Mi Luna Tapas Restaurant and Bar
My apologies, this is a bit late. I ate at Mi Luna this past Monday for my birthday dinner and have not taken the time to type it up. This is a review of a "Special Occasion" location, so keep that in mind while reading.
Reviewer: PatrickW
Location: 2441 University Blvd, Houston, TX 77005
Meal: Dinner
Cost: ~$67.00 (includes tip)
My wife and I ate at Mi Luna in the Rice Village area for my birthday dinner. The restaurant is open and has a bar in the center. Live bands play immediately to the left of the entry and seating on that side is mostly for those there for the band or to dance. On the right side of the place is the seating for eating, including high-backed booths down the right wall.
The first thing you will notice is that the place is loud. We got there around 5:00 pm and the place was half full, putting the crowd noise and music at a dull roar. I've been there at full-on rush hour and it can be nigh-deafening, where table conversation is only with those immediately seated near you as that's all you can hear. We asked for a booth, which will cut down on the background noise and allow a table conversation.
Mi Luna is a tapas restaurant, which means you order 3-5 small things each off the menu and share tastes. Please note that this is a Spanish restaurant, not a Mexican restaurant, so don't expect anything off a Tex-Mex menu, despite the sharing of a language.
I ordered the Empanadas (flaky potato crust wrapped around beef tenderloin and a drizzle of sour cream sauce), the Pinchos de Pollo (two chicken kabobs served with saffron rice and caramelized onions), Patatas Bravas (sauteed potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce), and the Tortilla Especial (my "try something new" order, consisting of Spanish potato omelet with chorizo and spinach). My wife, H, ordered the B'Stilla (Moroccan chicken pie with cinnamon almonds wrapped in crisp filo dough), Esalada de la Casa (mixed greens with roasted balsamic vinaigrette, tomatoes, goat cheese, and toasted pine nuts), and the Ensalada de Esparragos (asparagus with a light raspberry vinaigrette).
The Empanadas and Patatas Bravas were excellent, my two favorite dishes. Sadly, the Tortilla Especial was a disappointment, with an odd taste to it, possibly from the spinach, possibly from the chorizo. The Pinchos de Pollo were extremely tasty with the best saffron rice, the sweetness of the rice worked well with the roasted taste of the kabobs. H says Mi Luna makes the best caramelized onions, which she ate as I am not a fan.
H loved the Esalada de la Casa (house salad for the Spanish challenged), but was not thrilled with the Ensalada de Esparragos - too much cream, undercooked, and not enough of the raspberry vinaigrette. The B'Stilla took a while to make its appearance as it has to be baked, but was well worth the wait.
Service was OK, but we kept running out of tea while our water stayed full. The waiter was very friendly, but the guy with the tea pitcher only made rare visits to our table.
For desert, H had the flan and I had the plantain flambe. Both dishes have more complex names, but I neglected to get them written down and my Spanish is nigh-nonexistent. The flan came with both Spanish vanilla and chocolate flan. H is a big flan snob and believes that only the vanilla should exist. She rated the (Spanish vanilla) flan as the best in the city. I liked the chocolate flan, but I'm not a big flan fan. I've had plantain flambe at other restaurants before, but this was the first time it was still on fire when it arrived. It eventually burned off the booze, but not enough to avoid a boozy taste to the plantain (I'm not a drinker). I blame my own tastes for this failure. I used to get a desert that had seasonal fruit and cream in a white chocolate bowl, but that seems to have dropped off the desert menu. Very sad, it was amazingly decadent and tasty.
When I wasn't looking, H apparently tipped the waiter that it was my birthday and a second flan dish arrived shortly after the first with a candle in it, so I got to make a wish. It was an appreciated touch, and best of all, no signing of "Happy Birthday" by an assemblage of waitstaff. Every time I'm at a restaurant and there is singing at another table, I fill out a comment card saying my meal was ruined by the singing. Eventually, restaurant owners might get the hint.
