Peony: Atrium is a lovely restaurant in a cute neighborhood. It has the vibe of many other restaurants in the area; very relaxing and comforting atmosphere. I liked both dips that we tried tonight (trout and eggplant). Both the dips and the crackers were seasoned just right; not too salty or too bland. I also particularly liked the chicken; it was very tender and delicate. I didn’t quite like the eggplant and chickpea stew or the roasted cabbage. I grew up eating vegetables that are very lightly cooked and al dente and that retain their original flavors. Both vegetables dishes for me tonight were too mushy and overcooked, and I didn’t taste much of the vegetables’ original flavors. But this could just be my personal preference.
Warrior: I didn’t think too highly of Atrium. There was nothing conspicuously wrong with any of the food (except for pieces of shell in the oysters, which is a pet peeve). It just didn’t taste very refined. If I had to give one concrete example, I’d point to chickpeas that lacked bite in a mushy eggplant dish that needed bite from the chickpeas. I wouldn’t mind eating at Atrium again, but I doubt I’d ever make another reservation.
