Upon my second trip to L'Atelier, it has been concreted as my favorite restaurant in the world. Mind you, I haven't been everywhere, but I'm confident this is where the bar is set.
I love sitting at the bar and interacting with the guys behind the scenes. Each dish that comes out from the tasting menu is magnificent. I mean it. Every. Dish. With every plate that came out, my friend just gave me this incredulous look and exclaimed that was the best he'd eaten. Until the next dish arrived.
In addition to the seasonal tasting menu, we added the Iberico jamon to the experience. Aggressive adding an 11th dish -- but SO worth it. Executive Chef Steve came out to see how we were doing during this dish and even remembered me from the year prior!
The service is unparalleled. They're even good sports about taking photos of all the dishes. Including the wine pairings. They take the time to describe each menu item and will answer any question you have. You can tell that they take pride in their product. As I understand it, they go through 3 months of training before they work here. As my friend put it, you can tell they legitimately love their food. One of the guys, Sunday, told us that they're incentivized to not only enjoy the dishes themselves but to go to the gym.
COST
tasting menu - $155
wine pairing - $105
Some people will throw that away at a craps table with the blink of an eye -- I prefer to get something in return. L'atelier is my treat to myself.
I've noticed a trend with unsatisfied yelpers who chose the 3 course $39 pre fixed menu. Fork over the money and do the tasting menu. You'll be pleased (and satiated) with your decision.