If I were ever placed on death row and it was my execution day and I was asked what I wanted my last meal to be and I could have any meal I wanted, anything at all, then I probably wouldn’t choose a meal from this restaurant. Would I ever go back again? Very likely, yes. Its convenient location means that it’s within walking distance of major shopping centers, like The Americana and Glendale Galleria. It’s even easy to get to and from for someone who takes public transit, like me. If I were someplace way across town, then it’s a stretch to say I’d go out of my way just to eat there, but I can easily envision Atrium Estiatorio punctuating a day at the nearby malls; not only due to its proximity, of course, but also because it’s one of the best restaurants in the area. Overall, I’d give Atrium a B grade; if the system had pluses and minuses, I’d even give it a B+ (the grade bump is thanks to the Spanish octopus and that Bloody Mary).

Ultimately, I’m grateful I had the opportunity to check this place out. I’m grateful for the dinner, grateful for the friend who ate it with me, and I’m grateful for the mundane, yet somehow still lovely, day in which this dinner was embedded. Every year, I start out by promising myself I would be more appreciative of all my blessings, big or small, but then things get busy, irritating shit happens, and I forget that I’m supposed to feel thankful—because there are things to be thankful for. So, okay, that’s another goal, then, for the new year: Show some gratitude. Come to think of it, here’s another thing I’m grateful for: I’m grateful for my goals. Thank goodness I haven’t become so jaded that I’ve stopped making them altogether. What must life be like, how empty and pointless, when one has nothing to work towards? Whether it’s New Year’s resolutions or maybe just an everyday to-do list, goals—when used in combination with caffeine—are what drive us to begin, to do, to persist, to complete. Because we have goals, we willingly delay our pleasures till after we’ve done the needful. We are motivated to hone our skills and knowledge and learn new ones so we’ll have the tools we need to attain our goals. Our goals are the reason we pull the occasional all-nighter to finish an important task, and then cry out in pain the next morning when our legs keep cramping up. But that sense of satisfaction, when we can finally cross off that item on our to-do list that’s been stressing us out, makes it all worthwhile. Here, have a Bloody Mary. You’ve earned it.