Luna Modern Mexican Kitchen (Corona) 7.18.14

Last night, my 8-year old son went to a friend's birthday party in Corona, giving my husband and I a chance to have an actual date, like real grown-ups on a Friday night.  Since we're never out in Corona, we used yelp to figure out where to go and the number 1 recommendation for restaurants in the area turned out to be Luna Modern Mexican Kitchen.

Luna is in back of a strip mall/ industrial park, next to a Marriott Residence Inn.  It was pretty busy at 8pm when we got there, but we were seated after just a few minute wait, allowing us time to check out the wall of tequila behind the hostess stand:

My husband said this wouldn't photograph well and he's kinda right, but it's much more visually striking in person, especially if you're a tequila aficionado.

Since we were actually posing as real life adults, we even had a cocktail.  I know. Walking on the wild side: 

Coco-Piña: Some blend of coconut, pineapple, tequila deliciousness

(BTW, for those of you in the area or on your way to Vegas, it's just off the freeway AND they have a M-F 2-7pm Happy Hour so you can get started on Vegas early...but only if you're not DRIVING right after. Don't drink and drive.  That's dangerous.)

Okay, on to the food.  There's a nice basket of chips and salsa served prior to the meal which I didn't capture on photo because, well, chips and salsa look like chips and salsa.  It was delicious, but not anything super special. 

Pipian de Puerco: "Slow roasted pork loin cooked in a medium spicy blend of chiles, serrano-cilantro chimichuri sauce, grilled vegetables and fried plantain arroz blanco"

So, when the dish came to the table, this was not at all what I expected it to look like.  It also had a faint aroma of barbecue sauce, but to my surprise and delight, it was very tasty.  The pork was cooked perfectly and the serrano-cilantro (green) chimichuri sauce was delicious with bright notes of spice.  Just a note--all of their food is on the sweet side, so if you're not a sweet-savory fan, it's probably not the best place for you.  I was not a fan of the rice.  Definitely the least beautiful part of the dish in terms of both presentation and taste, but yum overall on the dish. 

Pepita Crusted Tilapia: "Fresh water tilapia, fried plantain arroz blanco, fresh vegetables, red curry mango sauce" 

So, again the tilapia was really well cooked, but this dish was also on the sweet side.  The lemon helped to balance the dish, but it was sweet overall.  The veggies were roasted (as on the pork dish) and my husband was big fan of the roasted veggies (I thought they were okay, but I prefer my roasted root veggies to have a little more crispness on the outside--they were a little soggy for me). 

In re-reading this review, it seems fairly critical, but I actually really liked the vibe and liked the food and drink enough that I'd definitely come back if I were in the area.  I probably wouldn't brave the 91 East on a Friday night to come back but enough yum for a second visit for sure.