Dinner at Luca

One tell-tale sign of a good vacation is the sad reality that the days come and go so fast. Thus, waking up on my final full day on Grand Cayman, I was in full-day savor mode. Two quality dives in the books in the morning, followed by a tasty al fresco lunch at Macabuca and some quality beach time working on a new Tom Clancy novel, made for an excellent day. It was fitting then to cap off such a day with dinner at one of my favorite restaurants on Grand Cayman: Luca.

Luca is located at the Caribbean Club, a small boutique suite/villa-only hotel situated at the heart of Grand Cayman's 7-mile beach. Chef Roman Kleinrath and his team specialize in contemporary Italian dishes, while embracing locally caught seafood and other Caribbean flourishes. The restaurant also offers one of the best wine selections on the island, featuring both Italian and non-Italian wines from around the globe.

Pulling up to the Caribbean Club, the Madre and I left the car with the complimentary valet and entered into a small but luxurious hotel lobby. Straight ahead lies the entrance to Luca, opening to a large open dining room featuring a bar area to the right, and kitchen to the left. Continuing forward, the dining room opens up even further to the left, and seamlessly transitions to an outdoor seating area overlooking the hotel pool. Tables featured warm brown leather chairs and brown table cloths, which accented the off-white walls and white napkins. 

Decanting a delightful Amarone della Valpolicella
2017 Luca. Grand Cayman, BWI

We were led to a small two-top in the outdoor section, and after greeted by a delightful waiter, were given both a menu and sizable wine list. After some consultation, I settled on a tuna poke starter, and the herb crusted mahi mahi. The Madre selected a starter portion of the pasta special with smoked eggplant, and the seared tuna with Sicilian sauce for her main course. To accompany the meal, we selected a bottle of 2011 Le Salette 'Pergole Vece' Amarone della Valpolicella to get us thinking of our upcoming trip to Italy this fall.

Tuna poke
2017 Luca. Grand Cayman, BWI

First to come out was the tuna poke, a wonderful take on the Hawaiian classic featuring local yellow fin tuna tartare marinated with sesame oil, chili aioli, avocado, soy ginger glaze, crispy quinoa and wakame (edible seaweed). The tuna was super fresh, embracing the soy ginger glaze nicely without its natural flavors being overwhelmed. The avocado and chili aioli lent a nice creamy texture and buttery notes, contrasted by the dry texture of the seaweed adding saline flavors. The little confit tomatoes added fresh flavor bombs that furthered the tremendous balance of the dish, while the quinoa gave the the occasional crunchy flourish.

Smoked eggplant pasta special
2017 Luca. Grand Cayman, BWI

While I was busy enjoying my poke, the Madre was working on her smoked eggplant pasta. I was lucky enough to grab a bite or two, and here are my quick thoughts. The pasta was perfectly al dente, featuring nice smokey egg plant notes. There was a nice creaminess to it, without the overt presence of a sauce or a bunch of cheese. Similar to the poke, bits of confit tomato added bursts of freshness that diversified the dish's flavor profile nicely. 

Herb crusted mahi mahi
2017 Luca. Grand Cayman, BWI

With our appetizer plates cleared, and a moment to continue enjoying our lovely Italian red, our main entrées were served. I had selected the mahi mahi - herb crusted - served atop saffron risotto with a fried egg yoke, asparagus and baked tomatoes. The herb crust offered subtle flavor to the relatively mild mahi mahi. The risotto acted as a nice canvas, conveying the delightful saffron flavor, while taking in the creamy notes of the egg yoke (which I broke up promptly to spread its fatty goodness). The asparagus and baked tomato provided their signature flavors that rounded out the dish's flavor palette.

Pan seared yellow fin tuna
2017 Luca. Grand Cayman, BWI

While my mahi mahi was good, the Madre's tuna was exceptional. Seared local yellow fin tuna served with a Sicilian sauce (olives, capers, cherry tomatoes, and oregano), served with a sauté chile-garlic broccolini. As one can see from the picture above, the tuna was seared perfectly rare, with a lovely ruby red center, yet warm throughout. The Sicilian sauce had bold flavors, with earthy tones from the olives, and fresh bursts from the tomatoes and oregano. The broccolini had nice contrasting flavors, with a delightful chili garlic essence. 

With dinner complete, it was time for one final desert course for Cayman 2017. I opted on a selection from that day's specials: reconstructed lemon pie. A sphere of lemon sorbet sat atop crumbled graham crackers, followed by a layer of whipped cream, lemon pie filling, and more crumbled graham crackers. Surrounding this are flourishes of whipped cream and lemon pie filling, sprinkled occasionally with more crumbled graham crackers.

Reconstructed lemon pie
2017 Luca. Grand Cayman, BWI

While unorthodox, this version of lemon pie had a nice balance of flavors. The sphere of lemon sorbet added a nice tart element. Whipped cream added sweet flavors and a creamy consistency, while the lemon pie filling added nice citrus notes. The graham crackers added nice contrasting flavors and texture, to round out the dish.

Overall, tonight's culinary adventure was a perfect capstone for a wonderful Cayman vacation. Luca does an excellent job of pairing classical Italian cuisine with fresh local seafood. Combine that with one of the best wine cellars on the island, and a sharp but non-precocious atmosphere, and it just makes going out to dinner a delightful endeavor. Isn't that the perfect place to dine on vacation?