L'Atelier
Boulder, CO 80302-5516
Phone: (303) 442-7233
- Price:
- $$$
- Hours:
- Mon-Fri 11am-3pm, Sun-Thu 5pm-9pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-10pm
Editorial Review for L'Atelier – by Ephraim Mallery
The Scene
The brightly lit dining room of this Chef Radek Cerny creation suggests he has abandoned the pomp of fine dining for a ribald good time. By 7pm, the house is full of laughing, talking diners and clanking silver. Servers cut the noise with expert opinions on the evening's best dishes, including a handful of nightly specials.
The Food
Start with a gigantic bowl of fresh mussels in the broth of the evening (you'll mop up every drop with fresh-baked bread). Entrees arrive like a work of art--platters of food surrounded with dabs of colorful truffle oils, blotches of balsamic reduction and swirls of herb sauces. Indulge in crisp Thai shrimp dressed with coconut rice, soft sweetbreads with mushroom ragout, or tender filet infused with Spanish liqueur. Finish with decadent piles of whipped cream and strawberries on almond cookies or molten chocolate cake.
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Insider Tips
Save MoneyGo for lunch and indulge in smaller portions at a bargain price.
Where to SitThe dining room can get loud. Lower the ambient noise by grabbing one of the booths.
User Reviews for L'Atelier
09/25/2007 Posted by kerseygirl
I never feel compelled to write a negative review but I was devastated over our experience. First of all the menu is overwhelming - too many sheets of paper poorly organized. We choose the fois gras appetizer from the evening's specials - the best dish of the night. I've had much better fois gras elsewhere but the puff pastry had great texture and the accompanying sauce would later rank as the best of the meal. However the tomato confit was an embarrassment and we were shocked that it even graced the plate - looked like chopped tomatoes from Qdoba Grill. We ordered the Yellow Tomato Watercress Ceviche only we believe we were brought the wrong salad. There weren't any yellow tomatoes on the plate and the watercress tasted more like argula. If the menu item changed, why not give us a heads up? Next came the dreadful Duck Confit Cassolet, which arrived lukewarm at best. Cassolets should be hot hot hot, especially on a blustery rainy night in Boulder. It only preceded to cool down to the point where we couldn't finish it. Not to mention the duck was undetectable and the entire dish was underseasoned - worst dish of the night. The Filet Au Poivre arrived and it was the fattiest cut I've seen served. It was ordered Med Rare and half of it was cooked all the way through, the other half a warm medium. My boyfriend didn't have the heart to return it especially since we were never checked on. My Wild Halibut entree was at first passable, but the fish was overcooked (tasted/looked more like bass) and the ratatouille was masked by the intense smokiness of the bacon. The accompanying gnocchi romano was the best of the dish, but you had to eat them right away before they became too dense. The entire restaurant cleared out by 9pm and we didn't want to try our hands at dessert on a night where the servers were blowing out the candles on the nearby tables, even though it was my boyfriend's birthday. Perhaps this restaurant is past its prime and we certainly won't be back.
07/12/2007 Posted by harmonybythesea
Stopped in for desert after dinner in Boulder. The staff was very attentive. We had the chocolate bag with fruit and creme anglaise and it was an absolute taste sensation. We are heading back for dinner!
Pros: Very attentive service
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