THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702060033
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant Review
SOURCE: BY M.F. ONDERDONK, RESTAURANT CRITIC
LENGTH: 101 lines
HOMEY AND CHEAP, diners are as all-American as gum-snapping waitresses and hot apple pie. But progress brakes for no one. Those torpedo-shaped, stainless-steel eateries may be headed down the road to the culinary junkyard, but a vanguard of new American ``diners'' is springing forth. Atlas Diner, which opened before Christmas in Virginia Beach, is one such place.
Named for the mythological fitness enthusiast who held the world on his shoulders until astronomers got around to discovering the solar system, this 176-seat restaurant defines itself with major minimalism. Located at Great Neck Village Shopping Center, it's in the former Anatolia. All traces of the Middle East have been swept away in a massive re-do. The large windows have been sheathed, retro-style, in wide-slatted blinds. Dark wood wainscoting, checkerboard floors, snake plants and a few framed prints suggest a decor.
On a recent Saturday night our party of four braved weekend crush hour (it is helpful to call ahead and place one's name on the waiting list) to enjoy a dinner as amazing for its good-natured din as for its low cost. This is not the spot for proposals of marriage, but with most of the seating in booths, the ambience is more sheltered than one might expect. Outfitted in spiffy Atlas Diner T-shirts, servers are nice and snappy.
The restaurant is bent in a backward L-shape, with a left-running cocktail bar and a food bar/open kitchen overlooking the dining room. It's a set-up that reflects the style of owners Mike Atkinson and Cory Beisel, whose vastly popular Five 01 City Grill likewise accommodates diners and drinkers in deftly separated spaces.
And Atlas Diner is aspiring - successfully, so far - to grow up to be as good as its big brother restaurant. The place is jammed with a crowd chowing down on low-priced eats. The menu offers lots of apps and sandwiches, as well as burgers, pastas and frittatas and a dozen entrees - not to mention nightly additions. No dish is over $14 and most are between $8 and $10.
The big-time minimalism extends to plate presentation. No vertical madness here, not even the little trees of rosemary which have a way of sprouting from the work of with-it chefs. Portions are large, if not enormous, filled out with plenty of veggies and starches.
Oysters, baked on the shell with bacon, spinach and a savory crust of Parmesan, were the best of the appetizers ordered - fresh, plump and in a range of sizes. Fried butterflied shrimp and onion rings, on the other hand, were too greasy for our taste. One might do better starting with a salad, such as the wedge of iceberg lettuce with onion, tomato and bleu cheese.
As to entrees, crabcakes were outstanding. They were especially pleasing because of their low price ($12), and also because, someplace on the open line (where Beisel and staff stand, shoulder to shoulder) somebody swiftly and willingly accommodated our request for one crabcake broiled and one fried. The broiled one proved better - diner or not, Atlas just doesn't seem to be a deep-frying kind of guy. Also very good was an evening special of mahi mahi, grilled just right, and topped by feta and homemade salsa of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, imbued with a vinegary kick. Both crabcakes and fish came sided by cumin-scented red beans and rice. And all entrees got green beans, fresh but bland, somehow too sensible.
Presented atop a bed of linguine, roasted salmon was overcooked, though still agreeable. But meatloaf - chewy and dry, with bland mashers and mushroom gravy - was an out-and-out bummer. Might a diner do better with pot pie or rib-eye steak? Eyeballing the latter, which sells for $9.95 and got ordered all around at a nearby four-top, we sized it up as a terrific value.
Atkinson and Beisel are committed wine guys, reflected in their short but wide-ranging list and chalkboard selections by the glass, mostly $4.25-$6. Guenoc chardonnay was outstanding among the whites, and Staton Hills merlot a good red to enjoy with such hearty food.
God may be in the details, but profits are in the add-ons - like the salads, brightly promoted by canny staffers. Made by Incredible Edibles, a bakery just across Great Neck Road, the array of desserts included cheesecake, cherry pie, Key lime pie (which had run out) and the chocolate brownie sundae. The cherry pie seemed standard-issue and didn't come warm as promised. But cheesecake, drizzled with raspberry coulis, was yummy. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by ROY A. BAHLS
Atlas Diner is in the Great Neck Village Shopping Center.
Photo
At Atlas Diner, the large windows have been sheathed, retro-style,
in wide-slatted blinds.
Graphic
ATLAS DINER
Where: 2158 Great Neck Road
Phone: 496-3839
Prices: $1.25-$9 for starters; $4-$7 for salads, sandwiches and
burgers; $8-$14 for pastas and entrees.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. for lunch, and 4-11 p.m.
for dinner; Saturday, dinner only, 4 p.m.-closing (kitchen closes at
11 p.m.); and Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. for brunch, and 4-11 p.m. for
dinner.
Drinks: Full bar, selection of microbrews, well-rounded and
accessibly priced international wine list.
Payment: Visa, MasterCard, American Express accepted; also local
checks.
Reservations: Not accepted, but your name will be placed on the
waiting list if you call ahead.
Smoking: In the cocktail lounge only, where the full menu is
available.
Handicap accessible: Entrance, seating and bathrooms are all
fully accessible to the handicapped.