Luma, revisted (again).

Hi. My name is Kate and I ate at Luma twice last weekend. Yep. Saturday night and Sunday night. I think I may have a problem.

To keep it short and to the point, Luma rocks. I've officially claimed it to be my favorite restaurant in Orlando, and this third blog entry makes it the most reviewed restaurant on this site. Yes, the atmosphere is hip in a non-pretentious South Beach kinda way. Yes, the service is always outstanding. Yes, the menu is creative and innovative. And yes, they have what I consider to be the most fun wine list in Orlando.

Here's what I had:
Saturday night:

• Short Ribs with a Pickled Rhubarb Barbeque Sauce. This was an appetizer special not listed on the menu. The sauce was a perfect balance of tangy sweetness and the meat literally fell off the bone.
• 1 glass Pieropan Soave. Light and crisp, a perfect glass of white wine to start the meal. Soave hails from the Veneto region in Italy and is a nice alternative for those of us tired of Pinot Grigio. Confused on the pronunciation? Think Rico....Suave.
  
  
• Ashley Farms Chicken Breast with Sweet Corn Risotto, Onion Confit and a Sherry Jus. I'll be honest and admit I primarily ordered this to try their Corn Risotto and see if it compared to mine that I've listed on this site. Both are fantastic, but theirs is quite sweeter than mine. The entree was superb; the chicken was cooked perfectly and well seasoned.
• 1 glass Paso a Paso Verdejo. One of my favorite Verdejos, this wine is perfect for summer. From the Spanish region of Rueda, the wine is a great example of the sweet and acidic balance in a white wine.
  
  
  
• Chocolate Cremosa with housemade Peanut Butter and a Crostini. Also a drizzle of Olive Oil and topped with Sea Salt. Holy crap this is a good dessert. "Cremosa" being a custard like dessert, I loved the flavor combinations, especially the touch of salt.
• 1 glass Rare Wine Co. Bual Madeira. I read an article a few months ago proclaiming that 2010 is supposedly the "Year of Madeira". I don't think we've gotten to that point yet, but I almost cannot put into words how much I enjoy this fortified wine. This particular product was great with dessert: rich, nutty, and smokey. I enjoyed this wine so much with the Cremosa that I actually proclaimed it to be my BEST BITE EVER. Check out this awesome review of the Madiera for more info.

Sunday night:

• Rabbit Run Farms Beet Salad. Picture this (because I forgot my camera and hell if I've bought an iphone yet): Butter Lettuce, Goat Feta, Pistachios, Cucumber and a Creamy Avocado dressing. Oh, and Beets. Seriously the most flavorful salad I've ever had. Between the slight tang of the dressing, sweetness of the Beets and saltiness of the Pistachios, this wins my award for Top Salad.
• Filet with Buttermilk Grits, Roasted Rapini and Mustard Jus. Perfectly cooked steak and a-mazing Grits. I'm sure they were low fat. I did leave the Rapini (aka Broccoli Rabe) on the plate-they were a bit too bitter for me.
• Dessert? You guessed it. The Cremosa from the night before (I know, I have issues) and the Hazelnut Panna Cotta. With Nutella and Salty roasted Hazelnuts. Both desserts similar with chocolate and saltiness, I reckon the Panna Cotta even surpassed the Cremosa.
• 2 bottles Marcassin Pinot Noir. Fanastic wine from Sonoma. Hints of fruits with a bit of peppery spiciness.

So, there you go. My version of eating in the same place two nights in a row. The only other time I've done this was in Belfast....mostly because we were too nervous to stray away from our B&B at night. Next time I go to Luma....I'm having dessert first!

PS Head over to the Luma website and join their mailing list. They'll email you a $25 coupon that you can use in July AND August!