Atelier Florian (or "Florian" as it will likely be shortened to by many) has a nicely decorated interior, comfy round-the-bar seating, back-lit everything, half-exposed kitchen with contrasting-color tile, and it even has an upstairs for social events. It's part of the same group who brought Maison Mathis (304 Elm) and the new Rudy's (1227 Chapel) to town, and upholds the same characteristic set of standards as the other locations; its own unique menu, quirky staff, and movie-set quality interior.
Another great place in New Haven to bring your friends from New York who come to visit when they gasp at the bill at the end of the night, only because it's inspiringly minimal compared to what they might be familiar with. In this case, the mussels with frites could hardly be described as a "small plate;" and the 2-taco item on the menu opened the option to select separate kinds of tacos. (Oysters MP, if I remember, were quoted as being around $2.50 ea).
The toughest thing about seafood, particularly the type you might try at a raw bar, is the possibility of biting into a sandy grain. After trying this batch of mussels, it was clear that the cleaning process was thorough. Not a single bite of crunching into grainy sand did occur.
Good stuff, Florian. Hopefully looking forward to liking all of your Instagram photos.
