This Stockton eatery’s casual air and multi-dimensional, upscale menu sustains energy. As you work your way through a meal, the sauce begins to coat everything, making you experience a new meal halfway through.
By: Antoinette Buckley
Atrio Cafe |
STOCKTON In the dark of night, candles placed all around the Atrio Cafe glimmer against the deep blue of the tablecloths. Windows on two sides of the restaurant and small areas of decorative stained glass open up and beautify the small space. Black iron fencing frames small sections of the restaurant where the flooring is raised a bit, giving the effect of little terraces. Hanging plants and petite roses on every table enhance the garden-like appearance.
The outdoor theme and the relaxed, but efficient, service has a way of putting you at ease, even though the upscale nature of the food might lead you to expect more formality. The Continental menu is appealing with its Mediterranean emphasis. However, the appetizer section overlooks meat-loving customers, as it only offers fish and green salad choices. A compact entrée section covers the gamut of major meats, fish and pasta. For the most part, the straightforward descriptions on the menu don’t do justice to the actual dishes.
The night we dined, the soup of the day was a lively gazpacho ($4.25) that integrated the flavors of tomato, cucumber, garlic and cilantro with spicy undertones. As for the crab cakes ($9.50), served with a sweet mustard sauce, we wished there were more. Nicely crisp on the outside, the inside was packed with luscious crab held together by the chef’s creamy blend of "secret" ingredients: cream cheese and sautéed sweet potatoes. Such a unique preparation really made them stand apart from others I’ve had.
The shrimp-, scallop- and vegetable-stuffed calamari ($9) appetizer excited the only case of false advertising. A small cylinder of squid was filled with one miniature chopped carrot and celery. If there was a scallop in there, I missed it. The squid itself was tender, but not particularly flavorful. All was not lost, however, since the accompanying pine nut and red wine risotto was divine.
The food, as well as the presentation, tends to have a multi-dimensional quality. The special entrée of the evening, pan-seared grouper ($20), displayed depth and vitality. Two substantial pieces of grouper, browned to a mouth-watering color, were layered on top of one another in the center of the plate with seared sea scallops surrounding it and lumps of crab meat on top. A tomato-based sauce with an ever-so-gentle kick to it flooded the bottom of the plate. In it, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and kalamata olives studded the dish with interest.
Grilled New York strip steak ($19.50) was a refreshingly different beef preparation. The eye-opening presentation piled all the many elements of the dish on top of one another in the center of a plate that was first covered with a delicious red wine sauce. Red and sweet roasted potatoes were on the bottom of the stack. Then came the steak, which was topped with an incredible blue cheese that melted by the heat of the meat. A heart of palm and zucchini salad sat on top of the blue cheese. Baby watercress sat on top of that, and the stack was finished off with three outstanding homemade potato chips. Steak doesn’t get any better than this.
Desserts were just as intricately built as the entrées. Chocolate and hazelnut mousses were molded together to form a pyramid ($6.50) capped with a hard chocolate shell handsomely marbleized with both traditional and white chocolate. Drizzles of raspberry, chocolate and mango sauces furthered a work of art in both presentation and taste. The vanilla custard bourbon ring ($6.50) also earned points for aesthetics. A disk of bourbon-flavored sponge cake was decorated with powdered cocoa that formed a basket weave on the outer rim of the cake. Custard topped the mini cake, creating a delicate delight.
Head chef and owner Ricardo Franco displays a distinct talent for creating dishes that sustain energy. As you work your way through his meals (such as the steak and grouper), the sauce begins to coat everything on the plate. The many components of the dish come together as a whole, so it’s like you’re experiencing a new meal halfway through. It’s a marvelous way to dine.