The Luminary
99 Krog St., Atlanta. 404-600-6199, theluminaryatl.com. $$$
The Luminary comes to us from Eli Kirshtein, an Atlanta native and “Top Chef” alum who was last seen several years ago heading the kitchen at Eno by Zaza on Peachtree Street.
For his first post-celebrity venture at the new Krog Street Market he has rather smartly thumbed his nose at the prevailing dining tropes and gone with a decidedly different concept. The Luminary calls itself an “American brasserie,” by which Kirshtein can rethink old-school French recipes with local ingredients and reflect a more up-to-date sensibility.
He rolls a veal breast (when was the last time you saw that?) and serves it with a by-the-book sauce gribiche, but then scatters the top with roasted hakurei turnips that have “organic farm” written all over them. And let other upscale-casual restaurants serve a burger; Kirshtein offers a country ham croque monsieur.
The look is that of a classic Parisian brasserie, with its expanse of glossy tile, brass wall sconces and bentwood chairs. It feels a bit like a movie set; fittingly so, as its location is Tyler Perry’s former studio.
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