L'Atelier's decor reminds me of haute cuisine restaurants in Paris; a little odd, a little hip, clean, crisp. The food here is always unique and phenomenal. The plates are physically huge which... More

L'Atelier's decor reminds me of haute cuisine restaurants in Paris; a little odd, a little hip, clean, crisp. The food here is always unique and phenomenal. The plates are physically huge which can be annoying sometimes (the waiter has to clear a landing area on the table in front of you), but the food commands your attention anyway. The wait staff can be a little cold, but I enjoy the consistency. There's nothing I hate more than returning to a restaurant where I enjoyed the service, only to have a negative experience. On the downside, a few times they've wanted hefty ($150'ish) deposits upon making reservations on busy nights; I'm not investing on margin here... just trying to eat dinner for crying out loud. The other negative I'd add is that they pack the tables in on busy/holiday nights (e.g. Valentine's day). What is usually a cozy seating, turns into a sardine can which is hardly romantic.
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L'Atelier is across the street from one of the other hot high end spots in Boulder (Frasca) but much easier to get in to (Frasca has a 30 day wait; we got into L'Atelier the day after we called.) ... More

L'Atelier is across the street from one of the other hot high end spots in Boulder (Frasca) but much easier to get in to (Frasca has a 30 day wait; we got into L'Atelier the day after we called.) The food is equally good - loads of daily specials, carefully prepared, with lots of good complex mixes. The service was very good - our waiter paid great attention to us but wasn't obtrusive. Pacing was good - a little slow in the middle as they got very busy (we arrived at 6:30 - the place was full at 7:30) - but nothing troubling. My brother had the lobster ravioli - that was by far the best dish of the night. The plates are huge - so be ready to eat.
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