Chef Rochelle Daniel has been a Phoenix favorite for years as the executive chef of Fat Ox. Now, she is flexing her immense culinary talent in Northern Arizona at Atria, which opened in Downtown Flagstaff over the summer.
They say you eat with your eyes first. At the newly opened Atria in Flagstaff, those peepers are in for a feast. First, let’s start with the restaurant itself, which used to house La Vetta Ristorante Italiano. Atria boasts a serene 1,700-sq.-ft. palette of creamy white, mint green, dusty rose and light wood that sets the tone for a relaxed evening. A mirror-backed bar stretches nearly the entire length of the restaurant (it can seat 14, in fact), and a white stacked-stone wall houses an array of planters filled with greenery. Near the back of the restaurant, guests can grab a stool alongside the exhibition-style kitchen and a stylish monochromatic bookcase fills the rest of the space. Nearly everywhere you look, there is beauty to behold.
The eye-catching design goes beyond the restaurant interior, though; it is infused in each picture-worthy plate. Chef Daniel’s approach is to serve straightforward dishes, prepared with the best ingredients from local farmers and purveyors. The ingredients are treated like royalty, each given a stunning showcase, both to the eyes and the taste buds.
The best way to take in all that Atria has to offer is via its tasting menu, which comprises eight glorious courses for $155 per person. Yes, diners can order a la carte, but we recommend going all in (and reserving three hours) for the full tasting experience on your first visit.
Though the menu is ever-changing, a tasting experience might just bring you oysters two ways (one with apple, ginger and hibiscus granita and the other grilled with chorizo); the most gorgeous plating of coal-roasted beets; stuffed, hand-crafted pappardelle; smoked short rib; and–the utter epitome of decadent dining–roasted bone marrow with beef tartare. And for the happiest ending imaginable, Atria’s toasted hay cheesecake, which is as delicious as it is quirky. Whether featuring a bed of massive pine cones or river rocks, a giant seashell or–as is the case with the cheesecake–a nest of hay, each presentation is more jaw-dropping than the last.
Alongside its extensive wine list, Atria Flagstaff also offers a variety of fantastic craft cocktails, a menu that was recently updated to reflect the dining destination’s new partnership with famed local mixology talent, Tyka Chheng of Khla/Baby Boy.
Best of all, there is still more to come from Chef Daniel in Flagstaff; Atria is only the first of three local restaurants planned for the downtown area. To come: a steakhouse and gastro-pub, all located on the northwest corner of Leroux and Aspen.
To learn more about Atria Flagstaff, visit www.atriarestaurant.com.
103 N. Leroux St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001