Bistro Atlantis, Dunedin, FL

I practically wag my tail until it's fractured when I dig up a hidden gem...makes me feel like a true "doggy girl" (an affectionate moniker bestowed by my beloved Underdog). Yes, it's okay to go ahead and throw up in your mouths a little bit, because gawd knows old people in love are super-disgusting.  Blech.

Bistro Atlantis is an adorable oasis incongruously located in a fairly uninviting and older strip mall a few blocks from the almost cavity-inducingly charming main drag of downtown Dunedin.  Lookie how cute:

AND...there's an open kitchen with a dining bar.  That $#!+ always gets my pulse racing. Any resto that allows patrons to view the preparation of their offerings gets four paws up from me.

Lobster Bisque was creamy, liberally laden with lobster morsels and served with a bountiful drizzle of sherry.  You want this.

The Jumbo "Shrimp Atlantis" for two consisted of half a dozen sweet and perfectly grilled specimens of said crustaceans served awash in a Satanic bath of olive oil, lemon, white wine, garlic and feta...each fetchingly perched atop a perfectly toasted bread round.  Okay...it's a sharing plate, but I took four.  The possibility of winding up in divorce court seemed like a risk worth taking under the circumstances.

Apparently, I am never completely satisfied unless I can find at least one thing to bitch about...and in the case of Bistro Atlantis, it was the total lack of a Chardonnay offering of any kind (by the glass or bottle). Fortunately, our adorable server (sorry...missed her name) was quick with the suggestion of an acceptably rich and dry Pinot Grigio...deftly diverting an impending (and likely explosive) ugly Oenophilia scene.

Entrees could not have been finer.  The photo of  my local farm peppers stuffed with seasoned ground beef, pork, herbs, spices and rice did not begin to do them justice.  They kinda look like me with my non-made-up morning face and scarecrow hair, but trust me...they looked every bit as hawt as I do following a day of Botox, Juvaderm, brow sculpting, acrylic nails and salon highlights on the plate.  Actually, better...there's only so much you can do at my age.  Yeah, there was a plethora of spinach, but I have to get iron and folate from somewhere (last time I checked, wine wasn't a good source of either) and the feta cheese mashed potatoes were mind-blowingly good. 

Dogboy channeled a Neanderthal as he stripped clean the bones of his juicy, rare lamb chops served with more of the cheesilicious Med-seasoned mashed potatoes and green beans. 

Here's where you're gonna really start hating.  Imagine (if you can) Handmade and fried Pumpkin Ravioli, adorned with Marscarpone, Maple, Grand Marnier and Cinnamon.  It actually wasn't all that good.

April Fools' (and only a couple of hours early)! Imagine pumpkin pie on steroids and laced with crack.  Not that I've ever tried crack (or steroids for that matter), but I imagine they would invoke a similar effect. 

Dogboy surprised me when he ordered the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pie, because neither of us are huge fans of either flavor...especially in that combination.  Yes, it was a little sweeter than my palate prefers, but it was freaking amazing.  The chocolate crust was thick, rich and decadent...making the perfect carrier for the luxuriously sturdy-yet-creamy peanut butter filling. I have only one thing to say about this, and it's "OMFG!".

Just in case you need a little inspiration following your Atlantis Bistro feast, there's plenty to be found in the Ladies' Room:

What can I say?  I loved this little bistro (lack of Chardonnay notwithstanding).  Ambiance is most precious, service was attentive and the chef came over to personally check on us.  All of this plus five glasses of wine set us back around $120...dining dollars well spent!

http://www.bistroatlantis.com/

My blog entries contain the unmitigated, and sometimes unforgiving, dining truths and perceptions I experience as an ordinary restaurant patron. Every meal I post about has been fully paid for by one of the participating members of my personal dining party. I do not engage in the gratis blogger freebie dining events I'm constantly invited to attend and never will. If I ooze font-like love for a restaurant in my blog, it's because they totally earned it…not because they gave me free food or knew I was going to share the experience on the internet.