The life-size mermaid outside Farallon in San Francisco is the first hint that something out of the ordinary lies in store within the restaurant. And indeed it does. Inside is an underwater fantasy, from the kelp-shaped banisters and fish-scale seat cushions to the hanging lights that look like jellyfish and sea urchins. You never quite know what you're going to run into in a restaurant designed by Pat Kuleto, but chances are it's going to be at least as interesting as the food. That's why his creations are behind some of the most popular restaurants in the land. From the warm, masculine interior of Atlanta's Buckhead Diner to the twinkly, romantic curves of San Francisco's Jardiniere, Kuleto's masterly blend of stone, glass, tile and copper, often whimsical and always hand-crafted, has made him one of the most innovative — and imitated — restaurant designers around.

A late-blooming gourmet, Kuleto, 55, first got into the restaurant business through the service entrance. He started as a busboy, waiter and cook, then worked as a contractor. When business got slow, he offered to design some steak houses for free if the owner let him build them. Despite a lack of formal training, the burly