Atlas Unbound: Chic, Trendy and Mario : THE WINE : If Only They Had Trained the Staff

The wine list at Atlas is a pleasant surprise. It’s small but well-chosen and very reasonably priced.

Unfortunately the wine service is almost surrealistic.

On my first visit I ordered the 1987 Hugel Gewurztraminer ($20), and the waiter shrugged. The word Gewurztraminer confused him; he asked to see it in writing on the menu.

The rest of the dinner continued like that, with the fellow seemingly mystified about the whole experience. He never showed me the cork. He poured glasses for five of us and then took the bottle away with wine left in it. (I had to chase him to get it back.) He brought our second bottle of wine (1986 Chateau Bel Air, $16) and left without uncorking it. We wound up having to borrow a corkscrew from a passing busboy and opening the bottle ourselves.

Another time, another waiter. He brought the wine--1988 Pinot Grigio from Boscaino ($20)-- without asking how to pronounce it. He then proceeded to pour our glasses right to the rim.

But one night we got a waiter who was a gem. He understood the ways of wine and made us feel as if we were in a sophisticated dining spot. Quite a contrast to the other two.

The clear message is that the waiters are on their own; the operators of Atlas have done very little (if any) training of their personnel in the service of wine.

This is a shame, for the wine prices are extremely fair and the selections show a great deal of creativity. There may be no better value in white wine at an upscale restaurant than the 1988 Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay ($12), made by the fine Orlando Winery in Australia.

In addition to the above-mentioned Gewurztraminer (which happens to work well with many of the spicier dishes on the menu), other white wines I like here include the 1988 Cuvaison Chardonnay ($20), 1987 Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay “Russian River” ($20) and 1987 William Wheeler Sauvignon Blanc ($14).

Among the red wines, choose from the Bel Air, 1987 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico ($15), 1986 Mildara Shiraz ($17), or 1982 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale ($35).

A brief but well-chosen dessert wine list rounds out a small but creative carte de vin .

Now if only the waiter would look over here. We want to order some wine.