Travel doesn’t have to be a physical experience. Sometimes we
travel through books and film, but much of the time we travel through food. Globe-trotting
chef Anthony Bourdain’s legacy is inspiring but it
isn’t feasible for everyone to eat international dishes abroad. After he died
in June of 2018, foodies became nostalgic for, and re-inspired by, his ethos of
exploring world cultures through food. This is something we can do right here
in Rochester.
Owners Diane
and Gerry Brinkman opened their third restaurant, Atlas Eats, in 2012, because
they wanted to share their passion for global cuisine. The interior of the
Irondequoit restaurant and bake shop is adorned with maps, and even the coffee
mugs are little glass globes.
Atlas is a
great place to have a regular date night, because as Chef Gerry says, “It’s
like a new restaurant every two weeks.”
This
weekend, the Mexican-themed Dia de los Muertos menu brings the
holiday-inspired dishes to Rochestarians. Each course
has a dash of something uniquely Mexican to it as well as something original.
The first
course is a tamale filled with turkey achiote,
wrapped in banana leaf instead of the traditional corn husk. The achiote, or recado rojo, is a spice paste that the Brinkmans
brought back from Mexican markets during their last trip to the Yucatán Peninsula.
Served as
the second course, the ceviche is a contender for star of the show. The lime
scallops are beautifully presented atop a bed of chopped avocado, mango, and
slices of fresh coconut. But a pleasantly surprising dish on the menu is the
third course: the warming poblano chile
soup, served in Atlas’s famous “spaceship bowls.” The heat is less intimidating
than it sounds and is comforting on a chilly fall evening. And if you’re lucky,
Brenda Robak, the baker who has been with the Brinkmans since 1990, will come by your table with a
variety of breads for dipping.
Chef Gerry
has been sourcing much of his produce from the Rochester Public Market for more
than forty years now, and has built a strong rapport with local businesses like
Halal Market & Meats.
He comes up
with the dinner themes but the overall execution is a joint effort between him
and his daughter, Chef de Cuisine Anna Mooney Brinkman. Anna started prepping
at previously Brinkman-owned restaurant, the Rochester Club, on Saturdays when
she was six years-old.
“I would
have to stand on milk crates in order to reach the top of the table to cut
zucchinis and yellow squash,” she says. I loved it right from that age.”
She attended
culinary school at Johnson & Wales University, but says she believes much
of her talent comes from her father’s guidance in the kitchen.
“Holidays
inspire us,” Diane Brinkman says. “Every New Year’s Eve we do a New Orleans
theme, and the last menu was in celebration of Oktoberfest.”
Holiday
feasts are one of the few reasons we’re obliged to travel to see loved ones and
sit across from one another, and to fill the open silence with conversation. At
the Dia de la Muertos
dinner, I brought my inquisitive 12-year-old son, whose curiosity was piqued by
the Spanish titles of the courses and the geography of Mexico, and how he can
have a conversation with his first-generation Mexican friend about his new
knowledge of the Day of the Dead.
The Dia de los Muertos menu continues through Saturday, November 10, at
Atlas Eats (2185 North Clinton Avenue). The next theme will be Autumn in New
England. (Be sure to ask about the cocktail specially paired with each new
dinner.) Dinner is five courses and is a steal at $49, which includes gratuity.
Reservations can be made for 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 544-1300;
atlas-eats.com.
This article appears in Nov 7-13, 2018.
