Atoboy

Josh made his way there about a week after Atoboy opened and raved.  He went back a few times before heading off to school.  I made a reservation for when we returned.  Had to check it out ourselves.

attoboyA husband and wife team putting out creative Korean food.  The restaurant is long with grey washed walls and wooden seating on both sides creating a very urban edgy vibe.  They have definitely thought of each detail down to the ecru aprons worn by the waitstaff.  The staff couldn’t be nicer.

wineThe menu constantly changes and they recommend 3 dishes per person.  There were four of us so we essentially tasted almost everything on the menu that evening.  Some were excellent and others were just ok. Every dish is roughly the same size.  We opted for a dry Gruner this evening.  They do have sakes and other cocktails too.

eggplantOur first few dishes started with eggplant roasted into a pulp and then mashed with pieces of snow crab, tomato and lemon.

tofuPieces of crispy tofu with soybean, king oyster mushrooms and a mustard sauce.

clamsLittleneck clams mixed with avocado, rice crackers and a Korean red pepper flakes.

tartareThinly sliced pieces of beef tartare served with super thin fries.

asparagusOur next four started with asparagus with spicy code roe, shallots and egg yolk.  This might have been one of my least favorite dishes.

avocadoSliced avocado with horseradish, trout roe and cotija cheese.  This was a really interesting combo.

ricesThey also serve white rice or white rice mixed with other grains.  I liked the mixed grain rice.

cornCaramelized corn with taleggio cheese, bacon and bean paste.  I could have had a bowl to myself.

squidSquid stuffed with chopped pork, shrimp and topped with a salsa verde.  This was really unique and good.

mackerelOur next four were Mackerel with green chilis, radishes and scallions.  This was very salty.

chickenDeep fried pieces of chicken with a spicy peanut butter sauce.  Off the charts.

porkPork jowl over barley, pieces of romaine and spicy Korean paste.  I really liked this too.  The meat was tasty and served like a chicken breast.

brisketBrisket served with foie gras, ginger and garlic.  This was too heavy for me.  Josh loved this.

pannacottaHad to try dessert.  Honey panna cotta was far and away the best dessert served with black rice vinegar and pomegranate.

granitaThe granita with burrata and walnuts did zero for me.

blackraspberryBlack raspberry cake is really beautiful mixed with hazelnuts and pistachios but I didn’t love this either.

All and all really interesting. Dessert isn’t great.  You need to continue to go back and check out new dishes as they come out of the kitchen.  They are creative and over time my guess is the menu will evolve into some bigger plates, smaller plates and some really good things won’t leave the menu like the fried chicken.

Comments (Archived):

  1. Erin

    The warmth of their sesame oil, the kick of their hot pepper (kochujang), and that delicious bean paste (ssamjang) are the foundation that everything in Korean cuisine is built on. Such a winning combo.

    1. Gotham Gal

      New Korean!

      1. Erin

        With a few familiar reference points.

  2. awaldstein

    Gruner is a good choice for this. My default if the menu has it for this type of food.