Atera

Horrible!!!
I found a bug in my broth and it was brushed as oh well it happens, we only serve organic.
For the prices that you are paying you would expect the food to be inspected so that you don’t find bugs.
More insulting was the brush off. It would have been considerate to at least comp something.

Dined at Atera for dinner one evening this week. The food, staff and room were wonderful. The seating is great for conversation with other guests and the very helpful and entertaining staff. The sommelier was especially helpful and fun to speak with. The pairings with each course worked perfectly. Very diverse and flavorful menu. I will definitely be back soon to enjoy again.
The lounge downstairs is intimate and relaxing. Well done cocktails.
Mich

Fantastic meal with great service. Definitely recommend for a nice meal for special occasions.
The service from start to finish is world class, with people ready for every situation, whether it be seeing you in to your seat to giving you a placecloth for your phone to replacing your napkin when needed. In terms of food, each dish was uniquely created and plated with care. Among the dishes I enjoyed the most was the apple cake ball with eel in the inside, the caviar, and the foie gras and peanut butter, covered with a sheet of black currant, but all the dishes were extremely flavorful.
The ambiance is also a lot of fun, with the staff having a good time and taking pictures with the diners. It’s definitely a unique (and pricey) meal, but well worth it.

Came here for my GF’s birthday. I have to say this is such a fabulous dinner experience that I ever had in my life. We sat at the closest bar seat near the open kitchen. You can easily and clearly see the chef Ronny prepared our dishes and taking the lead of the team.
Service:
waiter/​waitress were prompt and funny. They always put their smile on their face and willing to answer all the questions that we have. Some of the staff even dancing and bring the food to you, when we taking the picture, they will making some funny face to make sure you have a great picture.
Food:
After Ronny take over the Atera, there was less molecular gastronomy idea, but it doesn’t lower my expectation toward Atera. From his ingredient, plate decoration, cooking experience. they all combined together to make this dinner worth every single dollar.
I will definitely came back in the future, and recommend everyone to try this place.

The whole evening — 10 courses and the 10-​glass wine tasting (suitable for sharing), was spectacular. Fresh, interesting, creative dishes that are delicious and not just «interesting» or worse, weird. We loved the umami flavors in many of the savory dishes. The wines were unusual, interesting and tasty.
Service was exceptional. It was my partner’s birthday. The substantial wait staff (almost as many waiters and food preparers as guests) each wished him a happy birthday, but no awkward singing. They were charming, witty, amusing, friendly and seemed to get how much each set of guests wanted to interact.
The setting was intimate and fun — not too loud, not stiff, no ties, old and not-​too-​worn rock and roll (a surprise).
I’ve been to Per Se, French Laundry and Alinea (all expensive prix fixe menus in various parts of the country). This was my favorite and the only place I’d ike to go back to sooner than later.

Amazing experience! Nordic dishes were definitely new to me, and they were enjoyable.
The ambience and furnishing is neat, modern and precise. Upstairs only has about 10 seats with the kitchen in the center and one table for party of ⁴⁄₅. It’s really cool to watch the chefs work.
The food was prepared with great and authentic ingredients and execution– very creative and fun. My favorite dishes of the night were the foie gras with black currant, Apple and peanut, the lamb with huckleberry and burnt onion and the crab with tomato and rose. And we certainly loved the sourdough croissant too! Haha. The sommelier recommended an amazing Pinot Noir from Red Car, Sonoma. I don’t know too much about wine but it was delicious.
The service was very pleasant– the waiters are extremely charming and fun. It was a great time of small gathering with the girl friends. At the end of the meal we met chef Ronny, who was a total delight, and talked briefly about his ideas of the restaurant. Before we took off they gave us a small menu of what dishes we had that night and the wine sticker on the other side.
Great experience and highly recommend.

A simply fantastic experience. Dining can’t be any better — and Atera speaks to all senses. Of course the food is good. It’s much more, it’s really outstanding. Especially the savory dishes, which I found to be even more perfect than the desserts. The 19-​course tasting menu leaves you longing for more after each plate, starting with the first one. Chef Ronny Emborg brings interesting and unusual flavor combinations, always perfectly in sync, but never overloaded. He lets perfect ingredients speak for themselves. Not a lot of molecular magic either, which I find very pleasant. But the experience doesn’t stop with the food. Atera speaks to all senses, and that includes smell (using fragrant towels), tactile (considering the very special tableware and also the table itself) and sound — they have a really cool music selection that makes the evening a real event and not a boring piano music dinner. The atmosphere that they create is amazing. You just feel at home, yet it’s classy and perfect. But never too much upscale. All the staff’s primary concern is to make you, the guest, happy and comfortable. And they really mean that.

