As they say, things change. But the Maitre D’ is not one of those things. Owner Louis Zalesjak, 76, has been serving the same menu to many of the same loyal regulars at the Bird Rock restaurant for nearly 30 years, never concerning himself with things like specials, promotions and advertising. And why should he? Ninety-five percent of his upscale restaurant’s guests are return customers, he said, and they keep coming back for the same experience and food. Competition simply isn’t in Zalesjak’s vocabulary, as he’s in a category all his own. “After 20 years of coming here, people know what they want,” said Zalesjak. “If I changed the menu, my guests, they would say, ‘What happened to my Steak Diane? Where is my Cherries Diable?’” The mysterious, white house at 5523 La Jolla Blvd., that doubles as Zalesjak’s ocean-view apartment, is not a hot spot for locals — only about 10 percent of his guests are from La Jolla, he said. But the experience that takes place inside the unassuming two-story building has undoubtedly put Maitre D’ on the map in a broader sense. Many who have stumbled upon the restaurant keep returning, year after year, from places all over the world, and Zalesjak will proudly tell you that he’s the only chef on the West Coast — from “Tijuana to Vancouver,” he said — who does tableside preparation of flambé. Some 80 percent of his guests order the Steak Diane or Steak au Poivre, which Zalesjak cooks right in front of the customer within about three minutes, adding a touch of cognac that makes a flame at least four feet high shoot to the ceiling. He also does tableside preparation of a bananas foster dessert in the same manner, sautéing sliced bananas with brown sugar and butter, adding rum and banana liqueur to make the room light up. He also adds a touch of cinnamon (which he calls “gunpowder”) as the dish flares, making sparks fly like a firework fountain. He lets the hot mixture cool slightly, then serves it over vanilla ice cream. “When I start the flambé, everyone stops and watches,” he said. Another signature of the Maitre D’ dining experience is the swan-shaped ice sculpture that every guest receives before the main course. Filled with sorbet, “to cleanse the palate,” Zalesjak makes the sculptures — “my babies,” he calls them — using silicone molds that fit inside five-gallon buckets that are placed inside the restaurant’s two freezers. Zalesjak said he paid $10,000 for the molds themselves (six of them), and the frozen swans aren’t light. “They are about 15 pounds each with the plate,” he said. “I only have two hands and I serve and do flambé for almost every table.” Zalesjak truly is involved in every part of his customers’ experience, and as he says, “People don’t come here to eat; they come here to dine.” Zalesjak is not only the host, server and chef, but he’s also the musician. After every preparation of a bananas foster flambé, he stands front and center to accompany the live pianist on his tambourine and by stomping his feet to the song “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Once he starts with the tambourine, he gets the room clapping, and he always plays “Happy Birthday To You” for celebrating guests. “Sometimes the people come jump up to me and I have to dance with them,” he said. And Zalesjak not only knows how to dance — he said he was a European gold-medalist in ballroom dancing in the 1950s — but he knows how to do a lot of things. He grew up training Lipizzan horses (which are born black but turn white as adults) in Slovenia, he planned big receptions for the Italian Embassy in the 1960s and he speaks four languages, in addition to the three dialects of Yugoslavia. He also attended hotel school in Switzerland and earned a degree in economics at a university in Sarajevo more than 50 years ago. He has worked in prestigious hotels and restaurants around the world, including working as a chef in Paris for five years and serving as maitre d’hotel for high-class destinations such as the Plaza Hotel in New York, the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok and the Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg. His years of experience in this line of work inspired the name of his restaurant, which opened in 1982. The inside décor of the Maitre D’ is somewhat of an album of Zalesjak’s life. The walls are lined with red velvet, painted with murals and adorned with various antique mirrors and paintings that he’s acquired at auctions all over the world. He pointed out a few hangings — he also calls them his “babies” — that date back to the 1800s, and he spouted off the pieces’ respective designers and painters as if they were Top 40 artists. The said is true with his cars, again his “babies.” He beamed as he named off his vintage vehicles — his 1970 Jaguar XKE and his 1976 Corvette and his 1966 Thunderbird — that he keeps at his secondary home in Cardiff. Collecting is his passion, and it shows. He has a glass hutch filled with hundreds of trinkets, some gifts from guests, and some relics from his past. When opening the cabinet, the first one he picked up was a crystal figurine of the Twin Towers. He looked at the memento endearingly and briefly mentioned that he helped open the Windows on the World restaurant atop the World Trade Center in the 1970s. “It was my baby,” he said. “I don’t like to talk about that.” But even more meaningful to him than chronicling his own life on his walls, is chronicling the memorable moments of his guests. Hanging throughout the dining room are hundreds of framed photos taken over the years of notable guests or cherished experiences like weddings or birthdays. His favorites span many years and countries, and include shots of him posing with notables like the king of Thailand, the Shah of Iran, Elizabeth Taylor and Zsa Zsa Gabor. And so his clientele can cherish the Maitre D’ as much as he does, Zalesjak also takes and prints out large photos of guests, which they can pick up after their night at the restaurant. The Maitre D’s website is simple, displaying only a few photos, the unchanging menu and the restaurant’s contact information. “People tell me they see me on Google, but I don’t pay attention to all that. I don’t use the computers,” Zalesjak said. What Zalesjak is talking about is that he doesn’t need to promote his restaurant on the web. A quick Google search reveals various websites containing 60 or more reviews of Maitre D’ — some of acclaim, some of condemnation and some of downright bafflement. Some of the reviews describe the place as “strange,” “interesting” or “over-the-top.” But one goes as far as comparing the scene to a local carnival and another states, “If you really like it, go directly to a mental health facility.” However, all are in agreement that the restaurant offers an unforgettable experience, no matter what, and a couple reviewers consider the Maitre D’ their favorite in the world. And judging from Zalesjak’s success and worldwide network of dedicated guests, he offers a lasting experience that will most likely bring you back — but if not, give you something to talk about. “I put my life into this business,” he said. “A lot of people want to spend their lives with their family. I never had time for that. This business is my love.”