Atrium - Los Feliz

Americas - USA West Los Angeles
1

Nice dinner at Atrium Los Feliz. Hidden behind Skylight Books, next to the theater, a short walk down a European-like alleyway. Airy space with an open kitchen. There is gold-hued flatware. Former sous from Son of A Gun and former pastry chef from 71 Above and from the folks who brought us Sawyer & Kettle Black (never been to either). They’ve succeeded in delivering different flavor profiles I’ve not yet encountered in L.A. Nice wine list. Mark is a bit high.

We didn’t have a bad dish. Only complaints: having to repeatedly ask an annoyed server to bring share utensil/s with every dish and the uni on the pasta being the most minuscule I’ve ever seen served (Sunday maybe, but still). Not a lover of how spice overtakes the delicate nature of uni anyhow.

Posting pictures for helpfulness, but as usual, I need PorkBelly or J.L. To school me. They’re not very good.

Ordered:
COCKTAILS (look at pics on Yelp)

  • Shift Drink (delicious)
  • Rum Diaries (also delicious for sweet cocktail lovers)
  • If It Ain’t Broke (their Manhattan, it was sour, did they use the wrong vermouth?)
    FOOD
  • Grilled Foccacia
  • Honey Roasted Beets
  • Octopus Al Pastor
  • Crispy Oyster Mushroom (our fave…like a good crispy orange beef)
  • Beef Carpaccio
  • Uni Cacio E Pepe
  • Pork Katsu (most visually stunning dish, look on yelp, a little dry but tasty)
  • Beef Hanging Tender (perfectly cooked, Szechuan peppercorns and spice unbalanced the dish a bit)
    DESSERT
  • Coconut Mousse (favorite dessert - outstanding)
  • Passion Fruit Custard
  • Milk Chocolate

I’m just about the worst documenter of the meal never having figured out how to enjoy the company, the food and experience and snap photos.

The meal was strong enough that I’d revisit to try the fish (they were out), the potatoes (also out) and/or brunch. Atrium is off to a solid start. They are also developing a bar space next door.

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A nice Granacha, but at 3x’s mark!
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Beef Carpaccio
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Uni Cacio E Pepe
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Yes, it really is that small.
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Milk Chocolate Dessert
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Passion Fruit Custard
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Coconut Mousse

5 Likes
2

Great post, my friend! Let’s chow one of these days.

3

What are the things in the passionfruit custard that look like chicken chunks?

4

Oh, paranoid, chicken chunks, haha :nerd_face:

Them chicken chunks is cashews.

Tastes like :chicken:. JK

1 Like
5

Peony: Atrium is a lovely restaurant in a cute neighborhood. It has the vibe of many other restaurants in the area; very relaxing and comforting atmosphere. I liked both dips that we tried tonight (trout and eggplant). Both the dips and the crackers were seasoned just right; not too salty or too bland. I also particularly liked the chicken; it was very tender and delicate. I didn’t quite like the eggplant and chickpea stew or the roasted cabbage. I grew up eating vegetables that are very lightly cooked and al dente and that retain their original flavors. Both vegetables dishes for me tonight were too mushy and overcooked, and I didn’t taste much of the vegetables’ original flavors. But this could just be my personal preference.

Warrior: I didn’t think too highly of Atrium. There was nothing conspicuously wrong with any of the food (except for pieces of shell in the oysters, which is a pet peeve). It just didn’t taste very refined. If I had to give one concrete example, I’d point to chickpeas that lacked bite in a mushy eggplant dish that needed bite from the chickpeas. I wouldn’t mind eating at Atrium again, but I doubt I’d ever make another reservation.

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