Restaurante La Luz
The Alta Hotel
Alto de las Palomas - Old Road from Escazu to Santa Ana - Santa Ana
Phone: 2282-4160
La Luz, rated one of the best restaurants in Central America, has a delicious, innovative fusion style-a splash of Costa Rica with Continental and California influences.
The restaurant is airy and drenched with light during the day; during the evening the soft lights and warm feel of tropical woods and ochre finishes exude romance. Large windows open out to a cobalt blue pool, a 100-year old Guanacaste tree and a dazzling view of the Valley of the Sun.
Founding California Chef, Sherman Johnson opened La Luz restaurant in 1997, creating what perhaps was the first true "fusion" cuisine in Costa Rica. He scoured Costa Rican markets for fresh fish, tropical fruits and vegetables and combined them in continental and California style. Many of his innovative dishes are still on the menu including fiery garlic shrimp with tequila lime butter, the avocado crumble, and the pulled pork breakfast. By early 2000, La Nacion, Costa Rica's largest newspaper, named La Luz the country's best restaurant, awarding it five forks, its highest honor.
From the start it’s been the little things: All breads (even the morning toast) are freshly made in the kitchen, The fruits for the homemade marmalades and sorbets were only recently plucked from a tree. Although the cuisine is fusion, the portions are generous.
In the Fall of 2005, Thomas Roby, the sous chef at the famous Commander's Palace restaurant in New Orleans (now the owner of the Veranda in Alabama) spent a month in La Luz while his restaurant was drying out after Hurricane Katrina. He introduced the staff to spicy Cajun cooking and the menu now includes many of his creations such as 5-Pepper Jelly Shrimp and Blackened Tilapia with Jambalaya Rice; all with a Costa Rica twist.
Executive Chef Carlos Zuniga joined La Luz in 2006 after 20 years of cooking in New York restaurants including a stint as executive chef of a three-star restaurant in New York City. He immediately made his mark, adding some Italian specialties (crab ravioli and eggplant rollotine) and some lighter fare (spring vegetable rolls, tilapia in mango, pisto salmon, tamarindo chicken, a mezze plate with homemade dolmates and tropical lime pie). His lobster with Costa Rican vanilla bean and champagne is a favorite special.
Carlos was born in Costa Rica and grew up surrounded by Costa Rican foods. Under his tutelage, the menu has now expanded to more than 50 fusion items. …but he still holds the rare philosophy that he would be glad to try to make whatever you like, all you have to do is ask.
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