decor back up that description. It’s very pretty. Cozy. I’d even call it romantic — especially with the smooth music of the piano and singer.
Both of the men in our foursome ordered the Restaurant Week Special — Shrimp Juno Appetizer (probably their most popular one), Soup or Salad (they chose Greek salads), Chicken Piccata and Tiramisu for dessert. My friend chose a lasagna entree, and I got the Eggplant Parmesan. Our entrees came with a salad, and we enjoyed sweet bites from our husbands’ desserts.
Juno Shrimp Appetizer at Luciano.
Greek salad at Luciano.
Chicken Piccata.
Eggplant parmesan.
Tiramisu — sweet treat at Luciano.
We had a great time, talking, eating and listening to music for a couple of hours. Yes, I would recommend it.
PHUKET, THAI RESTAURANT AND SUSHI
(Pronounced “Pooh-get”)
Phuket is at 425 Providence Main Street, Suite 102. It is directly across the street from Edgar’s Bakery. Just park in the large lot across from Grille 29 and walk. It’s only a short block away.
Phuket in Providence – exterior.
For this dinner, we chose to dine alfresco since the temperature was mild, and the early evening setting was relaxed and pleasant. (The only thing that marred the vibe was the presence of 2 maintenance workers at Edgar’s who chose that time to pressure-wash the outside sidewalk. Bummer. It certainly wasn’t the fault of Phuket, and we could have gone back inside. Just thought I’d mention it. You might want to check those things out before you choose outside seating).
Dining alfresco at Phuket.
This time we both chose the Restaurant Week Menu being offered. For only $20 per person, we each enjoyed an appetizer of Fried Green Beans. Steve chose Phuket Pad Thai for his entree, and I had the Cashew-Almond Chicken. For dessert, he had the key lime tart, and I had the chocolate peanut butter tart. Quite a lot of food for $20, wouldn’t you say?? I even brought my leftovers home and had them for lunch the next day. Win-win!
Fried green beans.
Phuket Pad Thai.
Cashew-almond chicken at Phuket.
Key Lime Tart.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart.
The $30 option had several choices that were more distinctly “Thai,” but we had a nice dinner and great service without spending a bundle. Yes, if you enjoy Asian cuisine, Phuket is another place that I would recommend.