Atera is hands down one of the better restaurants in New York, but not yet in the upper echelon in my humble opinion. Sometimes it takes more than good ingredients, creative ideas and good execution. Sometimes a restaurant needs some soul too.
Atera is lacking on that. Don’t get me wrong, I love the austere interior and the immaculate plate presentations. But the service is also austere — as in not all that friendly or welcoming.
Also, some of the dishes feel a bit more science lab than kitchen. Meaning the dishes themselves could benefit from a little soul too.
Had a fantastic anniversary meal there, but somehow it lacked the special feel that most top restaurants in NY deliver. Perhaps put some Marvin Gaye on, loosen up and just cook in the zone, rather than manufacturing and fabricating a meal. Something to get some soul into your otherwise perfectly prepared food. Smiling at guests wouldn’t hurt either. :)

First thing I would like to bring out about this place is — wow, this is so alike chef’s table at Brooklyn fare! Open kitchen and pots hanging on the wall (just fewer number haha)! Chef was wandering around the room, laughing and chatting with diners. Decoration here was intimating and relaxed.
Back to food, there were many dishes that left me remarkable memories. My favorite one was seared oyster, with meat soft enough that almost melt in my mouth right away! The porridge-​like Dungeness crab, on the other hand, has a long-​lasting taste. Though not a foie gras person, I have to admit that I love the course and that the flavor was not too overwhelming. Not to mention other dishes that were simple yet delicious (got to try that lamb with garlic). Have to say that Atera has not messed up with even a single course!
One sentence summary: if you have not yet been to chef’s table, Atera was definitely as close as you can get to. Probably I should rephrase my words — after all, dining here is more about enjoying a unique experience.

In a word, fabulous.
Every dish was flawless save for perhaps the course with caviar and pistachio mousse which I didn’t love. A dish of Dungeness crab, heirloom tomatoes and cream may have been my favorite of the night and I’ll go as far as saying one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. It reminded me of the lobster and burrata dish at Marea except 3x better, and that dish is very good. The menu descriptions are overly simplistic but the flavors on the plate are anything but.
One of my favorite things about Atera is its beverage flexibility. The sommelier there is wonderful but this time I did the temperance pairing. Silly name aside it was fantastic. I would expound on it but honestly it’s full of surprises so I don’t want to spoil any of it.
They also do a tea pairing and they indeed take it seriously. You can do teas with individual courses as well which is the route I took.
Atera lacks the occasionally pompous attitude that a place like Per Se has. It’s refreshing.
Absolutely worth the asking price. It confuses me how this place continues to only have 2 Michelin stars.
TL:DR Atera is fantastic. Flawless execution, excellent beverage flexibility in both wine and the top-​notch non-​alcoholic options. Nothing short of edible performance art.

Honestly, I don’t know where to start. My meal experience here was mind-​blowing. I went by myself for the 18-​course offering while I was in NYC on a work trip. I did the wine pairing as well and did not leave a morsel of food on any plate put in front of me.
The service was personal, flawless and impeccable! I’d recommend it and do it again in a heartbeat!

