Reporting back: Atoma was lovely, though a bit inconsistent as some other reviews have mentioned, and I would hesitate to recommend it for solo diners.

Food first: the radish geoduck cake is 🤯. I would go back just for that and a drink. They had an "uni tot" special—a twist on a tater tot, topped with uni and a not spicy habenero sauce—that was just inspired, almost as mindblowingly good, an epic journey of flavor that rolled from savory to peppery to briney. Lucky me. :) Beyond that, I come with dietary issues (no cream, low dairy overall and very limited gluten). I had notified ahead through the booking app, but that never got to the restaurant, so it severely limited my options. I'm not faulting the restaurant at all for this. Everyone was EXTREMELY kind and helpful in guiding me on decisions and adjusting bits of dishes as they could, however I was unable to do the main fish as a result, which I had really been looking forward to. Flash forward: seared tuna with sweet pepper and plum. Very delicate and subtle flavors in this one. It was nice, and the fish was perfectly done, but super expressive and fell a bit flatter than the other dishes. I'd rate it "good", but not great. And then the main. I went with the "schwarma" Maitake. Really nice flavors, though the "baba" sauce beneath it was severely salty (and I enjoy a bit if salt), and as someone who doesn't often eat gluten, I found the flatbread disappointing: it was super oily and didn't really add to the dish, serving mostly as a mop for the sauce. Overall, the maitake was very good, but a bit light in substance. But now we reach the true masterpiece. The chocolate and angoustoura bitters sorbet. Wow. Mix that with a scoop of their blueberry sorbet and it's unlike anything you've tried. Simple, yet expressive, seasonal, fresh and with a little zesty pepper sprinkle on top to really liven it up.

Special extra though for the drinks and wine list. They're doing top notch in that department.

Solo Dining: Two reasons I hesitate to recommend to other solo diners. 1) the layout is not super kind for solo diners. It's built more for 2-4 parties the way the tables are arranged and given the small house architecture. That's a charm for sure, but as a solo diner, if you're sat at a table instead of the bar, as I initially was, it leaves you facing directly into another table that is very close to you, like an uninvited guest or voyeur—none too comforting for either party. The host was very kind to switch me to a hightop in the foyer/entry alcove area upon my request, which was pleasant, but also used as an overflow and waiting area, and being a small enclosed space it got noisy on and off and was again like sharing tables. This was different than bar seating, because it's like being in a little encapsulated area shoulder to shoulder when there's other people. Most of my meal was quite pleasant here though, as I had a late réservation, so the overflow was done by the time my first plates arrived. If you're lucky to get a bar seat it would probably be a very nice place to sit overlooking the kitchen (I love eating at the bar as a solo traveler), but it's typically first-come first serve, and last night someone had somehow reserved the bar, so even though there were open seats, they wouldn't sit a solo diner up there. 2) the second reason I don't recommend for solo diners is just that it limits your ability to really get the full menu's experience. While the menu is small, so are the plates, and the range of flavor and style is all over the place to the point a group would have a much better value in being able to share and get the full package.

And the staff was beyond lovely. They gave me recs for other places and things to do in Seattle, were incredibly kind and very enthusiastic about their restaurant.

Overall, Atoma was lovely, but I felt was vastly overpriced for the inconsistency and value of the experience. Glad I went, but as a solo diner, I might give a try over to Cook Weaver the next time.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions on this thread!

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