Lunch in campustown can often be dreary. There are a couple nice Chinese places, and aside from that, you're looking at bar food, subs, or a couple fast Mexican places. For me, Cafe Luna is a very welcome change of pace to all of that. It's located on hallowed ground for me. Cafe Luna replaced Mykonos, a Greek burger/gyro spot after my buddy Taki passed away a couple years ago. Many late nights were finished up there. So for me to set foot back into the same place was a little strange. But it was well worth it.
The decor was cool, without the pretense. There was lots of black, but there was some colorful art and fairly light hearted music to balance it out. I went there with a friend at 11:30, and we beat the lunch rush, and got seated quickly. We opened up with a charcuterie plate that had some nice olives, sweet and tangy little gherkin pickles, some thinly sliced red onions that were very sweet, some fresh fruit, and was highlighted by a small assortment of prosciutto, salami, and pepperoni and a wedge of this great triple-cream cheese that was excellent with a great texture and a slightly nutty flavor. A few slices of french bread gave some temperance to the salty treats, which were very fun to eat, though for the price, a larger portion would have been appreciated.
The next item to come out was our salad, two crabcakes, served over a bed of mixed greens. I don't fault the kitchen, but there's a lesson to be learned here. Don't order crabcakes unless you're on the coast. Even the best canned lump crab meat is a far cry from the good stuff. Unfortunately, it didn't taste like Cafe Luna used the best canned lump crab meat. The crabcake was too mushy, and just didn't have that great taste of the ocean that you get when you have a good crabcake. And that can be forgiven. After all, this is the middle of Illinois, not the Maryland shore. But what was a downer was the herb vinaigrette that the mixed greens were tossed in - too much oil, and not enough zip to it. Instead of light and tangy, it was heavy and oily. Not quite what you're hoping for in a salad.
But what absolutely saved lunch was the wonderful sandwiches that we ordered. A seared flank steak sandwich was seasoned perfectly, cooked just right (nice and rare), and had a nice melted Gruyere and caramelized onions, all between a grilled sourdough bread. The steak was incredibly tender and juicy, and the rest of the sandwich just worked. Good ingredients, simple food, done well.
What stole the show for me was the grilled duck breast sandwich. Again, cooked just right (medium for me), and tasty, the duck was a highlight. It came with pancetta, arugula, and a fig jam, on a grilled Zupfe bread. Zupfe bread is this really tender bread that had egg, sort of like Challa. Really good bread for the sandwich. The sandwich was just great, and a lot of fun to eat. A little indulgent, but not overboard. It was served with pancetta, though I think that a couple thick strips of smoky bacon would be more appropriate - not as sexy as pancetta, but the smokiness would play with the flavors of the fig jam and the duck a little more than the pancetta did. The fig jam was a very good complement to the duck, but the kitchen was just a little heavy handed with it. I would go with just a thin spread over the bread, rather than the schmear that they were going with. Maybe if they just put it on the side, and let the patrons handle it themselves, it would be better.
Lunch was good. The crowd had a little buzz to it, though the place wasn't packed out so that you felt obliged to eat in a hurry. I think that this place is definitely a lunchtime winner. What really caught my eye was that Cafe Luna also serves a dinner menu and has a tapas menu. That review will come soon!
-foodgeek
Lunch rating: 1 star.
Cafe Luna (217) 344-1895; 313 E. Green St (SW corner of 4th and Green)., Champaign, IL 61820. Lunch menu: Appetizers: $3.50 - $7.50; Salads: $3.50 - $7.50; Sandwiches: $4.50 - $8.50.
Long overdue update: Cafe Luna did well at that original spot, and then moved to downtown Champaign where they had a much larger spot, and did well for a time. Unfortunately, they closed down by 2012, after a couple years of lackluster service and declining quality. Currently, Maize at the Station inhabits the spot at 100 N. Chestnut St. They are pretty phenomenal - excellent Mexican food that would have played well even on a border town like El Paso, TX, where I was living for 7 years.
The decor was cool, without the pretense. There was lots of black, but there was some colorful art and fairly light hearted music to balance it out. I went there with a friend at 11:30, and we beat the lunch rush, and got seated quickly. We opened up with a charcuterie plate that had some nice olives, sweet and tangy little gherkin pickles, some thinly sliced red onions that were very sweet, some fresh fruit, and was highlighted by a small assortment of prosciutto, salami, and pepperoni and a wedge of this great triple-cream cheese that was excellent with a great texture and a slightly nutty flavor. A few slices of french bread gave some temperance to the salty treats, which were very fun to eat, though for the price, a larger portion would have been appreciated.
The next item to come out was our salad, two crabcakes, served over a bed of mixed greens. I don't fault the kitchen, but there's a lesson to be learned here. Don't order crabcakes unless you're on the coast. Even the best canned lump crab meat is a far cry from the good stuff. Unfortunately, it didn't taste like Cafe Luna used the best canned lump crab meat. The crabcake was too mushy, and just didn't have that great taste of the ocean that you get when you have a good crabcake. And that can be forgiven. After all, this is the middle of Illinois, not the Maryland shore. But what was a downer was the herb vinaigrette that the mixed greens were tossed in - too much oil, and not enough zip to it. Instead of light and tangy, it was heavy and oily. Not quite what you're hoping for in a salad.
But what absolutely saved lunch was the wonderful sandwiches that we ordered. A seared flank steak sandwich was seasoned perfectly, cooked just right (nice and rare), and had a nice melted Gruyere and caramelized onions, all between a grilled sourdough bread. The steak was incredibly tender and juicy, and the rest of the sandwich just worked. Good ingredients, simple food, done well.
What stole the show for me was the grilled duck breast sandwich. Again, cooked just right (medium for me), and tasty, the duck was a highlight. It came with pancetta, arugula, and a fig jam, on a grilled Zupfe bread. Zupfe bread is this really tender bread that had egg, sort of like Challa. Really good bread for the sandwich. The sandwich was just great, and a lot of fun to eat. A little indulgent, but not overboard. It was served with pancetta, though I think that a couple thick strips of smoky bacon would be more appropriate - not as sexy as pancetta, but the smokiness would play with the flavors of the fig jam and the duck a little more than the pancetta did. The fig jam was a very good complement to the duck, but the kitchen was just a little heavy handed with it. I would go with just a thin spread over the bread, rather than the schmear that they were going with. Maybe if they just put it on the side, and let the patrons handle it themselves, it would be better.
Lunch was good. The crowd had a little buzz to it, though the place wasn't packed out so that you felt obliged to eat in a hurry. I think that this place is definitely a lunchtime winner. What really caught my eye was that Cafe Luna also serves a dinner menu and has a tapas menu. That review will come soon!
-foodgeek
Lunch rating: 1 star.
Cafe Luna (217) 344-1895; 313 E. Green St (SW corner of 4th and Green)., Champaign, IL 61820. Lunch menu: Appetizers: $3.50 - $7.50; Salads: $3.50 - $7.50; Sandwiches: $4.50 - $8.50.
Long overdue update: Cafe Luna did well at that original spot, and then moved to downtown Champaign where they had a much larger spot, and did well for a time. Unfortunately, they closed down by 2012, after a couple years of lackluster service and declining quality. Currently, Maize at the Station inhabits the spot at 100 N. Chestnut St. They are pretty phenomenal - excellent Mexican food that would have played well even on a border town like El Paso, TX, where I was living for 7 years.
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