Summation: RECOMMENDED
The food is high quality and you can find something to like, usually several things. About a third of the menu has fish of some sort with the rest beef, chicken, pork, or vegetables only. Go there and just point at the menu - it will be tasty.
Reviewer: PatrickW
Location: 2441 University Blvd, Houston, TX 77005
Meal: Dinner
Cost: ~$67.00 (includes tip)
My wife and I ate at Mi Luna in the Rice Village area for my birthday dinner. The restaurant is open and has a bar in the center. Live bands play immediately to the left of the entry and seating on that side is mostly for those there for the band or to dance. On the right side of the place is the seating for eating, including high-backed booths down the right wall.
The first thing you will notice is that the place is loud. We got there around 5:00 pm and the place was half full, putting the crowd noise and music at a dull roar. I've been there at full-on rush hour and it can be nigh-deafening, where table conversation is only with those immediately seated near you as that's all you can hear. We asked for a booth, which will cut down on the background noise and allow a table conversation.
Mi Luna is a tapas restaurant, which means you order 3-5 small things each off the menu and share tastes. Please note that this is a Spanish restaurant, not a Mexican restaurant, so don't expect anything off a Tex-Mex menu, despite the sharing of a language.
I ordered the Empanadas (flaky potato crust wrapped around beef tenderloin and a drizzle of sour cream sauce), the Pinchos de Pollo (two chicken kabobs served with saffron rice and caramelized onions), Patatas Bravas (sauteed potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce), and the Tortilla Especial (my "try something new" order, consisting of Spanish potato omelet with chorizo and spinach). My wife, H, ordered the B'Stilla (Moroccan chicken pie with cinnamon almonds wrapped in crisp filo dough), Esalada de la Casa (mixed greens with roasted balsamic vinaigrette, tomatoes, goat cheese, and toasted pine nuts), and the Ensalada de Esparragos (asparagus with a light raspberry vinaigrette).
The Empanadas and Patatas Bravas were excellent, my two favorite dishes. Sadly, the Tortilla Especial was a disappointment, with an odd taste to it, possibly from the spinach, possibly from the chorizo. The Pinchos de Pollo were extremely tasty with the best saffron rice, the sweetness of the rice worked well with the roasted taste of the kabobs. H says Mi Luna makes the best caramelized onions, which she ate as I am not a fan.
H loved the Esalada de la Casa (house salad for the Spanish challenged), but was not thrilled with the Ensalada de Esparragos - too much cream, undercooked, and not enough of the raspberry vinaigrette. The B'Stilla took a while to make its appearance as it has to be baked, but was well worth the wait.
Service was OK, but we kept running out of tea while our water stayed full. The waiter was very friendly, but the guy with the tea pitcher only made rare visits to our table.
For desert, H had the flan and I had the plantain flambe. Both dishes have more complex names, but I neglected to get them written down and my Spanish is nigh-nonexistent. The flan came with both Spanish vanilla and chocolate flan. H is a big flan snob and believes that only the vanilla should exist. She rated the (Spanish vanilla) flan as the best in the city. I liked the chocolate flan, but I'm not a big flan fan. I've had plantain flambe at other restaurants before, but this was the first time it was still on fire when it arrived. It eventually burned off the booze, but not enough to avoid a boozy taste to the plantain (I'm not a drinker). I blame my own tastes for this failure. I used to get a desert that had seasonal fruit and cream in a white chocolate bowl, but that seems to have dropped off the desert menu. Very sad, it was amazingly decadent and tasty.
When I wasn't looking, H apparently tipped the waiter that it was my birthday and a second flan dish arrived shortly after the first with a candle in it, so I got to make a wish. It was an appreciated touch, and best of all, no signing of "Happy Birthday" by an assemblage of waitstaff. Every time I'm at a restaurant and there is singing at another table, I fill out a comment card saying my meal was ruined by the singing. Eventually, restaurant owners might get the hint.
Summation: RECOMMENDED
The food is high quality and you can find something to like, usually several things. About a third of the menu has fish of some sort with the rest beef, chicken, pork, or vegetables only. Go there and just point at the menu - it will be tasty.