Finally, An Honest Review: Loreto

My first time at Loreto I had salmon, white wine and a really bad night. My date turned out to be a creep; I vowed to never go back. I was offered a date earlier this year by a man who was nothing short of nice. But, despite how good the food was, I declined. It felt like a setup, a trap. My body and chest got tight and instantly I was nauseous reading “I would love to take you to Loreto”.

I hadn’t realized within a year’s time I wasn’t over what happened. I thought to myself, “I talked to my date about that night, he apologized, I received closure, I healed, I moved on”. But reading those 5 words from a completely different man made time freeze. I was re-triggered and still traumatized by that night.

I never want to live my life within the confines of self-imposed limits. We all deserve the freedom to live and love peacefully, safely, and happily. We deserve to enjoy the fullness of this life and I had to choose between staying in my trauma vs simply dining at a restaurant I enjoyed. Loreto is an absolutely gorgeous restaurant with the kindest wait staff and delicious food. If you didn’t know, It’s authentic, coastal, southern Italian food in Brooklyn. And if it isn’t already, it should be added to your lists of “to try restaurants” in your notes app.

Walking to the entrance, you’re greeted by gorgeous grand doors, friendly wait staff, wabi-sabi styled decor and comfortable leather seating. My first meal started with calamari, marinara sauce and champagne. The calamari was light, flaky and enough for 2. Meal number 2 was the Filetto di Salmone, pan seared salmon, warm polenta, broccoli rabe, and blistered cherry tomatoes. I had enough broccoli rabe for that week and opted for spinach.

The salmon was light, flaky, fresh and filling. Salmon in the wrong hands dries out and tastes like over cooked chicken breast, this was not the case at Loreto. It was well seasoned, buttery and moist. Polenta is boiled cornmeal and has a consistency similar to mashed potatoes. It’s gritty, starchy and wasn’t my absolute favorite of the night. The spinach was fresh and sauteed lightly in garlic and oil, wasn’t greasy and honestly, I could’ve had it alone with the salmon.

My date and I looked cozy in our booth. I thought the night would end on a high, especially with other patrons complimenting us and receiving glasses of champagne with strawberry soaked in some sort of liquor garnished on top. I was thinking “Shangri La, I found my king.” But nope, it was a frog forcing me a kiss.

I couldn’t re-write what was already written but, I can create a new memory on top of another one. I knew I couldn’t allow myself to refuse dinner at a restaurant I genuinely enjoyed. Although I didn’t take on the date from that nice guy, I went with a really good friend and had an even better time. The second time around we cut to the chase and had Squid Ink Fettuccine and Amatricana.

The Squid Ink Fettuccine was cooked with fresh crab, shrimp, ‘nduja spicy tomato sauce, and cherry tomatoes. The pasta was cooked al dente, the crab and shrimp added a sweet buttery flavor to the entire dish and the ‘nduja spicy tomato sauce did not overpower the flavor of the pasta or seafood. Everything, including the tomatoes, worked together to create a savory, sweet and slightly spicy dish. Definitely a 10/10 menu item.

Rigatoni is always my best safe choice for dinner at a place I’ve never been. The Amatriciana is made with a mezzi rigatoni pasta, crispy guanciale, tomato sauce, parm and basil. Like the fettucine, the mezzi rigatoni was cooked al dente in flavorful tomato sauce. Guanciale is cured pork jowl or cheeks, in the Amatriciana it was added in like any other italian sausage and pasta dish. It was soft, fatty and held the flavor of whatever it was seasoned with.

Re-doing this experience with my friend helped me heal apart of me that I didn’t know was still hurting. While I’m not comfortable telling the whole spill of what happened, I do want to encourage whoever is reading to re-create memories to overwrite the bad ones. I’ll never suggest that it’s easy but I’ll always tell you it’s worth it. Below is a picture of myself & my good friend Jan