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ONE OF A KIND. We say it about baseball players, teachers, actors and even that lovable ogre Shrek. We say it about boats, former lovers and dearly departed pets.

Rarely is the term used to describe a restaurant.

RICH ADDICKS/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER (ENLARGE)
Fava beans, with sauce sofregit (onions, tomatoes, sage, garlic) over arugula hit the mark at the second Eclipse di Luna.
RICH ADDICKS/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER (ENLARGE)
What's a Spanish adventure without a mojito? Here, it's cool and refreshing.
RICH ADDICKS/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER (ENLARGE)
The clean interior doesn't have the same grit as the original, but such dishes as fried calamari are as solid as ever.
RICH ADDICKS/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER (ENLARGE)
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And yet, Eclipse di Luna in Miami Circle has for 10 years been exactly that. Opened loudly in 1997 by chef Paul Luna, who was known as much for shedding his clothes as shredding his calabaza, the tapas here has always managed to strike a solid chord between authenticity and hipness.

And the mojitos are hard to beat.

Amid grunge décor highlighted by a ceiling draped with everything but the proverbial kitchen sink (actually there might be a sink ...), lots of big art, candles and graffiti, Luna cleverly introduced Atlanta to real Spanish tapas. Some of the restaurant's first dishes — gooey pan Catalan, crisp-fried calamari, ribs in Balsamic reduction — are still on the menu, every bit as good as they were when this then A-list chef first started doing his denuding and dancing on the tables.

It is the only restaurant left in a slew of insane spots that Luna opened in the late '90s and early '00s. And it is the only one, save for Loca Luna, he opened with business partner James Ehrlich, who still co-owns and operates it, 10 years later. Ehrlich also owns Eclipse di Sol in Poncey-Highland, and now, gulp, a second Eclipse di Luna location across from Perimeter Mall in Park Place. (Luna left Atlanta several years back, with no forwarding address. Ehrlich told me by phone that he thought the talented chef "might be in San Diego.")

I admit I cringed when I first realized there would be two. The Miami Circle location is a favorite watering hole, and definitely one of a kind. My thoughts drifted from that Eiffel Tower tourist trap in Vegas to the German biergarten inside Epcot, to a world where Elvis' twin survived. I couldn't picture a cross between corporate housewives in Dunwoody and waiters with more ink on their arms than a printing press.

My bad, 'cause it's all good.

Sure, I wish the new location had the grime and grit of the original. Frankly, the spacious digs, designed by the Restaurant Consulting Group, are just too darned pretty. And clean. I want a little dirt. A little edge. This location's garden party perfection makes me feel like I'm touring the latest home collection.

But the tapas, from chef Ofer Ayal, is every bit as solid as the original's, from scrumptious patatas bravas with romesco sauce to signature dishes like fabada — a hot mess of fava beans and sauce sofregit (onions, garlic, tomatoes, sage, parsley) over wilted arugula doused with lemon oil. Yummers. Fabada is almost as popular a Spanish dish as paella and should prove as popular here, if folks can get over their fear of fava beans.

At both locations there are about 10 menu items that are constant, and about 10 others that rotate. Ehrlich's genius is in allowing Ayal to create in the latter a menu of his own, including the fabada, making the two locations different.

Another, alitas de pollo, is the Spanish version of hot wings, here spiced up nicely with lemon, honey and saffron (though they are not burn-your-lips hot like the Buffalo counterpart). The best is a naughtily sticky brochetta with mild Spanish chorizo, dates and blue cheese.

The mojitos are here, as is the sangria, both unbelievably heady and refreshing. The tidy little boutique wine list is here, too. So is the live Latin music (every night but Thursday).

The service staff, from the beginning an issue at the Miami Circle location, seems here to have settled into the tapas drill nicely. With the exception of a few zombies, they seem on the ball.

Epcot comparisons aside, I can see myself here on a Saturday after a shopping spree at the mall. Don't tell.

Overall rating:
Food: Tapas
Service: Overall, most of the staff here has figured out the deal with tapas and can make and deliver lots of small dishes fast.
Setting: Spacious and gracious. Lacks the gritty charm of the original, but it's pretty.
Address, telephone: 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Suite 11 (inside Park Place), 678-205-5862
Price range: $$-$$$
Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express
Hours of operation: Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Reservations: Accepted
Best dishes: Patatas bravas with romesco sauce, fried calamari, fabada, spiced chicken wings with lemon and saffron, chorizo, date and bleu cheese brochetta
Vegetarian selections: Fabada, patatas bravas, pan Catalan
Children: Fun for adventurous eaters (there's a very good turtle-chocolate cake for dessert). Go early — the noise level gets a little out of control for little ones.
Parking: Adjacent lot
Wheelchair access: Yes
Smoking: Patio only
Noise level: High
Patio: Yes
Takeout: Yes
Web site: www.eclipsedilunaparkplace.com

KEY TO RATINGS
Outstanding: Sets the standard for fine dining in the region.
Excellent: One of the best in the Atlanta area.
Very good: Merits a drive if you're looking for this kind of dining.
Good: A worthy addition to its neighborhood, but food may be hit or miss.
Fair: The food is more miss than hit.
Restaurants that do not meet these criteria are rated Poor.

Pricing code: $$$$ means above $35; $$$ means $20-$35; $$ means $10-$20; $ means $10 or less. ® means reservations accepted.