I went to Atera just before chef Matthew Lightner left the restaurant to pursue another opportunity. My first dinner at Atera was a moving experience, with delightful, unexpected and sophisticated flavors skilfully presented by a staff that provided me with the first impeccable service I have ever experienced at any top restaurant in the world where I had the pleasure of eating, including NYC, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Tokyo, London, Seoul, Paris, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo or Rio. I was so moved by my experience at the restaurant, I left the largest tip I ever left at a restaurant for a dinner for two people. But I hesitated to review Atera in part because Mr. Lightner was leaving and didn’t know how good the restaurant would be after Ronny Emborg took over.
My second experience at Atera, this time under the leadership of Mr. Emborg, was just as perfect as my first but remarkably different as well.
Just as before, guests eating at the counter could watch each dish being expertly prepared. But this time, the preparation seemed more artistic. It was like watching Japanese artists engaged in flower arrangement or master sculptors creating modern art.
Just as before, every dish was a new experience for me with new flavors or subtly different twists in classic flavors. But the approach of the new chef was different, with his training at El Bulli shining through his masterpieces. I won’t bother to describe all of the individual dishes because the menu changes frequently, with one or two dishes changing frequently, even on a weekly basis. So I will tell you about just one dish: Baerii Caviar with Pistachio sorbet and beer cream was such an unexpectedly powerful and artistic combination of sweet, salty, creamy and refreshing sensations that as soon as I put the first spoonful in my mouth, my eyes got watery with tears of delight. I only experienced this with one other dish in my life: toro and caviar toast at Masa.
Just as before, the service was impeccable. Drop a napkin? Someone will hand you a new napkin before you bend over to pick up your old napkin. Want to use the restroom? Someone will make sure that the restroom is available, clean and presentable before you get up to use it. Yet, the experience this time was different. This was my second time at the restaurant but I was welcomed back as if I were an old friend. Staff members who helped me at my first dinner remembered me. Jeff Ruiz, the tea curator who masterfully prepared and served me the delightful variety of teas perfectly paired with each course, was especially informative and helpful.
The new Atera’s course dinner price includes gratuity. So I was under no obligation to tip. But I left the same tip I left my first time because perfection must be rewarded and encouraged. Atera is simply the best restaurant I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing and it is my favorite culinary paradise.

The overall experience was great but my friends and I weren’t blown away by it.
–razor clam w/​leek and garlic: leek and garlic are overpowered the sweetness and saltiness of the razor clam
–lobster roll: delicious and well balanced
–hush puppy: unique and excellent done
–desserts: beautifully done but the tastes were so-​so

Agree with another reviewer, Atera is not a meal, but an experience. The atmosphere is intimate yet you’re sitting at a «U» table in front of where all action takes place in the kitchen. Décor is sleek and modern. Probably 24 people in each sitting and a great music selection.
The meal consists of 20+ courses ranging from king crab to caviar, shabu shabu, lobster roll, trout liver which was excellent, hush puppy, beet jerky, milk and cookies and much more.
Courses come out in small portions at a quick pace so it’s easy to become full quickly. That could have been slowed down just a tad to «rest» in between every 5^th or so course.
They also provided a unique and yummy drink selection that could be ordered without alcohol if preferred.
Staff is attentive, spends ample time explaining each course and is open to any questions. They can sometimes be intense, but perhaps that’s supposed to be part of the experience.
Overall a very pleasurable and unique dining experience and would go back once the new chef/​menu are set.
In my book this place definitely deserves its two Michelin Star rating.

Wow. I don’t know where to start about this meal. I guess I should start by saying its not a meal. Its an experience.
I went here with some coworkers this past Thursday. We were looking for a great meal and weren’t worried about price. We had considered the typical 11 Madison Park or Daniel, but decided to go for something a little less common and Atera fit the bill.
We arrived about half hour early for our 9:30 seating. We were ushered downstairs for cocktails to a very cool lounge. It was dimly lit with really a really nice bar in the back. We were immediately served a cup of amazing tea, followed by equally fantastic cocktails. Made small talk with the kind bartender.
9:30 came around and we were taken back upstairs to the dining room. One of the coolest rooms I’ve ever been in at a restaurant. We sat at the U shaped slate counter that surrounds the kitchen, which sits about 12, and there’s a table for about 6 at the other end of the room. Its really notable because its a totally open kitchen and you can watch the chefs cook and assemble the plates on the spot. The décor is asian style and really beautiful.
We were told the menu was all taken care of and asked what kind of beverage selection we wanted. We went for the reserve wine pairing.
They started us off with a great champagne based cocktail, then came the meal.
By far the most unique meal I have ever had. Twenty-​something courses of small plates, most about 2 bites each. Every one was assembled meticulously and absolutely striking in appearance. Taste is a whole other story. The food was incredible. Just absolutely amazing. So ridiculously fresh and refined its not something that could possibly be explained in words.
Every third dish or so was paired with an outstanding beverage of either wine, beer, or champagne. Each one was explained by the sommelier and they were generous about refilling glasses when they were empty.
I wish I could write all the dishes down but that would be too long of a list.
It took us about 4 hours from start to finish including desert and coffee afterwards.
The total came out to about $ 1900 for the three of us and it was worth every penny. This was by far one of my best and most unique meals I’ve ever had in my life. And I like to thing I’ve had a lot of very notable meals.
The service was impeccable and I will definitely be coming back after their short hiatus while they renovate the restaurant, not that it needs any renovation or could possibly need improvement in any way.
I will post pic of the menu as well.

