When a restaurant gets it right -- gets every little thing right -- it's a total joy to experience it. And especially on Thanksgiving, when each diner brings with them their memories of childhood turkey dinners with long-lost family members, and the tastes of certain dishes fill the heart, comparison happens fast and the chance of disappointment is high.
But not here.
My dream for this dinner, with two family members, was simple: "Tasty food, served with a smile, each course arriving at a perfect pace, a lovely setting, maybe some live music in the background that's not too loud, refreshing and tasty drinks." What could the chances be that this would actually happen? But it did. Several good restaurants were offering the typical American menu (minus the string beans and onion dish, for some reason but all offered other green vegetables in its place). Luna de Queso's sounded most like "home" so we quickly opted for it before there were no seats left. And at 650 pesos, drinks and tips extra, affordable (credit cards accepted). There would be two seatings, at 3pm and 7pm. We reserved three spots for 3pm. The restaurant called twice to confirm so we knew our seats were safe; this is not something commonly done in Mexico so we appreciated it.
We arrived at 3pm with a flurry of other Americans and we shuffled our way in, past the coffee and pastry counter with its delectable goodies and past the former grocery store area, now reserved for the sale of cheeses of countless types. And some breads and a few other items. When earlier this year Luna de Queso did away with their little grocery area of many North American products in favor of opening for dinner, because of changes wrought by the pandemic, they did the right thing.
Some of the restaurant is under roof, some under trees, with lovely plantings and strings of lights intertwined with silk fall leaves, along with hanging pots of plants and planters filled to the brim with healthy plants. The floors are mostly brick and some are tile, none feel like a tripping hazard.
As we entered the restaurant, our eyes were attracted to how each table was decorated - a visual joy and delightful surprise that gave us a warm welcome. Each had a lovely centerpiece matched to the size of the table, made of small pumpkins or gourds with teeny live succulents growing out of them (see photo), and a teeny orange holding down the menu on the plate (see photo). The bigger tables had bowls of colorful oranges and other small gourds (see photo). Our excitement now was palpable.
We were ushered right away to our table by a cordial server who immediately took our drink order. Two of us had wine (one merlot, one white) and one of us had a beer in a tall frosty mug. The silverware, of nice quality here, was wrapped with a quality paper napkin and that was tied with a sprig of fresh rosemary and slice of dried fruit. A lovely touch. On each of our plates was a menu that ended with their thank you: "Today we are grateful for your preference", along with a card that said "Grateful" in beautiful script (see photos), with good wishes for 2024.
Tables here are well-spaced, not jammed together, and the hanging plants offer a kind of curtain between each area for more privacy. For each course, servers came and went gracefully and smoothly, smiling at our oohs and aaahs.
Just as we enjoyed each course and finished, from the butternut squash soup to the main course, and let it settle while we enjoyed the live guitar music that always managed to stay in the background, the next course would arrive, in perfect timing. Never delayed, never rushed. One of us is vegetarian but the chef kindly put more vegetables on his plate. The turkey was in 3 good-sized slices, moist. There was plenty of gravy in a heavy bowl, plenty of cranberry sauce in a small bowl. Small loaves of their own bread with real butter came, then with the meal small rolls and corn bread muffins. All delicious and satisfying. My only quibble: I would have liked butter as well with the cornbread so maybe a small dish of it could be served. Since I seldom eat butter, it would have been an extra treat on this holiday.
Here is where I'll insert a dig against the Rosewood Hotel where we went for Thanksgiving 4 years ago. There, they placed one of those teeny (2" high?!) coffee-creamer-size "pitcher" of cranberry "syrup" on the table. ("What is this?" we wondered, breaking out in gales of laughter. A teeny creamer container for the whole table! There were 6 of us. This was "syrup" that wasn't enough for 1 person.) Unlike this year's Luna de Queso, someone at the Rosewood certainly did not do their research to know that one needs a *bowl* of jellied cranberries and or jellied and whole cranberries, for the table. Their service was erratic and servings were small. Nothing like high prices to fool some people into feeling like they are being treated well. But I digress, and will return to this year at Luna de Queso.
Other photos follow, including of the sweet-potato-and-miso pie with a chocolate crust -- not graham cracker crust, but chocolate dough crust. The pumpkin pie got rave reviews. My companions enjoyed their coffee, declared "perfect", and I enjoyed a real tea service, with tea offered from a lovely wooden box of assorted teas and served with a real, clay teapot that kept the water hot so I could enjoy two cups at a leisurely pace.
Luna de Queso does it right on this holiday on every level. Their only problem: how can they make Thanksgiving 2024 even better than Thanksgiving 2023?!
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Note: I have been to Luna de Queso a few times for lunch and have found the lunch menu original (the salads' dressings, the homemade hummus), the food always fresh and several healthy AND tasty options.
There is free parking at the restaurant; tip the guy who helps you get in and out of your spot. And if there's someone outside their front door selling blueberries, raspberries, and more, partake because they are very fresh and tasty.
KateShrewsbury
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24 Noviembre 2023
10.0
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