Atelier Restaurant — Restaurant in Lake View Township

This was for a review on a weekday and we came for a birthday.

We called ahead a couple times to make sure they knew it was a special occasion. This is a brand new spot for us in our neighborhood so we wanted to give it a try. You have to prepay for the entire course ahead of time and for us it was two months.

When we first came in we were greeted by a really nice lady who was nice to take our coats and sit us at our table. The place is pretty bare with some art pieces and that’s about it. The kitchen and dining is all in one room which is pretty fun.

We started out being asked for any drinks we were interested in and they made a few non alcoholic options. I was a little surprised by the cost $14 roughly for non alcohol. But all good.

We did not go for the pairing and also I personally wish someone would give us a little more info about why the menu was the way it was - it seemed all over the place and I had no idea why.

I wish the ambiance was a bit more romantic and at times it felt like a casual sit down spot rather than a 1 star Michelin rated restaurant.

Waiters and waitresses did not have any uniform which is fine but it was a little strange to see some people just walking around and I couldn’t always tell if they were working or eating here. We also almost never had the same waiter come by to serve the food or take the food. It almost seemed like it was a bit of a large chaos.

On several occasions no silverware was provided. On several occasions I had to look for our waitress for help. Not sure if they were too busy or what. We also had dishes served where in the beginning they explained it all to no explanation at all.

The service people were all super nice but just sadly totally inconsistent throughout the whole menu.

Now on to the food

The highlights were in the following order Crab Lasagna

The disappointing dishes in order from worst to ok Gelato - Was not a gelato at all. Texture was not correct and flavor profile left a lot to be desired just from on spoonful.

Mousse Tart I’m all for experimenting but this dish was not ready. The flavors felt like they clashed and this was sent back after a few bites

Scallop The scallop itself was nice and sweet but the combination with the side they provided was offensive to our pallets. Our mouths were literally on fire and ordered a pallet cleanser just to be able to try the next dish. The textures of the scallop to the crunch of the side just seemed off. I saw the vision here but the execution just did not work.

Pork I wasn’t really sure how to eat this but my meat felt way overcooked and not sure how it connected with the lentils. If the meat was on its own maybe but the combination was not worth the time

The remaining dishes were an interesting take. Between the inconsistent service and the food all over the place I would not recommend this. I think it’s a fun experience but it’s not worth the...

My husband and I ate here last night and we had an incredible experience. The owners/chef took the old Elizabeth location and almost completely renovated the dining room. It looks stunning, and the renovation was incredibly well done and what the space deserved. This is a small, silly thing, but I very much enjoyed that they left the bathrooms much the same, with bobby pins, safety pins, etc., for the patrons. That was a thoughtful touch from Elizabeth that I'm glad they retained. Other thoughtful touches include the bag of treats you get to take home with you and the individual menus in envelopes as keepsakes.

Atelier feels classy without being pretentious. Artful without being out-of-touch. The wax seal on the menus, for example, is the absolute perfect shade of blue, but the inclusion of the seal on the menu envelope doesn't feel precious or overwrought. This is a place that respects itself and its patrons and gives due attention and care to serving those things.

Every single course, for example, was absolutely incredible. One of my favorites was the fra diavolo with mushrooms--it was the best pasta I have ever had. I joked with the waitress that I would like a never-ending pasta bowl of it! I also very much need to highlight the sticky toffee pudding (new to the most recent menu as of last night). It is addictive and they should consider offering this as a holiday special order. With tasting menus, there is sometimes the concern that you'll leave hungry, only dining on small bites throughout the night. You will not have that issue with Atelier. We left feeling incredibly full and having enjoyed every single course. Another review mentioned that the food was overly safe and had no stand outs--I could not disagree more. My impression of Atelier is that they wish to elevate and make special the familiar, and they succeed. Atelier is a place that wants to serve an incredible dining experience, but also wants to feed you and ensure you don't leave hungry. They deliver on both points.

The wait staff and sommelier were also phenomenal and so thoughtful. They all seemed to be truly enjoying their work and were very passionate to show their expertise and to be of service to the patrons. If I could make a suggestion to anyone looking to make a reservation, allow the sommelier to select drinks for you or opt for the wine pairing. She's incredibly knowledgeable and seemed to really enjoy it when we let her take the reins. Her amaro selections for us were wonderful!

The entire experience--the staff, the interior design, the food--feels homey and cozy while still feeling special and elegant. We will 100% be back in the...

This is the kind of tasting menu-centric place you get excited about because the food is seasonally changing. An inventive chef, some of the most incredible serving staff, and excellent presentation on food.

I experienced the fall/winter 23 menu. Creative, mostly delicious but some slight misses. The beef tartar is one of the best in the city. The tostone with mojo was fabulous. The saag chaat was stupid good- for both of these dishes I wish there was more!

My biggest two gripes: the pasta dish and the wine/beverage pairings. The pasta dish is your mid-dish. This one had mushroom, butter, Parmesan, pepper…all these things that should have been so utterly umami…but ended up tasting like nothing. It was severely under-salted. Considering how big flavored everything was until then, it was a miss to put this after such big tastes. If it was done earlier, maybe my palate would have been more nuanced. Maybe it was an off night for that round of the course?

The same could be said about the wine. Nothing really stood out against the big bold flavors of the early courses and the desserts. Maybe it was the current rotation but the bevs were on the dull side which should be ferocious against so much flavor especially the early courses. Which is a shadow on a tasting that offers wine pairings.

The fois gras cassoulet was wildly inventive. The apple cider sorbet as a palate cleanse was gorgeous. The panna cotta kheer was a lovely dessert finish. The donut could have been done without, but I get it.

I look at restaurants that offer tastings separately than an a la cart: I care more about consistency across my meal than my individually ordered dishes otherwise. This was quite good but it was uneven. There’s so much opportunity with this chef and his food. I am very excited to see what happens next summer with a completely...