Atera Restaurant - New York City (2 Michelin Stars)

I was invited by several number of fashion designers to attend their fashion shows during New York Fashion Week. For me, it’s all about enjoying life, having a lifestyle that fits my life. I wanted to utilize my time during my stay in New York City and I decided to search for some nice restaurants that are highly rated by the Michelin Food Guide. I came across this restaurant called Atera. Not only it received a good 2-stars Michelin rating, but I also got attracted by its tasting menu and open concept kitchen food preparation setup.

This 18-seat restaurant situated in SoHo is operated by rising Michelin Star chef Matthew Lightner. He has worked under the tutelage of Rene from Noma in Denmark which is regarded as the best restaurant in the world and integrates natural ingredients, foraging, and presentation in his 20+ course tasting menu.

In this issue of my MoVernie vs Food blog, we will explore all the amazing dishes of food that I got to taste via this journey of the photos that I took. Stay tuned for an in-depth experience at the Atera restaurant at a later publication.

Very inconspicuous exterior to the restaurant. This isn’t even the main entrance, which is through a side door with no signage.

Two Michelin star restaurant for a restaurant on the rise.

The staff at Atera greeted us, put our jackets in the closet & then guided us downstairs to the lounge for a drink before we head up to the main dining kitchen and dining area.

Special Atera Cocktail

“C” shaped wrap around bar that sits 13 out of the 18 seats in this restaurant.

One of many utensils provided to us matching each food item we are being served.

Duck heart, seaweed salad in broth

Edible flowers on top of the beets on a rock

Test tubes filled with broth for one of the dumpling dishes

Monkfish Liver encrusted in green apple slices with brown butter

Caviar as an optional dish. We didn`t order it but it was nice to see how it was being prepared for others who order this extra dish.

Smoked Trout glazed in pork fat

Amaranth toast with smoked roe and tartar sauce

Sous chef preparing one of the more intricate dishes in the tasting menu

Razor clam, garlic, and almond.

It takes 10 minutes of intricate layering with tweezers to create this dish

Teamwork preparing the same dish to the entire groups of patrons

Dumpling of chicken and shrimp with the broth from the test tube.

Geoduck on air baguette of mushroom that crumbles delicately in your mouth with a glaze of lardo. One of my favourite dishes in terms of flavour and texture

Sliced diver scallop over scallop mousse

Maine lobster tail served with onion gel and chamomile matricaria recutila. The gel ties this dish together really well and one of my favourites.

Lobster roll with yeast meringue, another one of my favourites. The lobster plays the roll of savoury in this case and meringue is scrumptous. The meat never pushes out as you eat it.

In-house baked bread & In-house butter

Thinly sliced cuttlefish over creme fraiche and wheatberry with pork fat glaze. One of two dishes I disliked even though I love cuttlefish.

Sous chef preparing for main course

Amazing in-house baked bread and roasted duck for final courses

Pig’s blood flatbread with bone marrow and vinegar. Very savoury.

Hushpuppy with smoked yolk and pickled corn. The other dish I wasn’t crazy about, the filling was to sour.

Cape May Salt oyster with salt-baked turnip and rice

Foie gras cooked on the rare side with turnip dumpling and mugwort atremisia vulgaris. I am normally not a fan of foie gras, but this was amazing. The texture was similar to an oyster.