The sauce can make or break a dish as well as provide a chef the opportunity to add his own personal touch, Segovia said.
“You can take a good grilled salmon, and you can add a little light sauce, or you can add a rich creamy sauce, and you end up with two completely different dishes,” he said. “Cooking is an art. That’s why they call it culinary arts.”
The Jones Road location of Luigi’s opened in 1995, but the restaurant has been operating in some form since 1983, Segovia said.
With nine years of experience working in restaurants and 17 years working in hotels, Segovia said Italian food has played a prominent role in his career.
At Luigi’s, dishes tend to be served with one of three main sauces: a meat sauce, a marinara sauce or a tomato sauce. All sauces are made from scratch in the traditional Italian style, Segovia said.
“Those sauces are very special,” he said. “Any good Italian restaurant should know how to do those right.”
Segovia described the food as “like home cooking,” with everything made to order. Aside from the major sauces, he said his chefs also make special dressings with original recipes, including a creamy Italian dressing and an Italian vinaigrette.
The restaurant offers dine-in services, delivery through Door Dash, curbside pickup and seating on the outdoor patio area in front of the eatery.
Luigi’s has been weathering the coronavirus pandemic with help from loyal customers, who Segovia said want to make sure the longstanding restaurant is not lost after so many years of serving the local community. Ultimately, what keeps people coming back is the service, he said.
“People know your name as you walk in,” he said. “Those details—a warm welcome, knowing your story and what you like best, what cocktail you drink—that’s why people don’t ever want Luigi’s to go away. You don’t get that everywhere these days.”
Luigi’s Ristorante Italiano
12779 Jones Road, Houston
281-807-1091
www.luigisonjones.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., closed Sun.
