Luma on Park, from James Beard-finalist Chef Brandon McGlamery, is a restaurant fellow chefs have been recommending for quite some time. My wife Toni and I were excited to finally try his modern American cuisine with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Located on Winter Park’s ritzy Park Avenue, Luma is an elegant venue that offers a variety of seating options for any party size. You can choose street-side tables with a great view, reserve the private dining room beneath their glass-walled wine vault, relax for small plates and specialty cocktails at the chic bar, reserve the chef’s table that overlooks the lively open kitchen, or feast in the main dining room with rich woods and billowing white curtains. Reservations are a must, and valet parking is recommended if you’re nervous about finding a parking spot on busy Friday or Saturday nights.

Upon entering Luma, I opened the door for a departing couple and overheard the gentleman state, “What an amazing dining experience.” That was foreshadowing for sure. We were promptly seated at a table for two and greeted by our server. He reviewed the menu, explained the different wine menus and gave us time to gather our thoughts. The wine list is extensive and well laid out. We decided to see if our server had any good recommendations. After asking what we were thinking about eating, our taste in wines and price range, he selected a bottle of Altocedro Cabernet ($42) from Argentina. It was the perfect recommendation and delicious.

For our first course, we selected two small plates: Asparagus Soup ($8) and California Delta Asparagus ($16). The soup was piping hot, silky and wonderfully simple. We added cracked pepper per our personal taste, but it wasn’t needed to enjoy the dish. The California Delta Asparagus was beautifully constructed with four large asparagus stalks crisscrossed, topped with perfectly cooked pork belly, pickled red onion and a poached egg in the middle. Upon breaking open the egg, the combination of flavors was fresh and delicious.

We decided to share a Plant City Strawberry Salad ($13) as our second course, which they were nice enough to split for us. The baby kale, pistachios and avocado was perfectly accented with green goddess vinaigrette and burrata cheese. The addition of the avocado mixed with the burratta and strawberry perfectly countered the other ingredients.

Unsurprisingly, the entrees looked amazing. I had the Madeira Beach Red Snapper ($32) with cornmeal johnnycake, broccoli rabe, corn cream and eggplant chutney. The sear on the snapper was perfectly crisp, and the johnnycake complimented the fish nicely. The corn cream and the eggplant chutney tied the whole dish together in delicate harmony. It was by far one of the most memorable fish courses I’ve ever had.

My wife had the Chairman’s Reserve Filet Mignon ($49) with English pea fondue, glazed carrots, snap peas, red wine bordelaise and shiitake mushroom conserva. She was nice enough to let me try a couple bites, but when I went in further, she gave me the look of death. It was delicious, and even though I’m not particularly a filet guy, I would happily pay double for that dish. The filet paired with the English pea fondue and the shiitake conserva took my palate on a journey it would like to repeat soon. For a side, we ordered the Yukon Gold Potato Puree ($7) with truffle oil and chives. I knew it would pair with the steak, but it was surprisingly tasty with the snapper, too.

For the final dessert course, we splurged by getting the Honey Pot De Crème ($8) and Chocolate Banana Bar ($8). The Honey Pot was layered with pumpernickel crumble, orange supreme, passion fruit sorbet and crunchy honey. The dessert seemed a bit small, but the flavor overshadowed its size. It was refined, light and delicious. The Chocolate Banana Bar with caramel cremeux, candied peanuts and bread-pudding ice cream had all the textures and flavors of an award-winning dessert; a must-have for chocolate lovers. We accompanied our desserts with coffee and Rum Chata ($13) and an Eagle Rare 10-Year bourbon ($13).

While waiting for our bill, I watched the busy kitchen pump out dishes. I loved seeing every chef tasting the dishes they were preparing. This often overlooked step is why every course had come out perfectly seasoned. For the first time in ages, I didn’t have to add salt to anything I ordered! I also appreciated the attentive but not smothering wait staff.

Overall, I felt that Luma is hands down one of the best restaurants in all of Orlando. As we left the restaurant, I too was telling my wife, “What an amazing dining experience.” Atmosphere, service, food and wine were all top notch. While it is expensive, you can definitely dine there reasonably by grabbing a pizza and beer, small plates and a cocktail, desert and coffee only, or even one of their prix-fixe meals. It’s restaurants like Luma on Park that continue to help put Orlando on the map as a true culinary destination.

An Orlando resident for more than 25 years, Michael Lit is the executive chef for Central Florida Regional Hospital and also has extensive experience in both casual and fine dining.

Luma on Park
Winter Park | (407) 599-4111