Atlas New World Bistro opens at Roslyn Hotel
“Fusion” doesn’t do justice to the globe-trotting menu at Atlas New World Bistro. Is there another spot on Long Island where you can order hummus, kimchi, Caesar salad, spicy tuna and avocado roll, tom yum soup, kung pao chicken, lobster ravioli, cassoulet, lamb sliders and a New York strip steak?
The aptly named restaurant is located on the bottom level of the Roslyn Hotel. It takes over what had been 1221 at MFP which opened in 2018 across the lobby from My Father's Place, the storied music venue that was resurrected at the hotel.
Father and son investors Sudhir and Sumeer Kakar of Upper Brookville bought the hotel in 2017 and set about reviving it. In 2020 it became part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection, a network of independent hotels that participate in the Hilton Honors loyalty program. Last year Vivek Desirazu was hired as executive chef.
Desirazu, originally from Southern India, had cooked at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan before heading west to Amber India restaurant in Los Altos, California. His inspiration for the Atlas dinner menu was not so much the world as Long Island. “We looked at all the restaurant experiences you can have here, brought in those dishes and gave them a tweak,” he said.
Thus, the hummus is served with roasted vegetables, the kung pao treatment is given to chicken wing “lollipops,” the cassoulet is vegetarian and served in puff pastry, the lamb sliders are made of ground lamb and served with Korean bulgogi sauce.
Desirazu did not want to ignore his native India. Atlas offers a classic butter chicken, but there is also a pop-up restaurant within his restaurant, Sitar, that explores the subcontinent with such dishes as nargisi kofta, modeled on a Scotch egg but using lamb instead of pork sausage and served with pickled onion and mint mayonnaise; murgh masala, a homestyle chicken curry; even a crème brûlée flavored with chai.
The room is windowless but not dim, thanks to a bright, contemporary design. At dinner, most starters range from $12 to $18, mains from $26 to 40. A prix-fixe lunch menu offers two courses for $24, three (add ice cream) for $29. Breakfast is also served.
Atlas New World Bistro, 1221 Old Northern Blvd., Roslyn, 516-625-2700, atlasroslyn.com. Open Sunday and Monday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 9 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 to 10 p.m., Thursday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 4 to 10 p.m.