Atoma — Restaurant in Seattle

Isaac Newton once declared, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Last night at Atoma, I found myself immersed in this very law of physics.

Atoma, a resounding source of pride for Seattle’s restaurant scene, has been celebrated by national publications like The New York Times, Esquire, Robb Report, and Eater. Yet, on 12/19, it became the target of a scathing review by Bethany Jean Clement of The Seattle Times under the bold headline: Review: Atoma is Seattle’s hottest restaurant — and that’s a problem.

Bethany wrote, “My party spent about $300 on six dishes, four drinks, tax, and tip for one of the worst dinners I’ve had in recent memory.”

To those who read her article, and directly to Bethany herself, I say this: I embrace your freedom to provide an equal and opposite reaction to the national acclaim. However, my party spent about $300 on seven dishes, four drinks, dessert, tax, and tip — and it was, without exaggeration, the best dinner I’ve had in recent memory.

I say this as an amateur foodie who has dined in some of the world’s culinary capitals: Lyon in October, Copenhagen in June, Florence in July of '23, and elsewhere on the streets of Paris, Rome, Vienna, and London. Pound for pound, Atoma delivered a meal as memorable as any I’ve had internationally and surpassed any Seattle dining experience I've had in the last five years.

The meal began with two standout dishes: the rosette cookie and the radish cake. The rosette cookie, already celebrated on The New York Times' list of "23 Best American Dishes of 2023," lived up to its reputation with a light, airy crunch that contrasted beautifully with the smoothness of the farmer's cheese and the onion jam's lush, sticky texture.

The radish cake, meanwhile, played off the cookie and the Dungeness crab much like Miles Davis played off Herbie Hancock during jazz's golden age. Each element — the tangy, crisp radish cake, the inventive sweetness of the cookie, and the crab’s briny richness — contributed to a harmonious interplay that felt both improvised and masterfully composed. It was a culinary symphony. Paired with the bartender’s gin-based special for the night, it set the tone for the rest of the meal.

For the next course, we ordered the Jerusalem artichoke and crumpets with kefir butter, complemented by their house PNW lager. The artichoke struck a perfect balance of char and citrus in every bite, while the crumpets transported us to nostalgic holiday mornings at Grandma’s house — soft, buttery, and comforting. These dishes demonstrated Atoma’s ability to elevate simple ingredients into extraordinary experiences.

For our mains, we shared the pork collar and the black cod. The pork collar surprised us with its steak-like tenderness, reminiscent of a perfectly cooked filet mignon. The addition of quince mole lent subtle complexity, elevating the dish further. The black cod, meanwhile, offered a delightful combination of crispy skin, tender flesh, and a sauce that married beautifully with the accompanying potato dumplings. These mains were expertly paired with a full-bodied glass of Côtes du Rhône.

For dessert, we indulged in Atoma’s innovative take on the timeless Baked Alaska. This dish encapsulated one of Atoma's many strengths: to take the familiar and reimagine it with sophistication and creativity. We paired this final course with a glass of Madeira — a fitting tip of the cap to General Washington, himself.

Atoma isn’t just Seattle’s hottest restaurant — it’s a testament to the city’s culinary potential on the global stage. Where Bethany Jean Clement saw flaws, I found finesse. Where she found frustration, I found inspiration.

To Atoma’s team: keep crafting, innovating, and challenging perceptions. To Seattle: we’re lucky to have this gem in our backyard.

And to anyone curious about the buzz — spend $300 here. You might just have the best dinner of...

I had dinner last night at Atoma with my sister who is vegetarian and considering becoming pescatarian. We chose Atoma because I knew it was a place that she would have plenty of satisfying and interesting options as a vegetarian. While ensuring she felt comfortable sampling small portions of some of the most carefully prepared fish you will find in the city.

The rosette cookie is a classic for a reason. Texturally phenomenal and absolutely dialed in on flavor. My sister kept a bite on her plate until the end of the meal, insisting on saving the best for last. The crab toast is a wonderful way to enjoy the local Washington delicacy without needing to do the work of cracking shells. The crab phat caramel is as delicious as it's spelling is playful.

"Grilled cucumber?" My sister asked, curious if that was printed correctly. While you might not have ever considered grilling a cucumber, the chefs of Atoma have. And after trying it you might realize cucumbers don't just belong in your cold crudite any more. A swath of slightly acidic sumac cream on the base and a drizzle of gently spicy salsa macha might remind you of a smashed cucumber salad you had once at a pot-luck. But this takes it up a notch, or two, or three.

