Mt. Lebanon's romantic, upscale Luma a shining light

At Luma restaurants, cold, rain, sleet and snow don't bother customers who want to enjoy al fresco dining.

Chefs and co-owners Greg Ackerman and Michael Rudman employ a "patio-driven concept" at all three of their restaurants -- Luma in Aspinwall, Willow in Ohio Township and another Luma, which recently opened in Mt. Lebanon. The atmosphere is as romantic and upscale as the food, and the menu is changed three times a year to add seasonal depth, says Rudman, who oversees the kitchen. Ackerman is in charge of the front of the house.

Rudman, a 1990 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and with 25 years of experience in the field, plans to unveil his first menu of 2008 at the beginning of February.

"The Luma locations have the same menu, American with global influences," he says.

He and Ackerman discovered that many of Aspinwall's repeat diners lived in Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair, part of their decision for opening the Mt. Lebanon site. It features seating for 35 inside, 35 on the patio and 10 at the bar.

Despite the freedom of a changing menu, says Rudman, he never would remove popular items. The jumbo lump crab cake lightly baked and accompanied with a red onion caper sauce is Rudman's longtime signature dish. Nor would they discontinue the tiger shrimp sauteed with banana peppers, asparagus and green onions with angel hair in a roma tomato cream sauce; salmon stuffed with lump crab grilled with Florida oranges and Grand Marnier; seared tenderloin medallions over spinach fettuccine and three-cheese Alfredo; or the stacked chicken.

"Those stay -- but everything else is new," Rudman says.

The fall-winter menu has roasted tomato basil bisque for lunch, as well as a soup du jour. Creative salads are among "Lighter Choices," which feature crab cakes, Nova Scotia salmon, fried chicken (coated with cornflakes), chicken (in a traditional Caesar), and steak medallions. Sandwiches and entrees range from hand-carved turkey (from poultry raised in Washington state) with brie, avocado, caramelized Spanish onion and a sun-dried tomato pesto on toasted French demi baguette, to tempura fried Alaskan cod with a lemon and lime tartar sauce in a baguette.

Among dinner starters are baked brie with red onion marmalade, and fried Brazilian calamari with chimichurri dipping sauce. Pork tenderloin marinated in aged balsamic and lemon that's char-grilled with a sugarloaf pineapple and a "firecracker guacamole sidecar," as well as an array of hand-cut steaks and Colorado lamb stand out among main courses. The steaks and lamb come with a sauce selection: aged port wine reduction, French syrah bordelaise, rosemary demi-glace with Boursin, or a balsamic reduction with Danish Blue cheese.

Other entrees are veal bolognese ravioli, chicken breast encrusted with garlic and shallot crumbs, rare pan-seared ahi tuna encrusted with pistachios, Peking duck General Tso's style, and a sauteed veal cutlet with caramelized onions, mushroom duo, marsala demi-glace that's topped with a house-pulled mozzarella.

Luma purchases its meats from a Buckhead, Ga., purveyor and fish from Hawaii.

"I deal with a produce company that includes locally grown ingredients, as well as items from different regions of the U.S.," Rudman says.

Rudman envisions opening more restaurants in the future -- something similar to big Burrito Restaurant Group, which has about 15 establishments, as well as large catering services. His greatest challenge in the short term, he says, involves quality of service.

"You have to have it to be successful," he says. "You need a very good team of management and employees. You're as good as the people who work for you."

Michael Rudman, corporate chef/proprietor of Luma restaurant in Mt. Lebanon, suggests serving this main dish with herbed roasted redskin potatoes and glazed carrots. Serve with a sauvignon blanc or a crisp, dry chardonnay. Rudman also co-owns Luma in Aspinwall and Willow in Ohio Township, and he says another establishment, intended for Shadyside, is in the planning stage.

Sauce:

• 3 cups chardonnay wine

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

• 1/4 pound (1 stick) cold butter, cubed

Bread crumbs:

• 1 loaf of your favorite bread

• 1/4 cup pureed fresh garlic

• 1/4 cup pureed fresh shallots

• Kosher salt and ground white pepper, to taste

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley

Chicken:

• All-purpose flour

• Kosher salt and ground white pepper, to taste

• 4 large eggs, beaten with a wire whip

• 8 chicken breasts, 4 ounces each, patted dry

• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, or as needed

For the sauce: Pour the wine into a small saucepan. Heat the wine to simmering and reduce it by half. Add the cream, and reduce by half again to a sauce consistency. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the lemon juice, salt, white pepper and butter. The sauce can be cooled, then refrigerated for as long as 2 weeks. Reheat gently, whisking as needed.

For the bread crumbs: Break the bread into small pieces into a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the garlic, shallots, salt, white pepper and parsley. Whirl the mixture until smooth. Turn out into a shallow plate.

For the chicken: Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place some flour in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and white pepper. Place the eggs in a shallow dish next to the flour mixture, then place the bread crumbs next to the eggs.

If the chicken breasts are thick, pound them until even (put them between two pieces of plastic wrap so the meat doesn't tear). Place a chicken breast in the flour ( see Photo 1 ), turn to coat, then tap off any excess. Dip the chicken in the egg ( Photo 2 ), then coat with the bread crumbs ( Photo 3 ). Repeat with the other chicken pieces.

Place the butter or olive oil in a saute pan that is ovenproof. When the butter is melted -- but not browned -- or the olive oil ripples, lay the chicken breasts in the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Transfer the pan to the hot oven to finish cooking the chicken, for 6 to 8 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 160 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for a few minutes to let the juices settle.

To plate: Place a starch and a vegetable attractively on half of a dinner plate. Lay 2 chicken breasts on the opposite side next to the starch and vegetable, one atop the other at an angle. Spoon the cream sauce over the chicken ( Photo 4 ). Repeat with the other chicken breasts.

Makes 4 servings.

Additional Information:

Luma

Cuisine: American, with global influences

Entree price range: Lunch, $10-$15; dinner, $14.50-$34

Notes: Full bar. Private banquet room for special events, private parties. Patio dining. Reservations recommended.

Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; dinner, 4-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 4-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 4-9 p.m. Sundays

Address: 186 Castle Shannon Blvd., Mt. Lebanon

Details: 412-343-0355 or online