The Luminary

The Krog Street Market is a great addition to this one horse town. They are killing it every time I go through there. They got some great players in there. Spotted Trotter, Fred's, Yalla, GC BBQ, Hop City, Craft Izakaya and hopefully Gu's Dumps and Cockentrice will open soon. But the place that I didn't run into earlier was this joint, The Luminary. I heard it was just so-so in the beginning so I wanted to wait a bit for them to get up and running. I like Eli, he's a good cook and good guy, so I wanted to make sure he puts out the best when I finally eat here. Doing a French Bistro is a bold move in this town. Bilboquet was pretty much a let down but the service was great. So, I was hoping that Eli knew what he was getting into. Let's take a look if the French techniques are being executed correctly here...

Foie Gras. Nice piece of foie cooked perfectly with a little pink inside. Melted like butter in my facehole. The chestnut polenta was something different and paired well with the foie. Great little dish.

Beef Tartare. This was one dish that I will be examining closely. I used to make hundreds if not thousands of these when I was cooking in NYC. We did it the real way, the raw egg on top is a cute gimmick but it's not the correct way to serve a proper tartare. I was very surprised that this was done pretty much the right way with the chopped egg whites, yolks, cornichon instead of capers, and red onion incorporated already. The only thing I would put in extra is some chopped anchovies, they fucking kill it in a tartare. This tartare had a really nice bold flavor. I had them sub out the fries for the smokey bacon beans but they forget the bread to go with it. Not a big deal but you can't eat this without a carb vehicle to transport that raw meat into your hole.

Smokey Bacon Beans. The smokey bacon bits does justice to anything, but it made the beans even better going in.. Going out is another story.

French Dip. The fries were excellent, I couldn't stop eating them. The au jus was rich and flavorful, really nice. The bread was like a big gougère but it missed the mark, it broke apart even before trying to pick it up. The beef was damn good, great color, tender and flavorful. Dip it in the jus and it becomes instantly addictive. Good dish but work on that bread thing, maybe even just switch it out for a nice H&F bread that can hold up to the dipping action. 

Duck Confit. Finally, someone doing a proper duck confit. It was Frenched correctly, both the leg and thigh bone came out with ease. Even the nub was done right, no loose skin hanging off like a half picked scab. The meat was super tender and pulled apart easily. The skin was crispy and fat rendered nicely. This was just a good dish done right.

The service is great. The bartenders doing a great job at not only making drinks but also being bartenders that actually talks to the customers. I have no complaints with the service department, the food was surprisingly well executed and thought out. Maybe except for that French Dip gougère bread thinger. If this place continues doing what they're doing now, I will be back more often to see what's else pops up on the menu. Are they doing real French here, maybe not exactly but they are doing it better than most French restos. Eli is doing good stuff here. Check it out.


99 Krog Street Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30307
404-600-6199
http://www.theluminaryatl.com/