Luigi Serves Substantial Meals In A Warm Style

Papa Luigi's, 31460 Pacific Highway S., Federal Way. 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday (full-service lounge closes one hour later each night). Credit cards; nonsmoking areas. 839-1333.

-- FEDERAL WAY

During my first lunch at Papa Luigi's, a smiling man with round eyes and an Italian accent asked if he could show me how to include the spoon in my pasta-eating process.

He looked a lot like the character who appears not only on the sign out front but on the inside walls and the menu, except he didn't have the push-broom mustache and floppy chef's hat.

He placed the spoon, dug in the fork and twirled. My chin has been sauce-free since.

During follow-up visits, I watched as the same man patted children on the head in the dining area, hugged grandmothers in the reception area and held court with men in the lounge.

That's Luigi Turletti. This is his restaurant.

It's a huge (243-seat) former Azteca dressed up with painted-green cast-iron chandeliers, red and green booths with floral trim, piped-in Italian music and murals featuring that ever-present mustachioed character.

Two, sometimes three, workers in white, green and red outfits greet you at the door with smiles. Several more bid you goodbye and ask if everything was OK.

Yes, Papa Luigi's is eager to please.

On most counts, it probably will, especially if you are among the restaurant's target audience: families with children who want a bright, upbeat atmosphere and ample, solid meals at mid-range prices.

The menu features a wide variety of Italian staples and some Luigi specialties (yes, they're his recipes, too), such as Turletti ($8.95-$10.95), chicken breasts, steak strips or shrimp marinated and served on a bed of sauteed garlic, scallions, sweet onions, carrots and green peppers and presented on a hot cast-iron skillet.

A recent lunch special ($4.95) featured an excellent Italian meatloaf, pasta and slice of polenta.

To sample the New York-style pizza, I brought along a native. He thought it was good, but a step or two behind top-rate New York quality, possibly because of a slightly over-heavy crust. He said the calzone was only OK.

The spaghetti and meatballs are a solid choice. They are served with the polenta and zucchini, as are all meals.

Appetizers include Di Pomidoro, slices of ripe tomato and select cheese seasoned with oregano, garlic and olive oil. Among the soups is an excellent minestrone.

Pasta noodles (eight types) and sauces (seven) can be matched in any combination. Five chicken dishes, four steak dishes, but no veal (Luigi's boycotting) also are available. Among the five seafood offerings is Risotto di Mare, a slightly cheesy combination of rice and chunks of shrimp and scallops.

Luigi comes from Torino, Italy, and ran restaurants in Passaic, N.J., and New York. He came out here because he loves overcast weather and wanted a better environment for his children.

He has a partnership with Azteca Restaurants that he hopes will turn into something bigger, maybe another restaurant.

For now, though, he's busy meeting Federal Way.

Restaurant reviews are a regular Thursday feature of the South County Life section. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for all their meals. When they interview members of the restaurant management and staff, they do so only after the meals and services have been appraised.