Saturday night I went on a fabulous dinner date at Luna Park. In my last four years living in LA, I’ve driven past this restaurant literally 100 times. I’ve always wanted to go, but it’s out-of-the-way, and I’ve never had a real reason to try it out. So when I saw a Groupon for this spot, I immediately bought one! It’s been burning a hole in my pocket ever since, and with the expiration date fast approaching, I figured the time was now – or never – to try Luna Park!

Can you tell how excited I was? I genuinely squealed on the drive over.

Luna Park offers an extensive menu, as well as a prix fixe option for any appetizer, entree and dessert for only $30. Considering that a lot of the dinner options are in the $20 range, this deal is a steal! Even better, my coupon was valid for the prix fixe menu, which I was worried might be considered a special deal price and not part of the Groupon. We decided to go all-out and immediately scoured the menu!

The Drinks

We had to wait a few minutes for our table and decided to order drinks from the bar. I got a Coppola Pinot Grigio, while the boy went wild with a Mojito made with fresh mint and lime. We watched the bartender crush huge fistfuls of mint to make this drink and you could taste the extra effort!

We also ordered the Mini Bar flight of three with a Mini Mint Julep, Bitty Luna Park Margarita and a Tiny Ice Breaker (Ciroc Vodka and Pacific Rim Vin de Glacier). My favorite was the Mint Julep, but the Ice Breaker with fresh grapes was pretty good too!

The Appetizers

Of course, there was one thing on the menu that immediately caught my eye: Warm Goat Cheese Fondue with Grilled Bread and Sliced Apples. I’m always poised to try anything with goat cheese, even though the boy was gagging over my choice. I’ve never imagined goat cheese in fondue format but it worked! Served in a cute white bowl over a flame, the goat cheese was smooth and rich. Both the apples and bread (which was brushed with olive oil before being grilled) were just as fresh and delicious.

The boy read my mind and ordered the other appetizer that was calling my name: Crispy Gnocchi with Roasted Root Vegetables, Chanterelles Mushrooms, Truffle Cream Sauce. If you are thinking this sounds really amazing, you’re right. It was. The photo unfortunately cannot do it justice, but the crispy gnocchi reminded me of butter-browned pierogies.

The Entrees

With the prix fixe option, neither of us held back when it came to dinner orders. For him: Braised Boneless Short Ribs with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Kale and a Red Wine Jus. I’m a tough mashed potatoes critic, but these were very flavorful. I thought the kale was a unique vegetable to serve and Luna Park did a good job of making it appetizing for a more general palate.

But the real vegetable winner was in my meal: Ale Marinated Chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash and Natural Jus. The chicken was well-cooked, but the real star was the roasted brussel sprouts. Neither of us could get enough of them! I also loved the butternut squash, which was a little on the sweet side but went nicely with the chicken and heartier brussels. You can see the veggies poking out from underneath…

Dessert

Luckily for me, we were also thinking alike when it came to dessert. The first: Warm Truffled Chocolate Cake Served with Chocolate Ice Cream. I would have liked this even more if it had been fudgier, but it was rich and chocolate-y, so you won’t hear me complaining.

We also got a ridiculously cool, unique dessert as well. Can you tell what it is?

Make Your Own S’mores! Featuring: Molten Marshmallow, Bittersweet Chocolate, and House Made Graham Cookies. UM. YES. We were literally scraping the marshmallow out of the pot and burning our fingers at the end. The homemade graham crackers were better than any I’ve had before. Step aside Nabisco.

From start to finish, this was a great meal with even greater company. I’m so glad I finally tried Luna Park and will definitely be back again for the awesome prix fixe menu!