Where is Mister Looney Luna these days?
I thought he skipped town after his naked brunch flopped! We're big fans of his -- never made it to the brunch though!
Last I heard he was the chef at a restaurant at The Wyndham at the corner of Peach and 10th. Appropriately named.:funn:
http://www.accessatlanta.com/restaurants/content/restaurants/neighborhoods/0105/06lunatique.html
I miss hanging out with Paul. His sensual haven called Chef's Table offered a one-of-a-kind dining experience. The restaurant had no sign, part of its mood of being a hideaway for a tryst (actually he planned to replace the chairs with beds so that one could dine while in bed). The interior was funky with old brick walls, exposed mechanical components, colorful unhemmed fabrics hanging from poles, simple but mood-enhancing lighting, and an open kitchen. Luna served his customers as though they were friends dining in his home. As a matter of fact, he was the only cook and had one assistant (a really gorgeous guy who is a former student of mine and happens to be a model -- tall and blonde) who served and helped with dishes, so he limited his guests to about fourteen. There was no menu and thus no prices posted. Luna invited you to watch him in the kitchen (he asked me, Mr. BR, and Beach Jacket to help him cook on several occasions) and would stroll to your table after a course was served to discuss how it related to his philosophy of cooking. He kept his
frutta e verdure in the front window in order for them to ripen properly, and as he cooked he would go there to gather a red pepper for an appetizer, a cantaloupe for dessert. He would wander over and grab spices from his crude pantry built into the wall in the dining area.
Let's talk food. A typical meal might start with French bread brushed in olive oil and sprinkled with chopped paprika and rosemary along with a mixture of feta, ricotta, and cottage cheeses. Next could be a salad of mixed greens tossed in a vinaigrette with thinly sliced apples. Luna then might announce that he would be serving Southern food, and out of the kitchen would come a divine poached beef rib with chopped roasted red peppers in a balsamic vinaigrette. This might be followed by a broiled chicken leg drizzled in an orange reduction and served with what he called an eggplant caviar. A slightly spicy dish of chicken chunks with sesame seeds, hazelnuts, soy sauce, and roasted red peppers would arrive at our table next. The final entree was what he called an African stew with beef, potatoes, and a subtle taste of nutmeg. Dessert consisted of a mista of cantaloupe, chocolate mousse, and flan. It was all divine, in taste and in presentation - food as art.
On one of our last visits before the restaurant closed, the menu consisted of African bread with the signature cheese accompaniment; a grouper salad with tomatoes and spinach; thinly-sliced duck with spaghetti squash; tilapia with couscous; pork tenderloin with ginger, sesame seed, soy sauce, coconut milk, and roasted peppers; a choice of the mista dessert or a berry soup in an orange reduction.
The restaurant had no liquor license, so we brought our own wine and/or beer. And we'd bring enough to last for four hours because *this* was a dining experience, not fast food. As far as price, we would be presented with a simple, handwritten bill for $40 per person. Who knows what the price might be with another menu? The unknown is part of the excitement ...
BTW he'd flip if you asked for salt, and you couldn't be surprised by anything that happened there ...
It is very much like a Cuban pork marinated 24 hours and slow cooked in the oven.
