TDN Weekend December 2016 Issue 9
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1066556
Island. After two years, Lundy returned not to New Orleans but to Lexington—"Because of a girl," Lundy said—and he got married and opened Jonathan. It's fitting he's wound up at Corto y Lima's current location. It almost happened 10 years earlier, and then it almost didn't happen at all. While still at Jonathan, he and some partners put an offer on the space that ultimately didn't go through. "It was going to be something similar [to what it is now], but it wouldn't have been quite as advanced, because 10 years on I've gotten a lot stronger," said Lundy. A series of bars and restaurants that operated in the Corto y Lima space came and went, "And every time I'd think, 'That's my restaurant. I should be there,'" said Lundy. Following his stint at Coba Cocina, Lundy was a week away from signing a lease at a different location, where he was planning to do Italian, when the Corto y Lima space once again opened up. "And within a week, we made the jump," said Lundy. "And I think we made the right decision. I've been ex- perimenting and having fun and cooking things that sound exciting to me." Lundy said that while Jonathan was a hot spot for those attending the races or sales, he sees less of a horse crowd at Corto y Lima. That's bound to change as word of mouth spreads. He hasn't delved into horse ownership yet—one gets the feeling it might happen someday—but is up on rac- ing enough to worry about what Florida's recent ban on dog racing, via the ballot box, might someday mean for the sport. He'll get to Keeneland a time or two during the meet, if time allows, and says while he isn't very good at handicapping, he follows the big races.