Angela C.
Yelp
This is going to be a lengthy review, I do hope you make it to the end LOL. I will preface this by saying I travel to the Mediterranean often, spending much of my time abroad so I was especially excited to see this restaurant come to the Bronx. Additionally, I am born and raised in the Bronx and will always support new businesses. This review will be pros and cons based off MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and is by no means to take shots at a new establishment, but when you are paying upwards of $400 for an evening here you should be allowed an honest review, also giving grace as they just opened about a month ago.
PROS: The space is stunning it gave me vibes from what you would find in a restaurant in Greece, but for me that's where the "Mediterreanean" concept ended. However, if you are looking for a good photo moment you will find it here. The outdoor space is also set up beautifully, unfortunately the day I went the weather wasn't great and we had to change our reservation to indoors. They neighbor with Vistamar next door, from what I was told by staff the owner of Vistamar also owns ATIK. The staff was extremely attentive, checking on us often and refilling our glasses. We didn't feel rushed by any means. The menus were all digital on IPADS which I thought was really cute.
THE MENU: Nothing about the menu screamed Mediterranean to me. Again, as someone who frequents the Mediterranean, I think there was room for improvement as far as the menu selection, adding pita and hummus as an appetizer just didn't do it for me. My friend ordered the chorizo mussels, and I had the fried calamari, no complaints there. It was all delicious, well prepared and well-seasoned. For mains I had the beef short rib with the truffle corn polenta and a side of spinach. My friend ordered the prime NY strip with brussel sprouts and a side of mashed potatoes. The beef short rib was tender and delicious; the truffle corn polenta was a no for me. The truffle was overwhelming with the texture of the polenta and did not mesh well with the sweetness of the corn. The spinach was incredible, and I could have eaten that alone. My friend's steak arrived cold with a cold piece of butter on top and we had to send it back to be reheated which they did with no problem. We ordered a bottle of Whispering Angel Rose which I initially believed was $55 and maybe I am mistaken, however when the bill came the bottle was $114 As someone who does bottle service often, I am no stranger to bottle prices, however this was not a magnum bottle it was the same $26 bottle that I purchase in the liquor store, I get the up sale I do and if it had not been for me questioning the price of what I saw on the menu overall I would not have mentioned at all. Again, I could be mistaken about the menu price. We skipped dessert as nothing was really appealing to us.
THE EXPERIENCE: When we arrived, we were seated quickly for our 6:30pm reservation, initially we were cramped and were told we couldn't be seated elsewhere due to the number of reservations, although the table we asked to be moved to was unoccupied until we were signing our check. There was no room on either side for us to get into our seats and when I asked how we were expected to do so, the hostess said that is a good question, they ended up moving the coat/bag rack of the next table so we could sit. There was a show around 8:40Pm that was nothing spectacular and we were told that they also performed next door at Vistamar. The experience overall was standard nothing too terrible and nothing outstanding. When the bill came, I noticed a cash price and a credit price in which you can save money if you use cash, which I am pretty sure is not legal based on newly passed NYC/NYS legislation again I could be wrong absolutely check for yourself. An automatic 20% gratuity is also already included for you. I would give the restaurant another chance as I would love to try the outdoor setting as well as the Branzino. I just know to manage my expectations better around the "Mediterranean" aspect.