Long time lurker, first time poster in this sub. I try to do a NYC mini fine dining tour every year during the early fall, and I thought I’d contribute and start with a banger. Atomix is perhaps the buzziest restaurant of the decade in the U.S. and on the forefront of the Korean fine-dining wave in NYC. World’s 50 Best #12 and North America #1.
Atomix bar tasting consists of six seats at the bar, which like chef’s counter, will book up very quickly upon opening on the first of the month (e.g. Nov 1 for Dec 1-31 seating). If you’re super diligent on the first of the month, especially as a solo diner, you’ll be fine for bar tasting – but I’ve found the chef’s counter is a harder proposition. The wait list is a viable option, I’ve heard.
The bar tasting has traditionally been billed as “R&D tasting,” which means they are experimenting with new flavors, ingredients, etc., portions of which may impact the chef’s counter menu. Interestingly, they told me dishes from the bar tasting menu never make it on to the chef’s counter menu. The bar tasting menu + cocktail & beverage pairing was $346, inclusive of tax, tip, fees, and drinks, so all in.
I got there ~10 minutes early, and they have an absolutely fantastic a la carte cocktail list to partake in which is not included in the pairing. Highly recommended. The calm and relaxed atmosphere is a big appeal of the bar tasting experience, as it feels like a private event or guests are being invited to a sublime residential space. The materials and plates (see pics) are top of the line.
The bartender and chef there that evening were very personable and incredibly friendly in a relatable way. They talk with diners throughout the dinner, which I love. But if you prefer not to converse, that’s fine too. In other words, they are clearly well trained in hospitality. Including the other servers and BOH, it’s about a 1:1 ratio staff to diners. Pacing was pitch perfect, no notes. Overall, this was probably the best service I’ve experienced in 2 and 3 star NYC restaurants, a big appeal of Atomix overall.
Now onto the food, 10 courses. Cocktails & beverage pairing was wonderful, but unfortunately, I do not remember details/did not take notes on the drinks (pairing posted in last pic with menu)
1) Steamed barley bread, whipped soy, omija: Solid starter. Warm, soft as a pillow, moist, sweet/salty flavor.
2) Gamtae Bugak, Tukhwe, Kimchi: Complex flavors. Umami and subtle sweetness, contrasted by the mildly tangy, nutty softness of tukhwe. Well balanced by the kimchi. Very nice crunchy opener.
3) Sardine, Milk Toast, Gochujang: Bite of the night! Creamy, earthy, and funky in that Korean way that’s hard to describe. This is the kind of bite where people unfamiliar with high-end Korean cuisine go “Wow, I’ve never tasted anything like this” in the best possible way.
4) Korean Fluke with Heirloom Tomato, Abalone, Anise Hyssop: Favorite larger dish of the night. Tender and delicate. Fluke was mild and nicely balanced with the acidity of the tomato and brininess of the abalone.
5) Egg Jjim, Salmon Roe, Bamboo, Maesaengi: This one didn’t do it for me. Boiled egg dish should be a hit, but the roe felt a bit drowned out.
6) Poached chicken, perilla, chamoe, cucumber: Miss of the night. Overall, just surprisingly bland. Perhaps too subtle for me.
7) Shrimp, zucchini blossoms, dureup, chopi: Fine but not memorable.
8) Sea bream, maeuntang, chrysanthemum: Very good dish: floral, savory, delicate.
9) Iberico maekjoek, golden queen rice, black truffles: Look at those truffles! No skimping. Thick mushroom rice absorbed the sauce well and the maekjoek was so rich. Great dish but didn’t feel blown away.
10) Sorrel leaf, spruce, maesil, white chocolate: Nice light ending in keeping with the rest of the meal, but also not particularly memorable.
Overall, plenty of hits, a few good but underwhelming dishes, and at least one miss. But only one bite blew me away. I will say it was just the right amount of food course-wise. Didn’t need more food but not stuffed.
A commonly asked question is whether people prefer Atomix’s chef’s counter or bar tasting. I’ve heard a few contrarian takes, but I can’t imagine that the chef’s counter isn’t *astronomically* better. Note many dishes are prepared ahead of time at the bar tasting, and they are cooking on induction burners. The quality didn’t compare well to most other two-star restaurants I’ve been to in NYC, including Atera, CTBF, and Jean Georges which I visited the next few nights.
For being called “R&D tasting,” it generally didn’t feel particularly innovative, either. If you’re looking for a sense of awe, inspiration, and memorability in the bites, with a couple of exceptions, I didn’t get it here. Overall, the bar tasting menu is good but not why Atomix has 2 stars.
But for the overall experience, I’d recommend it and do it again. Just come in with the right expectations. You also have to consider the value you’re getting: ~$350 compared to ~$700+ at other NYC two and three stars after tax, tip, fees, supplements, and pairing.
TL;DR: Truly exceptional service, one-of-a-kind intimate dining experience, awesome drink pairing, but don’t expect the food at Atomix’s bar tasting to compare to Jungsik, Jua, other two and three star restaurants, and I would certainly hope and assume Atomix’s chef’s counter.
by uncomfortablysmug
2 Comments
This looks just as if not more enjoyable than some of the four meals I’ve had downstairs at the Chef’s Counter.
It’s so interesting hearing people’s experience with the bar menu. I know this is ludicrously spoiled but we’ve been 10+ times downstairs with each time somehow being better than the last, and when we finally did the bar tasting we were so disappointed. It felt so different in quality and clarity of flavors, whereas the bar menus at EMP, Per Se, etc are almost identical experiences food wise. Had we had that for the first time we never would have tried the full menu and wouldn’t have gotten the hype, so I’m surprised they haven’t changed things upstairs