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Nuevo Latino Cuisine Comes To Myrtle Avenue Shopping District

(Fort Greene/Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, July 22, 2005) - Former Pratt architecture students and neighborhood residents Pedro Munoz and Vivian Torres have opened Luz restaurant at 177 Vanderbilt Avenue between Myrtle and Willoughby. Luz serves lunch and dinner from 11am to 11pm Monday-Wednesday and Sunday, and until midnight on Thursday-Saturday. The bar is open until 2am. The restaurant also offers take-out and delivery.

The sleek eatery, which features an expansive wood bar, a skylight (Luz, pronounced “loose,” means “light” in Spanish) and comfy banquets, occupies a former carriage house turned garage, and the owners have been working with the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership on the façade redesign and upcoming sidewalk café. Luz serves a mélange of Latin cuisine, with inspiration from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Peru, Columbia and the Caribbean. “We wanted to show people that there is more to Latin food than quesadillas and burritos,” said owner Pedro Munoz. “And we wanted to provide our neighbors with a new dining option. Now you don’t have to go to Manhattan or Queens for a really special Latin meal.” This is the soon-to-be-married couple’s first venture into the restaurant world, having worked in corporate design and information technology for the last several years.

Chef Henry Lopez, Jr., formerly of OLA, where he was a protégé of Nuevo Latino kings Douglas Rodriguez and Maximo Tejada, has designed a menu that covers the spectrum of well-known and not-so-familiar flavors. Start with a Cuban Mojito or Luz Colada, and an antojito (appetizer) like Pinchos De Res, grilled beef tenderloins served with a red chimichurri sauce flavored with a hint of anchovy, or Arepa De Queso, a South American corn cake filled with cheese and drizzled with cilantro pesto. There is a variety of ceviche, including Ecuardorian shrimp and a version made with red snapper and passion fruit.

For entrees, Pedro suggests a traditional Puerto Rican holiday dish, the Lechon Asado, slow-roasted pork with garlic sauce, and Vivian’s favorite is the Salmon Escabeche, featuring fried salmon that is pickled in raspberry vinegar. There is also Chilean Sea bass rubbed with adobo, Lamb Chops with cilantro pesto and grilled, guava-glazed Shrimp Pelau. Sure to be a favorite for take-out is Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, served with rice, beans and a special sauce “with many secret ingredients.” The dessert menu, designed by former OLA pastry chef Paula Soto, features traditional Latin American favorites like Tembleque, a coconut cream custard served with pineapple salad and strawberry sauce in a martini glass, and Mexican Sorpresa, or “surprise,” warm chocolate cake with a molten center. The restaurant also features an extensive regional wine list, South American beers and after-dinner drinks.

Luz takes major credit cards and has high chairs available. The menu is available on the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership website at www.myrtleavenue.org/myrtlemenus/luz.pdf.

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Contact:
Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, Michael Blaise Backer, 718.230.1689, info@myrtleavenue.org
Pedro Munoz and Vivian Torres, Luz, 718-246-4000