L'Atelier is a bar like restaurant where the chefs cook right in front of you.
I'll just start with the food since you probably don't want to hear about the history and achievements this guy has accomplished.
Amuse Bouche: Foie Gras w/ Wine Reduction
This was offered courtesy of the chef. A great start to the meal. To thoroughly enough this you have to get every layer of flavor on your spoon for it to be magical rich and delicious amuse that it is. I got a spoonful of just the wine reduction and it tasted like an over reduced sauce that never came together. But with the richness of the foie, it was a great start.
Next came an assortment of Vegetables. I don't know the correct name for this because I am too lazy to look it up. I believe it was something to do with legumes but don't quote me on this.
As for the vegetables, they were cooked to perfection. If I were fed these as a kid I would eat all my vegetables. I am in no shape or form a vegetable kind of guy, but this dish was great.
Next came one of his signature dishes, Langoustine Fritter w/ Pesto.
This is one of this dishes that has great texture and is just a thing of beauty. The sweetness of the langoustine and the herbaceous flavor of the pesto really set the dish off. The combination of the two was so simply yet the dish was executed with sophistication. I could eat a whole bowl of those things with a couple brews in front of the tv watching Monday Night Football.
Next, Pork Belly w/ Potato Puree.
Wow, a perfect dish. The dish was fairly rich so that would explain the portion size. Anything bigger and you would have to wheel me out in a chair. The pork belly tasted like a really really really good chashu. The best damn French chashu I have ever had. And the potato puree was heavenly, just perfect. The best mashed potatoes. He must have used more butter than potato because it was so silky and smooth. This is truly the meaning of the idiom "like butter".
Next was the Salmon.
Not my favorite of the night, but it was a very well executed salmon. The skin was crispy and cooked to perfection. Flavor seemed a bit overused and common but still very good. I did like the fact that the skin was left on due to it being the best part of the dish. I hate when places serve salmon with no skin, so kudos on that.
Next came the Fromages.
Some interesting cheeses, some a bit overpowering for my taste buds. I believe the one on the far left was my favorite, but cheese is a very subjective flavor so I trust your own taste buds on this one.
Next came the assortment of Tarts.
No I don't remember all the names to them and they were not that memorable either. The 3rd one I believe was my favorite although they all seemed a bit average to me.
Next came the assortment of Sorbets.
A beautifully orchestrated array of colors and flavors. Again I do not remember all of the flavors but my favorites had to be the pear and the vanilla bean. Those definitely stood out among the rest. I did feel that the raspberry was a bit overly tart.
Overall a great experience. The food was just amazing and the service was spot on. I only wish I had a pint of that potato puree so I could eat it at home. That shit was fuckin tasty.
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