Ponce City Market has not only been a marvel of mixed-use
development, particularly with its magnificent curation of restaurants and retail. The
food hall is virtually one home run restaurant concept after another and the
only chinks in the armor have been with the two large space full-service restaurants
that did not make it through the pandemic.
One, The Mercury, was replaced by uber-popular and popular Slutty
Vegan. The other, Brezza Cucina, now
gives way to a much more promising entrant:
Atrium, run by Oliva Restaurant Group (which
includes Bellina Alimentari, Aziza and Rina).
Walk
to the end of the bustling Food Hall and come upon a blazing neon sign which beckons
you into the restaurant. Inside the
operation compartmentalizes into a bar area, a 1200 square foot parlor with
plush furniture and a large dining room with flames rising from cooking stations in
the open kitchen. The décor features muted
neon colors (mostly pink and green), and whimsical flourishes but overall feels
cozy with infectious energy. Local artists
contributed to the aesthetic throughout with hand-painted tiles and a large
mural in the parlor. Inside the bistro
area, floral artistic installations surround diners in their pink banquets and even
float from the ceiling in some places.
It's a little Miami Vice, a
little tropical Old Havana, and a little Alice in Wonderland but the blurred lines of
high design and kitsch totally work. It's upscale dining that does not take itself
seriously in the slightest.
As far as the menu, it's a reflection of stages in
owner Tal Baum's life with hints of Israeli/French and now American. The eclectic
offerings include steak frittes, a fancy burger, mussels, foie gras and Georgia
trout. I had the tuna crudo, octopus and
a dynamite Joyce Farms chicken dish, each served in different plates and
settings, each special in its own way. The cocktail program cleverly reinvents the martini, pina colada and margarita. And the
Yuzu tart with grapefruit sorbet and edible flowers might be the single greatest
dessert I have ever had (but next time I must try the bananas Foster).
Ponce
City Market continues to astound with its roster of top-tier original, independent
restaurants and Atrium raises that bar even higher.
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