Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
"Foraging" Chef From Portland Offers $150 Tasting Menu At Atera In Tribeca
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 21, 2012
Modified Mar 21, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 4
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 21, 2012
Modified Mar 21, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A chef from Portland with a "passion for foraging" has landed in Tribeca in an intimate new restaurant called Atera, where he'll offer a $150 10-course tasting menu for just 17 diners at a time. Well, it's not exactly new—the space was formerly Compose, which also offered similarly pricey ($120) tasting menus at an intimate chef's table. The owner's still the same, but the chef is Matthew Lightner, who is "something of a critical darling and one of the big players in the foraging scene," according to the Times.
Atera seats 12 at the elegant bar and another five at a five-seat table. Like at Compose, Lightner and his team ply their trade at an open kitchen, and the ever-changing menu may or may not include such delicacies as Ragout of Fish Cheeks with seaweed butter and heirloom garlic; BBQ Lamb Collar with sassafrass, root beer and chicories; Grilled Leeks with wheat grass, raw apple and leek ash; and Cured Scallop with meringue, frozen juice and gin mash.
It goes without saying that all the ingredients "are locally and responsibly sourced" by Lightner and Evan Strusinski, a wild food forager from Camden, ME. “It will be interesting to see what we get as the weather warms," Lightner tells the Times. "This is an almost herbal-based cuisine."
Beverage pairings are also available for an additional $90 per head.
Compose // 77 Worth Street // (212) 226-1444
Tagged
atera
michael lightner
tribeca
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Can opening a restaurant in a New York museum turn the food into a work of art?
These city institutions — including museums, galleries, and auction houses — are hoping customers will find a luxurious meal to be as appealing as the priceless works on the walls.
By
Joshua David Stein
Published Nov 4, 2026
Why NYC restaurants are playing coy about sustainability
Though it has multiple benefits, the practice remains popular for one basic reason: it saves money.
By
Samantha Dady
Food
Why NYC restaurants are playing coy about sustainability
Though it has multiple benefits, the practice remains popular for one basic reason: it saves money.
By
Samantha Dady
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
By
Hannah Frishberg
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .