They're each describing the Atmos Immersive Dining, a new dining concept considered by its founders to be the area's first — and only — fully immersive restaurant.
For the past ten months, the reservation-only restaurant has grown by word of mouth via social media, with various cameos on TikTok and 15,000 Instagram followers since its January debut.
An evening with Atmos begins at the restaurant's secret entrance inside Fort Lauderdale's Sistrunk Marketplace. Before the private evening begins, a welcome host offers guests a glass of bubbly and an amuse-bouche. From there, guests are brought to a private dining room and seated at a communal dining table, the walls and even the table itself doubling as an immersive theater screen.
The experience comes to life thanks to the use of 360-degree projection mapping technology, Atmos' proprietary audio-visual narration, and a chef-driven, prix fixe pairing menu aimed at offering diners a feast for all the senses.
Atmos cofounders Tommy Catolico Pires (left) and Adrian Vargas (right) and hospitality veteran/partner Michelle Soudry (center) seated at their Fort Lauderdale pop-up dining room.
Photo courtesy of Atmos Immersive Dining
Today, the trio says their goal is to pioneer a new category for dining entertainment.
In January, they launched the first South Florida Atmos location as a pop-up inside Sistrunk Marketplace.
Steve D'Apuzzo tells New Times Atmos was the perfect fit for his food hall vision.
"We saw an opportunity to take the space previously built for the Collective and create something, especially for Atmos," says D'Apuzzo. "They really are ahead of the curve. It's exciting to see something like Atmos get its start in South Florida. For us, it's yet another success story for an incubator concept."
The 800-square-foot space includes a lobby-style waiting area and 14-seat dining room where guests can experience Atmos' "Passport to Europe," a six-course pairing dinner meant to transport guests to some of Europe's most classic destinations via a two-hour visual and auditory voyage.
As diners experience the rolling hills of Italy or fly over the waterside scenery of Greece, the journey is set to the tunes of various native songs and educational narration as videos stream across the walls and dining tables. All the while, servers present diners with dishes and wine representing each country.
"We want people to forget where they are for 90 minutes," says Vargas.
For now, the theme includes a seafood-heavy menu representative of Europe's coastal cities, but on November 10, Atmos will launch "Passport to South America," with dishes that offer a culinary exploration of countries like Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Venezuela. Early next year, a "Passport East Asia" will present a similar experience for countries like Japan, China, and Korea.
Guests can make reservations for a two-hour dinner or opt for the newly launched weekend brunch, a modified "Passport to Europe" menu with breakfast and lunch-themed dishes paired with bottomless mimosas.
Atmos diners also can contact the team to customize the audio-visual journey for private dinners to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other special events. To date, Soudry lists rappers CeeLo and Ace Hood, TV show host Nick Cannon, and Miami Dolphins' John Jenkins to have hosted private dinners in the space.
Currently, Boca Raton-based Atmos is in expansion mode and is looking to open several pop-ups and brick-and-mortar locations. Plans are to grow across South Florida, as well as major cities across the U.S. and globally, with pop-ups in luxury hotels and innovative venue spaces.
"In South Florida, we thrive on dining and going out as part of our culture," sums up Soudry. "We're redefining your night out experience, taking you on an audio-visual culinary adventure in an intimate communal dining space that's much more innovative and memorable than a traditional, one-dimensional restaurant."
Atmos Immersive Dining. 115 NW Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale; atmosdining.com. Wednesday through Friday 5 to 11 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 11:45 a.m.
