Tre Luna Bar and Kitchen — Restaurant in Hoover

I spend a lot of time reading reviews before I try a restaurant if I don’t know somebody who has personally tried it. I have left many restaurants with a strong intention to write a review but then rarely get around to it. I still feel guilty about not writing a review for an amazing AirBnB we stayed at. The host gave us as guests a beautiful review. I had no idea that there was a cut off for reviews. Last weekend we were in Birmingham for a quick visit to see family. My husband wanted to try his cousin’s new restaurant. We got there about 30 minutes before they closed. We were greeted by friendly staff. It is such a warm and friendly atmosphere makes me want to work there. They have a great wine list. The meatball appetizer taste like my mother’s meatballs. I have never said that about meatballs from any restaurant. They come with a delicious San Marzano sauce over polenta. My mouth is watering for them as I type. The chicken wings are delicious with grilled onions and peppers that were magically sweet and spicy. We also had the citrus herbed shrimp perfectly seasoned with red onions. We loved it so much we changed our plans and went back right when they opened the next day before leaving town. We sat at the pizza bar because the restaurant was already getting crowded and most of their tables were reserved. It is the most beautiful piece of marble I’ve ever seen. Looks like it’s straight from Italy. I set a rule for myself a long time ago to only eat warm bread. I hate when I fill up on bread and can’t enjoy the meal. Their bread came out room temperature but looked so good I had to try it. It is delicious and the butter they serve with it is addictive. We started with the short rib sliders recommended by the hostess Lily. They were the best I’ve ever had, and I order them wherever I see them on the menu. The arugula and fennel salad is delicious as is the Caesar. Which presents a problem because they have so many delicious looking salads on the menu that I want to try but I know next time I’m in town I will want to get the same salads because they were so good. The Forrest mushroom pizza recommended by the pizza guy is calling my name. Not sure what mushrooms they are but they are delicious and the texture is amazing. The pizza crust is some I’ve the best I’ve ever had. The chicken Francese has a creamier sauce than the version we are used to but so delicious. You don’t need a knife to cut it, so tender and juicy. The pasta is homemade, I can’t believe how much better it is even than the highest end pasta from Italy. Perfect texture! They also have great coffee which is a major plus to my husband. We are now on a trip in the north east. I find myself comparing every meal to Tre Luna. We’ve had some good meals but I can’t wait to make it...

I'd heard good things about this place, so I was excited when friends chose to go for a birthday dinner. Unfortunately, expectations were met with mixed results. Our waiter seemed very inexperienced; friendly but a bit lost. I ordered a bottle of champagne, fried crab claws, the veal picatta, and a side Caesar. The bottle of wine was about $120, not insubstantial at a place where the average entree is $30. The bar was right behind us, and I saw the bottle sitting on the counter for a good 15 minutes before the waiter brought it. Champagne should be ice cold. It just sat getting warmer and warmer. Ugh. Meanwhile, long before the wine was served, our crab claws arrived. They were scrumptious. Some of the best I've ever eaten, though the aioli on the side seemed mostly mayonnaise. Meanwhile, we were halfway through them before the champagne was served. The waiter opened the bottle without covering the cork. It flew straight into the air and fell on the ground. I doubt the guy had ever served a bottle of wine before. We were well past the first glass before he brought a chiller, so it got even warmer. I didn't say anything. We were in good company, and it wasn't going to ruin the meal for me. However, if your waiter doesn't have sufficient training to serve a bottle of wine, have someone from the bar do it, rather than it sit there until the guest is halfway through his or her appetizer.

Unfortunately my veal came out in a soup of sauce and polenta. You could barely see the meat in all the sauce. It looked like a plate of gravy. The side salad didn't come until I asked for it. Waiter said there was a delay, "because the kitchen made a full-size salad and they needed to replate it." It came halfway through my entree. My entree came so quickly we weren't even done with the crab claws. The veal was soggy (shocker), thin, and probably would have been good if it hadn't been sodden. The Caesar was so "mid" that a bagged salad from the grocery store has more taste.

I had SUCH high hopes for this meal, but it was just a mess of rushed/inexperienced service and (other than the superb crab claws) perfectly mediocre food. My daughter had the pork chop, and she liked hers. I'm not saying I would never return, but it won't be...

Six of us went to Tre Luna early on Saturday, Aug. 27 to celebrate my son-in-law's birthday. Both he and his daughter ordered the salmon pizza. They had ordered this on two occasions and loved it. When our food arrived, they noticed both pizzas had plenty of salmon but no cheese. As I said they had it before when there was cheese. When we told our waiter, he went to tell his manager. He came back to our table telling us there was cheese on the pizzas. He said this without he or his manager even bothering to look at the pizzas. Not wanting to create a fuss, my son-in-law and his daughter just let it go and did not finish the pizzas. In fact they had maybe one slice each. Later that night they both had bad stomach issues undoubtably from bad salmon. It couldn't have been bad cheese because there was none on the pizzas. Needless to say we expected more from our wine and meals costing over $300! We had always enjoyed our meals at Tre Luna but we were very disappointed that we did not get an apology or any attempt to make things right. They just tried to spin it. We probably won't be back.

Follow-up: As requested by the Tre Luna owners I spoke to Erin on Tuesday 9/6. Our conversation went very well. She apologized profusely and offered to comp the whole $300 meal but I wouldn't let her do that. Four of our six meals had been very good. Our complaint was with the two salmon pizzas. Erin insisted on sending me a $100 gift card. I appreciate Erin's apology and the gift card but the apology is really all we ever wanted.

I appreciate Erin's follow-up to my review and taking the time to talk to me about our unfortunate experience at her restaurant where meals are usually very good. The owners are obviously trying hard to do things right. Most of the time they and their...