As discussed last month, former Bar Tartine kitchen wizards Cortney Burns and Nick Balla spent the last six months nurturing a pop-up Japanese-inspired concept called Motze, utilizing the 983 Valencia Street space formerly home to Herbivore, but they decided recently to change gears. As of this month, the restaurant in that same space has morphed into Duna, an Eastern-European-meets-California concept that's far more similar to their much acclaimed former work at Bar Tartine. And with that, they've created a series of seasonal dips to be enjoyed at the start of the meal with their smoked potato flatbread — though they're so delicious, varied, and filling that you could make a meal of them on their own, with the possible addition of one of their excellent chopped salads.

Describing the new twist on their former concept, which is entirely fast/fine-casual from Wednesday to Saturday with a pre-ticketed, full service Sunday Supper option as well, Balla said earlier that Duna is a "homecoming to [our] families' flavors," with his own Hungarian roots and Burns having Eastern European heritage as well.

On the current menu are several delicious dips, like a delicious, bright green pumpkin seed dip that is similar to a tangy hummus; a preserved eggplant dip garnished with preserved kumquats (picture below); a delicious Liptauer paprika cheese dip that you might mistake for hummus, but is rich, salty, spicy and cheesy all at once. Using all local and organic ingredients, and — like they did at Bar Tartine — making much of their larder items, like the paprika and the cheese, themselves, the dishes have both a rustic and inventive quality, like they emerged out of a trove of grandmother's secrets, tried, tested, and loved for generations.

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Balla has also revived one of the dishes he first introduced when he took over Bar Tartine in 2011, a slightly revised version of his chicken paprikas, served with homemade spatzle.

Fans who have been in mourning this past half year about the sudden disappearance of Bar Tartine should be thrilled to have Balla and Burns back in this familiar territory — even though Motze was very delicious as well. So yes, run, don't walk — or just order in from Caviar.

Duna - 983 Valencia Street near 21st - Open Wednesday to Friday, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday Suppers served 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. with ticketed reservations.

Preserved eggplant dip with preserved kumquats and mint. Photo: Instagram