Auction Ends: Aug 31, 2016 11:00 PM PDT

Dining

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Luma

Item Number: 322

Estimated Value: 75 USD
Sold: 90 USD to Online Bidder

Number of Bids: 8 - Bid History

Item Description

$75 gift certificate.

The kitchen has achieved perfection in a meatball. Luma Meatballs ($8, 4 stars) are revelatory. Two sit in a bowl of sugo, with its tomato essence reduced to pure succulence. They’re so tender they seem to melt in the mouth, but a background spiciness prevents your taste buds from getting sleepy.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta ($5.75, 2 stars) put an end to my swooning. The disassembled sprouts were burnt on their edges and unpleasantly bitter. But a slow-building sharp pungency set the mouth aglow and rescued the dish from total failure.

The kitchen rebounded with a steaming bowl of Linguini with Chicken and Gorgonzola ($16, 3? stars), a tummy-warming dish of juicy, all-dark-meat chicken and a creamy (no tomatoes) gorgonzola sauce with flecks of that excellent house-made ricotta dotting the top.

There are a lot of folks of Italian descent in Argentina, which explains the Skirt Steak ($18, 3 stars) served over Tuscan cannellini beans with the Argentinian national sauce, chimichurri — typically a mix of olive oil, vinegar, parsley, oregano, garlic, cayenne and black pepper, which the Argentines pour liberally on their world-class beef.

Desserts were another matter. Bread Pudding ($7, 1? stars) was soggy and dense, infused with a port-caramel sauce that made no culinary sense. Apple Galette ($7, 2 stars) wasn’t that much better, with a dry, crumbly crust and a sparse filling of thin apple slices.

To sum up: A warm, cozy, really good restaurant announces Petaluma’s warehouse district as a place for folks to gather and gloat over their gastronomic good fortune.

Jeff Cox writes a weekly restaurant review column for the Sonoma Living section. You can reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net.Jeff Cox - Press Democrat

This is a real find: an unpretentious restaurant with a feel-good vibe, great service and contemporary American cooking featuring nightly specials such as braised pork ribs and blackened catfish. The regular menu includes ancho- and porcini-seared filet mignon, chicken picadillo, and a daily “vegetarian delight,” a tray loaded with wonderfully prepared seasonal fruits and vegetables. The wine list is global and modestly priced. Sonoma Magazine