I am really scared to give a good review for Atera’s Lounge because I dont want this place to start getting super crowded but it deserves it!
The bartender, Somm, and staff are super amazing and accomodating. The Somm was patient with us while we asked a million questions about their wine list. He helped us chose the perfect bottle within our budget. We also got a cheese plate to snack on because we had eaten dinner already but wanted a little something. The couple next to us was ordering a bunch of small plates all of which came out looking amazing and were very similar if not the same to what the serve on their tasting menu upstairs. I had read that they had a really great burger in the Lounge but wasn’t planning on ordering it before we got there.
After smelling all of their food, and downing a few glasses of wine, we went for dinner #2! We shared one burger and I am kind of pissed that we did because it was OUT OF THIS WORLD AMAZING! Probably one of the best things I have ever eaten, and definitely rivals my previously favorite burger from Gabe Rucker’s Le Pigeon in Portland! My mouth is watering as I write this review so I will just stop right now. Email to make a reservation and GO eat this burger you will not be disappointed!

Atera is a countertop dinner like no other. I have been here only once, so I shall resist the temptation to be overly judgemental.
The reservation experience for Atera is a bit frightful. Given the fixed number of seats, they are particular about reminding you of the penalty for late cancellation (price of the dinner). And they appear inflexible about accommodating dietary restrictions, which turns out to not be the case during your visit. They are however quite particular about you arriving on time since late arrivals can put the rest of the diners out of sync with you.
You will likely be seated on one of the dozen high chairs if you are not occupying the lone table on the side. And you will get to watch the cooks at work. It has the feel of having front-​row seats in a laboratory, which is only fitting since I suspect equal parts of art, chemistry and culinary creativity go into designing the twenty-​course menu at Atera. Molecular gastronomy and all that.
Several months have passed, and I now only remember the yogurt nuts with beets, the sweet potato dish, the banana ice cream, and the butter cake. But I can say that no two dishes were identical or even similar in taste or presentation. And the service was uniformly attentive throughout the meal.
Come to Atera to splurge on a culinary adventure that lasts almost three hours, and would leave you short by at least three hundred dollars a person for dinner and drinks. And if you can afford to go there repeatedly, make sure to take me with you.

