I discovered La Luna Restaurant by accident while I was staying in Punta Arenas in southern Chile recently. The place apparently has a history and it isn’t just about food.
The founders and owners of La Luna are Sr. Mario Navarro and his wife Sra. Marjorie Kusch. They were both the founders of the legendary “Café del Cerro” in 1982, which was designed to be a landmark in the cultural struggle against the military dictatorship of Chile in the 1980’s. This cultural and music center was one of the pioneering spots and highlight of the Barrio Bellavista until 1991.
Remember that there were serious riots in Paris in the late sixties over the Chilean political situation as well as in other pockets of the world. In 1970, they elected a Marxist president in Chile and 3 years later they had a coup.
The poet Pablo Aniella used to belong to the communist party and there is no shortage of poetry and movies (Il Positino — the Italian movie based on a Chilean novel and his experience of his exile from Chile in the 1950’s) documenting this era. Locals who are familiar with the political strife over the years know the history of Cafe del Cerro and the people behind it at the time and while La Luna doesn’t carry any current political undertones with it, the establishment is funky in every way you’d expect from owners with an artistic bent.
This local favorite in the area is known for fresh seafood dishes and a lively, colorful atmosphere. Admist pasta dishes, Mendoza wine, scallops stewed in garlicky sauce and chupe de centolla (crab casserole), you’re surrounded by creative energy from brightly painted walls to art and trinkets throughout.
This local favorite, known for fresh seafood dishes and a lively, colorful atmosphere, is becoming a little too touristy – but non-Spanish-speaking travelers will appreciate the multilingual staff when trying to decide between scallops stewed in garlicky sauce and chupe de centolla (crab casserole). Below, a conger eel dish.
Other great dishes on the menu include tenderloin in roquefort sauce with roasted potatoes, tenderloin in garlic sauce, sirloin steak with garlic, red peppers and sliced potatoes, pork chops with mashed potatoes, smoked pork chops with boiled potatoes and patagonian sauces, bread steak with fried potatoes and chicken breaded meat with croquette potatoes. Prices range from $6.250 Chilean to $8.950. They also offered onion and seafood soups as well as a variety of seafood appetizers, including natural king crab, scallops, squid romana, raw fish with lemon and spices and an antipasto.
Fish offerings were fish on its own (roughly $7.250 to 7.640 Chilean — Conger eel, fried king fish or salmon with lemon sauce, rice and coriander) or with pasta. For example, they had a spaghetti with seafruit, a scallops parmasan and also an unusual dish called Panqueques Rellenos con centolla, which is essentially stuffed pancakes with crab sauce.
The beer was in the $1.950 to $2.150 range and included local dark ales and lagers. Since Pisco Sours are so popular down here, several people at our table ordered one, others had margaritas and Jorge and I split a bottle of Mendoza which was incredibly reasonably priced. The bar, which is eclectic and fun has an extensive wine list specializing in the bodegas of Chile and Argentina. Prices ranged from CH$4,000 – $20,000 (US$7.00 – $35.00) per bottle.
Photo credit for eel dish: travel-with-pen-and-palate.
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