Restaurant Review: Loca Luna

I don't understand why only 77% of Urban Spoon-ers like this place.

Admittedly, we don't eat here very often. Part of the reason is we tend to go for more ethnic food on our date nights. The other part of the reason is this is one of the few local restaurants in Little Rock that ALWAYS has a wait. I swear, I'm really not that much of a snob when it comes to chain places. I know it sounds that way lately. But it's ridiculous. As a test I called Texas Roadhouse and Outback as we drove by there Saturday night (at 6:00) and each place had a wait of 45 minutes - 1 hour. No thank you.

We arrived fairly early on a Saturday night (probably about 6:00). We were told it would be about 20 minutes. It ended up being about 30. While we waited we hung out at the bar, had a drink and perused the menu. We were ready to order by the time we finally had a table.

The service was EXCELLENT. Our waitress had a party of 10 that was sat just a few minutes before we were. They didn't want to make us wait any longer, so they sat us and a manager helped take our drink orders and appetizer order while we waited on her.

Loca Luna has amazing cheese dip. Other than Dizzy's, it's the best I've ever had. But we started with the black bean hummus. Loca Luna wasn't our first choice for dinner that night, Union Bistro was. But when we got to Union Bistro, they were closed. One of the dishes that Graham was looking forward to the most was their black bean hummus, so when we saw that as an appetizer option we went for it.

The hummus tasted like my spicy black bean soup. It didn't have as much of a garlicky taste as the Union Bistro version has. You could taste the spices and the jalapeno over anything else. It was delicious, and the parmesan flat bread it was served with was really delicious. The only thing I hate about ordering hummus is that they never give you enough dippers. Ever.

Spicy Black Bean Hummus $6.95 with Brick Oven Parmesan Flat Bread

Ordering our entrees was a more difficult choice. Everything I've had from here is good. I wanted to go with the salmon SO bad, but I stepped out of my box and ordered the Lobster-Crab Stuffed Rainbow Trout.

Lobster-Crab Stuffed Rainbow Trout $18.95 with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce. A Whole Butterflied Boneless Trout with Crumbled Lobster-Crab Cake on Top with Sauce

This was absolutely amazing. I typically don't like lobster. It's too sweet and difficult to eat. But these lobster-crab cakes were absolutely perfect. So good, I'd consider getting an order of those as an appetizer next time. The fish was huge and perfectly cooked, and the sauce was tasty, and not at all overwhelming. Not only was the fish amazing, but the side dishes were too. The vegetables were perfect. They were tender, but not steamed to a pile of mush. They still had a nice bite to them. And it's really hard to mess up mashed potatoes.

Graham passed over the seafood and decided to get their pot roast. This was absolutely amazing. I hate to say it, but it was better than what I ordered. And that never happens. The pot roast was so tender. It completely fell apart when I went to grab a bite. I don't understand why he chose roasted potatoes instead of mashed, but they were delicious. Perfect texture and great flavor.

Delta Pot Roast $16.95 Slow Cooked with Roasted Root Vegetables & Mushrooms. In a large bowl on a mound of Mashed Potatoes with Home Baked Sour Dough Bread

Loca Luna is a fabulous little spot in Little Rock. I'd definitely check it out if you're in the mood for an amazing dinner. I never have very high expectations when I order seafood in a landlocked state, but I've loved every dish I've ever had from here.