Atelier - Chicago
Atelier under Chef Christian Hunter has q
uickly risen to become one of the city's very best places to eat and drink. At Atelier, it's all about the tasting menu, and it is fabulous.
The Michelin Guide, when adding Atelier to their annual and well-regarded listing, said, "This Lincoln Square boîte has always blended in with its humble surrounds, but enthusiasts know that it’s the inside that counts and where culinary excellence has long thrived. In full view of the dining room, Chef Christian Hunter and his team chart new waters, ever determined to make their own mark on this intimate space. Working quietly and seamlessly, the kitchen delivers a carefully calibrated tasting menu supported by nearby farms and packed with flavor and originality. Familiar dishes like marinated beets, pimento cheese and Caesar salad arrive remodeled and refined, astutely seasoned, and never a leaf or morsel out of place. Hope that the warm clam chowder with lamb bacon and chive oil is still available. It’s a total showstopper."
Because Atelier currently offers only an ever-changing tasting menu (and it is fabulous), but no a la carte options, it's difficult to predict what food will be offered in what is likely to be a long and successful presence for Atelier in Chicago. To give you a sense of what's on the menu (current as of this writing), consider the following: celery root rollatini with beet marinara, ricotta and chanterelle mushrooms done up in the style of a lardon strip; and kafta, made of bison rather than beef, on tabouli with cherry pepper to add a pop of spice.
What was also incredibly impressive about dinner at Atelier was the thoughtfulness and care that went into their spirit-free cocktails, which are available as a pairing with the tasting menu. The well-chosen, sometimes rare ingredients, and the subtle synchrony of the no-alcohol options with dinners, was beautiful to behold (and imbibe!).