The stracciatella takes one of the best smells of the season (ripe stone fruits) and showcases beautiful ripe nectarines, elevated with the accompaniment of a perfectly clear dashi made from those same products. Stone fruit and fresh cheeses is classic, this example is classy.

The albacore might be the showstopper. It was for us. We held into that plate for so long that I'm sure we gave the staff some stress in their hopes of clearing the table. Simply put, outside of perhaps the most venerated of sushi establishments, you will not find a better slice of fish in Seattle. This dish became the new best bite of the night and was the best way to encourage a curious pescatarian.

For entrees we had the lion's mane katsu, a dish that had been part of the reason to dine at Atoma, and the Sockeye salmon. The katsu is the newest rendition of the previously adored mushroom schnitzel. And it hits all the right notes. Radish coins balanced on top of sliced katsu would make you think it's a very beautiful presentation of a traditional pork cutlet. And when you take a bite, incredibly that thought goes unbroken. The flavor, the crunch, and the chew all scream that you are biting into a tenderized piece of meat. Treating mushrooms this way is one of the most satisfying and substantial vegetarian main courses I could imagine.

The Sockeye salmon felt like it represented the intentions of Atoma. Taking a prized local ingredient, Sockeye Salmon, grilling it perfectly and adding flavors reminiscent of the owners northern European heritage. Playful textures of crunchy kohlrabi and bursting orange pearls of ikura keep the dish light enough to make sure you have space to contemplate the dessert menu.

The newest dessert, the tahini cake made quite an impression. The tangy yogurt sorbet and freshness of the blackberry cut the richness of the cake perfectly and work like a refreshing palate cleanse, encouraging you to join the clean plate club. Extra points for the colorful brulee crust. In a world of often over-used gelatin mirror glazes on deserts it's fun to smash something that crackles.

The final bite of the evening gave me excitement for the future direction of the restaurant. Our server snuck out a small scoop of a focaccia and kalamata olive ice cream that would make Salt and Straw wish they had come up with it first. This was not the now familiar olive oil in an otherwise vanilla gelato. No This cold confection had actual kalamata olive incorporated into the ice cream itself. A masterful subversion of flavor expectations.

I would like to buy a gallon please. And I'll take a dozen rosette...

Gorgeous! We went to Atoma for a special occasion last night, and it was memorable in all the best ways. I like what they have done with the space, the chefs’ good histories are on full display with highly seasonal ingredients, and the service was great — attentive and knowledgeable without telling us their names or asking us if we have dined with them before. With a party of 3, we started with cocktails, the rosette cookies and the radish cakes. The cookies are those fried Scandinavian flowers usually dusted with powdered sugar, but these were savory and stuffed underneath with cheese and onion jam. Fun. The radish cakes were very moist and beautiful. These starters were perfect with the cocktails and also felt fried enough that I was glad I had ordered the halibut as the main instead of the mushroom schnitzel. Next came piri piri carrots -- loved the sesame crunchies on top — and the tuna. Our entrees were the halibut, lamb loin and a pork chop special. We also got a green salad with cured egg yolk grated into it. Everything was punchy with layers of flavor — yes, even the delicate halibut -- with beautiful seasonal accompaniments like morels, thin and curly heirloom green beans, and nasturtium leaves that made our whole table look very early summer. My recommended wine pairing with my fish was a Tokay, but it was from France, not Hungary, and it was dry, that was new for me — soft, earthy summer flavors and citrus — and was very nice with the green garlic nage under the fish. I thought the lamb loin portion was too small for $39 -- seems like they could made that a smidge bigger. We also got a side of savory crumpets with the second course. They were yummy but I’m going to say, odd with dinner? I expected them to look more culinary -- like maybe small and topped with arty piles of things — but they looked just like full size crumpets with butter and garlic honey. Next time I will skip those. (That’s not bad, as I have a whole alternative order in my head if I would happen to go again during this menu cycle. A fairly small menu but so many appealing choices! Next time I would start with the caviar, then crab, then the schnitzel….) Dessert was an awesome rhubarb and tarragon Baked Alaska, and a duo of ice creams — strawberry chili and malted vanilla. Super lovely with some herbal tea. I wish we had room for the Cosmic Crisp dessert — another thing for next time. This restaurant space is very sentimental for me. When I lived in Chicago many years ago, I came to Tilth and was like, damn I want to move to Seattle and live in this neighborhood and have a charismatic old Craftsman like this. And dreams came true etc. So I am so very very glad this beautiful house is flourishing under such careful, talented hands. Grateful to the Atoma team for being in our neighborhood and helping us mark important...