Restaurant Highlight #2 - ATLAS
Back with another restaurant review!
This time, we’re focusing on one of my favorite restaurants in Fayetteville - Atlas The Restaurant. And when I say “favorite,” I mean that I’ve only been once but I am OBSESSED with it.
My aunts that also live in Fayetteville have always talked about how amazing Atlas is, so I have been wanting to try it out for a while now but never had the chance to until just recently. It’s definitely a “go when you’re parents are in town” type of restaurant (if you’re a struggling college student), if you know what I mean - but it is so incredibly worth it… and I will be requesting it much more often whenever my parents come to visit.
So a few deets on the restaurant:
Atlas is a fine dining experience located in the 1925 Ellis Building in Fayetteville’s Historic Town Square.
The executive chef and owner, Chef Elliot Hunt, is inspired by his culinary journeys across the globe, including six continents. The idea of ATLAS is that the meal and the atmosphere takes you on a journey. It really is equally about the experience as it is about the meal - but the meal definitely doesn’t slack. The very talented pastry chef Lindsey Carrel also has curated a dessert menu featuring insane creations.
Before we get into the food aspect of the highlight, you know I have to touch on the atmosphere first, as it is one of the things that make or break a restaurant for me. The vibe at Atlas is moody and modern. They exceptionally designed a wonderful balance of historic and upscale mixed with the funky culture of Fayetteville.
Okay, now we can get into the best part - the food. Just like the atmosphere, interior, and exterior of Atlas, the food and drinks are absolutely stunning and fully represent the “journey” of the experience. Its incredibly creative menu is seasonal (I’m pretty positive….. don’t quote me on that) so I’m not sure how long the dishes we had will still be featured — but I do know that after this one meal, anything that Atlas puts on a plate will be equally, if not more, divine.
To start off our meal, we were brought out a complimentary bite - butter poached shrimp with a broccolini pesto, fennel, pickled radish, and saffron. It’s no secret that free food always tastes better, but this genuinely was a little bite of heaven in shrimp form.
For appetizers we ordered half a dozen of each the west coast and east coast oysters, the escargot, and the arugula salad. My mom also ordered the butternut squash and goat cheese ravioli off the appetizer menu for her entree. While the oysters and arugula salad were delicious, the escargot was the most standout appetizer we indulged in by far. It had such a complex flavor profile being a little sweet, a little salty, and a little fatty. Plus the idea of it being in a little potato bite was ingenious to me. I will say that the house-made farmer’s cheese (a slightly more intense flavor than ricotta, but very similar) on the arugula salad was to-die-for. The salad was one of those dishes that didn’t look as impressive as everything else, but its simplicity in flavor and looks stood out in the best way possible. Also, my shitty iPhone camera quality doesn’t do it, or anything else we ate, any favors… like at all.
Anyway.
Off of the entree menu, my dad ordered the 12 oz grilled prime New York, my brother ordered the grilled rack of lamb, and I ordered the roasted duck breast. I don’t think I tried my brother’s lamb, but he cleaned his plate so I’m assuming it was good, at the very least. The steak was tender and juicy and devilishly flavorful. As you’ll notice with the menu, Chef Hunt definitely loves saffron and lemon and utilizes it in many dishes. I usually don’t like when restaurants repeat flavor combinations in several dishes, but it was interesting to see how these flavors work with different ingredients and in various cultural cuisines, as well. My duck breast was also one of the star dishes of the night. The flavors beaming from the duck fat powder, red wine, preserved lemon, and carrot-cardamom puree left me more intrigued with every bite.
To finish the night, we ordered the “Pumpkin King” off of the very seasonal dessert menu. The chefs also brought us a complimentary dessert as well - a take on a 's’more - a mascarpone marshmallow with a dark chocolate chip on top of a wafer cookie. Both desserts were divine, but the Pumpkin King really stole the spotlight. I’ve never had actual roasted pumpkin in a dessert dish, but it was perfection with the gorgeous and playful molasses Tuile witch hat.
Overall the best of the best from Atlas (IMO) - in other words, MUST GET items:
Appetizer: Escargot
Entree: Roasted Duck Breast
Cocktail: Two in the Shrub (yellow bell pepper and black pepper shrub, thyme liqueur, lemon, simple syrup) - this drink stole my heart.
Dessert - Okay. We only had one, but I still wanted to throw it in because it deserves the love. Pumpkin King (get it while it’s still here!!!)
butter poached shrimp + broccolini pesto, fennel, pickled radish, saffron
right: east coast oysters + radish, champagne mignonette
left: west coast oysters + apple cider mignonette
arugula salad + housemade farmer’s cheese, shaved fennel, preserved lemon, cashew, citrus vinaigrette
escargot + potato, lemon puree, balsamic powder, tarragon cream
butternut squash + goat cheese ravioli, carrot, parsnip, turnip, sage cream
roasted duck breast + salsify, baby carrot, red wine pearl onions, preserved lemons, beluga lentils, duck fat powder, carrot cardamom puree, brandy duck reduction
grilled rack of lamb + chilled faro salad, apricot, cherry, fig, pine nut, saffron fennel, sherry vinaigrette, mint scented lamb reduction
grilled prime new york + saffron potato, broccolini, tomato concasse, almonds, burgundy reduction
Pumpkin King - honeycomb caramel, spiced butterscotch pumpkin, pepitas, hazelnut whipped cream, molasses tuile
mascarpone marshmallow + chocolate chip + wafer cookie - excuse the bad quality lol
All in all, I know that upscale restaurants SHOULD have these over-the-top (or uniquely simple), stunning dishes, but I am really blown away with how beautifully crafted each and every dish at Atlas is. I especially loved and think it’s important to note how intent and personal the chefs there were with every customer. Atlas is certainly a needed and loved restaurant in the Fayetteville area. Bravo Chef Elliot, Chef Lindsey, and the rest of the Atlas team.
