Luma
500 First Street
Petaluma
(707) 658-1940
Contemporary American Cuisine
Hours: Dinner Tues.-Sun., Sunday brunch
Entrées: $9-$24
Nice wine list
Set in Petaluma’s hip, mixed-use warehouse district, Luma is the creation of owners Tim and Kate Tatum, who’ve done a wonderful job of making their dream of a neighborhood gathering spot come true. The design is modern industrial chic, with warm colors and soft touches like fresh flowers on each table and cucumber-infused water.
The cozy dining room has several tables, some coveted bar seating and a couple booths. There’s also seating in front for those who want to dine outdoors or even bring their dog along. It’s a popular spot for locals and has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. The tables are spaced a little closely, which makes it fun for meeting new people.
There are several beers on tap and by the bottle, and the wine list offers both local and international choices. We went for a Lagunitas IPA and a glass of 2010 Rickshaw Pinot Noir (nice acid, red fruit, minerals).
Chef Jen Solomon is at the helm in the kitchen, and her menu focuses on local and seasonal selections. We started with a soup special of Irish potato chowder, which was chunky, hearty, spicy and hot with crème fraîche and scallions on top. Another popular soup special is the signature tomato ginger bisque—we’ll have to try that next time!
Next was a nice-sized warm pistachio crusted goat cheese (delicious!) atop a lightly dressed salad of mixed greens, several types of roasted beets, orange and grapefruit sections—a great mix of sweet, savory and earthy flavors.
For our entrées, we first chose the organic chicken paillard (tender breast meat) with creamy Dijon sauce, roasted fingerling potatoes (so good they were almost sweet and had a wonderful, butter flavor) and broccoli raab. The sauce was rich but not overwhelming for this comforting dish. A side of wood oven roasted half artichoke was lightly breaded, fresh and flavorful with its spicy aioli dipping sauce. Both went great with the 2008 Molnar Family Chardonnay (full-bodied, smooth).
Speaking of wood-fired ovens, we couldn’t resist one of the thin-crust pizzas, and while there are several on the regular menu, the special with pulled barbecue pork, red onion, and spinach was a must-order—and we were quite happy with the flavorful, fun result, which had a nice, smoky flavor. A Leaf and Vine 2010 Amador County Zinfandel (young, dark fruit, lively) went well with it.
The seasonal fruit crisp was strawberry rhubarb, which was very hot and had a generous scoop of Three Twins salted caramel ice cream (yum!). The s’more sundae was rich with crumbled graham crackers and a thick layer of toasted marshmallow on top of melted chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Both were big enough for two or more to share.
