By Abigael T. Sidi
This column has explored a lot of what Eater refers to as the Upper West Side’s “Chinese Corridor,” the stretch of Broadway between West 98th and 113th streets, where a number of quality, next-gen Chinese restaurants have opened in recent years. We’ve covered fragrant hearty soups, takeout-style comfort noodles, luscious dumplings, and more. Today, we’re taking things up a notch—the elegant, upscale yet surprisingly affordable Chinese restaurant to rule them all, which sits quietly a few steps down West 109th Street: Atlas Kitchen. (If you know, you know, and if you don’t, read below, visit, and thank me later.)
Restaurants like Atlas Kitchen—formal, high-end Chinese restaurants—have become a rarity in the city, so much so that it’s the only one I know. (I’ve been told of a couple of others whose names I won’t mention here, but I’ve heard the food at both is subpar.) And I’ve been to banquet-style dim sum icons downtown (Golden Unicorn has a special place in my heart), but these places are bustling with energy and feel somewhat fast-foody (i.e., the food can be yummy but is not exactly inventive or elevated).
Atlas Kitchen, by contrast, offers a true, fancy dine-in experience, with attentive, old school-type service; an interesting, sophisticated menu (which does include a limited Chinese American section); beautiful plates, silverware and dish presentations; and a refined, ethereal décor. While we’ve tasted many of their traditional fare and more forward-leaning dishes (more on those later), I admit that my favorite is and always has been the seemingly simple yet perfect Yang Chow (aka Yangzhou) fried rice.
Growing up, I was introduced to the dish by my parents, who claimed it was the closest thing to the “riz Cantonnais” (Cantonese rice) of their childhoods, the staple rice dish of Parisian Chinese restaurants in the ’80s and ’90s. “Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fried rice, especially Japanese ones, and tasting some of the hot oil on each of the grains is part of what makes them great and delicious,” my dad said. (I thought Chick Chick’s version, which I covered here, fit this description well.) “But this one [Yang Chow fried rice] takes it to another level: it’s delicate, airy and light, yet somehow equally as delicious and comforting.”
The Yang Chow fried rice comes with the following simple ingredients: shrimp (cooked to just snappy), spam, scrambled eggs, green onions and, last but not least, shiitake mushrooms minced very thin (“the secret,” according to our server). Like a great lo mein, the dish has an addictive X-factor that is hard to describe: a mix of savory, sweet, and smokey flavors, as well as perfect execution on rice grain separation, coating, and oh-so-slight chew.
We understood from our server that the mushrooms serve to infuse the dish with umami, and that the chefs’ mastery of “wok hei” (extreme high heat, which vaporizes the oil) does the rest. Impossible to replicate at home, and perhaps not coincidentally, the Chinese dish we’ve most ordered for delivery in the 17 years of my existence.
As I mentioned earlier, Atlas Kitchen’s menu is replete with interesting, uncommon dishes, some of them authentic to the core (Sichuan pig trotters, traditional cumin lamb, sauteed pig kidneys and other adventurous delicacies), and some innovative modern Chinese fare. A family favorite is the sliced pork belly w/ garlic sauce ($11.95), in which the steamed, delicate pork is rolled around slices of fresh cucumber and seasoned with the above-mentioned tangy sauce. Again, the dish is simple, light and refined, with beautiful textural contrasts, and the cooking technique lets the pork flavors shine. And like the fried rice, the portion is copious and a great value.
The restaurant interior is elegant, airy and relaxing, with soft gray and light natural wood colors dominating the open space, and walls featuring large, quasi-muted murals of Chinese mountains and temples. China natives and UWS foodies form the bulk of the clientele, and many of my readers will be glad to hear: no noise; the place is the personification of Zen.
Atlas Kitchen is open every weekday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., with takeout and delivery available at these times. Vegetarian and vegan options are plentiful, and I’d argue the vegetables dishes are some of Atlas’ best offerings, especially the green beans, cabbage, and eggplant dishes, all of which are transcended by the wok hei masters working their magic in the kitchen.
The Dish: Yang Chow Fried Rice ($13.95)
The Restaurant: Atlas Kitchen, 258 West 109th Street (between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway)
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