There’s something so paradoxical in Chef Matthew Lightner’s cooking that it’s impossible to categorize the cuisine at atera, even for any of the 20 courses that are part of its ever-​changing tasting menu. «Molecular gastronomy» is only a part of the picture, no doubt inspired by Lightner’s time at Noma. But there’s also a clear homage to the origins of ingredients, perhaps pulled from his time at Mugartiz in Spain, as well as acknowledgements of some of the more typically luxurious ingredients, which might be due to his experiences at L’Auberge in Southwest California. Regardless, there is one thing to know about atera: it defies expectations.
One feature of the restaurant that I especially appreciated was the chance to see the workings of the kitchen. Each dinner has only two seatings, limited to around 20 seats each session. Guests are seated around the kitchen counter, which gives a full-​on view of all the chefs at work, and a chance to see each plate being meticulously constructed. It also enables a faultless interaction between the front of house and kitchen, which helped ensure that our plates transitioned seamlessly from course to course.
And the food? It would be pointless (and rather tedious) of me to try and go through each of the 20 courses that we were able to try. Our first bite was nothing short of promising, however, comprised of perfectly butter-​poached king crab and root vegetable crisp, and a succulent broth made from the head of the crab and tonka bean oil; perfectly balanced, with the untainted, noticeably sweet flavor of crab, it left us in anticipation for the courses to follow. There was the cleverly plated dish of Fluke and Daikon, which alternated slices of fluke and radish so that we had trouble pinpointing at first glance which slice was which. An earthy mushroom jus with a dusting of wasabi was the ideal complement, and a clear nod to traditionally Japanese ingredients and preparations.
There were some clear standouts in the meal, that I can still remember months later. The first was the too-​small portion of Sea Urchin served with a dense Carrot Purée, a sweet-​savory-​briney blend that was highlighted by the addition of a creamy lobster broth. And of course, the Trout Roe served with a Squash Purée that just barely hid the crushed pumpkin seed at the bottom of the bowl; it was an elegant, texturally-​nuanced course that I only wish we’d been give more off. I especially enjoyed the take on «Chicken and Dumplings», which took a shrimp and chicken dumpling in a rich, gravy-​like broth, and topped it with a slice of black truffle. A slice of sudachi, a small Japanese citrus fruit, was also served, allowing us to add our own element of acidity to the course. And don’t let me forget the final savory course, a play on «Peking Duck», which paired two perfectly roasted portions of duck with a sauce made from matcha (yes, green tea powder) and a lightly charred stalk of leek, dotted with crinkled cress.
There’s definitely courses that fall closer towards the grey area of «molecular gastronomy». I can’t forget to mention the Lobster Roll, a creative plate which substitutes the typical bread with a light, airy yeast meringue that dissolves almost the instant it hits your tongue. (The lobster, of course, was delicious.) Or the take on a Hush Puppy, which hid a smoked egg yolk within a spoonful of creamed corn, all encircled in a perfectly fried batter. One of my favorite sweet bites of the night was a Roasted Squash «Marshmallow», which had a texture somewhere in-​between gelatin and marshmallow, but was made even more delectable by the faint hint of brown butter.
In retrospect, there were dishes I wasn’t as delighted by. The Geoduck, served with lardo and a potato purée seemed forced in both texture and flavors, with too much chew and richness in just one bite. The Striped Bass with Okra similarly was too off-​balance for my liking, as it needed more acidity and a touch more richness in the broth, made with a clashing cranberry bean. I was less than pleased with one of ending sweet plates as well, as the components (almonds, grape halves) had started to condense, and had been handled less-​than-​carefully, resulting in a blemished presentation.
But, I am pulling at near non-​existent threads; it’s an unfortunate by-​product that occurs when one becomes inundated with the excellence of food in New York City. I will end on a hopefully accurate, note, however: atera can offer a unique and memorable experience for any diner. There is something refreshing about food that refuses to be pigeon-​holed in any category (or categories), as well as the opportunity for guests to leave all decision-​making and responsibility on the kitchen. It’s not in my judgement to say whether or not the two Michelin stars are deserved, but it’s certainly a restaurant I would look forward to returning to.
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Note: For the less adventurous, drinks and plates are available in atera’s lounge.

Special date night with Kim G.
Reservations are easy via
6pm or 9:30pm seating.
$ 195pp (though on website now is $ 225pp)
$ 150pp beverage pairing (generous pours) — not only wines (few fortified), also includes sake, beers and 3 cocktails in conclusion
We had the same menu as SEEMA J’s review, so will not repeat.
Every plate was bite-​size so we finished happy, but could still eat (a cheese danish was the parting snack)
HIGHLIGHTS (most memorable and I could have eaten 10 more)
1– Lobster Roll with Yeast & Meringue
2– Hushpuppy with smoked yolk and corn
(Interesting fact: above two are the only remaining dishes from original menu)
3– Sea Urchin with carrot and lobster sauce
4– Almond dessert (awesome process how they are made)
Service was flawless throughout and to think of the 20+ person team orchestrating all day and delivering this 22 plate experience well worth the price.
*Website updates hourly showing the prep work.

The Lounge is splendid — a scattering of shiny, tufted leather chairs and worn wooden tables dimly lit with retro tunes playing in the background.
Small «two-​bite» appetizers are available to share. The adorable lobster roll on meringue bun is good but the beet jerky wowed us with its seeming simplicity but brilliant taste. Pieces of beet baked and dehydrated and rehydrated until it resembles a piece of beet with a subtle, refined earthiness and added tang from the creamy, creamy buttermilk dipping sauce.
But nothing can be more amazing than the Atera burger — somehow not on any best burger of New York list, but will soon be — an astounding medley of houseground meat (ours was made of short rib, marrow, tendon and chuck), on a housemade bun fully studded with toasted sesame seeds, the meat lusciously enrobed with a layer of white cheddar from Jasper Hills. It’s beautiful. You think it’s the best thing you ever ate…
Until!
Yes. Until.
You eat the most incredible fries in the entire universe. The potatoes have been blanched 6 or 7 times and then fried until the outside is instantly crisp, but the potato will then melt completely in your mouth like something you have never experienced. Especially when the potato is accompanied with duck liver mousse. I’m trying to make #ducklivermousseisthenewketchup, so help me make that happen. Eat this. Die from happiness. But don’t really die from happiness. Just instagram that hashtag and be my friend. (I need friends.) (I need this burger again.)