Dine by the light of the MOON

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Remember when January meant snow days, sledding, board games, and hot chocolate? Now, for many of us, it means grey skies, icy cars, shoveling driveways, and a long wait until spring break. To blast away those winter blues, hosts Amanda and David Klein (right) decided to toss a party for a lucky group of friends. And they couldn’t have chosen a better place to land than at Eclipse, an out-of-this-world restaurant, at the Moonrise Hotel in University City’s famed Delmar Loop.

Hip, retro-inspired furnishings spark a futuristic feel and blend with space age memorabilia and lunar art – and set the backdrop for the cosmic cuisine that makes Eclipse a truly visual feast that will send your taste buds into orbit.

The restaurant, the brainchild of well-known Loop developer and restaurateur Joe Edwards, is just what Amanda and David were looking for as they searched for the perfect “far-out” party place that would blast away the winter chill. An interior designer for Bassett, Amanda stresses the importance of ambience when hosting a party. “Color and lighting can really affect a person’s mood,” she says. “People want to feel good and look good in a space. As soon as I walked into Eclipse, I knew it was right. It had this otherworldly feel that was so unique. The restaurant and bar just glowed!”

The lucky partygoers were, as they say, “over the moon” to have been invited to the Kleins’ pick-me-up soirée. Winter coats were shed with warp speed as guests arrived and the atmosphere began to heat up with lively conversation and lots of oohs and ahs over the awesome memorabilia-filled décor.

Eclipse’s Chef de Cuisine, Wes Johnson, prepared a stellar menu that provided that winter warm-up everyone needed, including his signature warm tequila cocktail. “The party fare was so fantastic,” said the Kleins. “We couldn’t have been more pleased.”

“Planning a party isn’t rocket science,” says Chef Wes. “You should always remember not to take things too seriously. Planning the event should be just as fun as the event itself. If you have fun, your guests will, too.” Amanda and David agree. And an annual winter party is their new “will do” – instead of something that happens just once in a blue moon.

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WINTER PICK-ME-UP MENU

Prepared by Chef de Cuisine Wes Johnson (right) of Eclipse Restaurant at the Moonrise Hotel

• Spinach and ricotta stuffed toasted ravioli
• Moonlight greens salad with white balsamic and honey vinaigrette
• Fennel, pear and olive salad
• Lobster pot pie
• Chocolate moonrise pie
• Assorted petite desserts