We were transported to Uruguay and Argentina last week by way of ALTO Fire to Table and it was incredible.
I had a client in town for the holidays and I took him, his girlfriend, my wife and myself there last Saturday after seeing the positive reviews and that they made it on the L.A. Times Top 101 restaurants of the year.
From the moment we walked in, we knew we were in store for an otherworldly experience.
The place itself is absolutely gorgeous starting with a super cozy sitting area next to a nice big fireplace and the bar. There are 2 other sets of yummy leather and wood chairs that help with the feeling of being transported to Argentina and Uruguay. I mean, I've never been to either of those two countries but I imagine them having similar fine dining spots.
The very friendly and helpful hostess took our drink order and my wife and I enjoyed the fire for a few moments until my guests arrived. While we were seated, a server brought over a warm bowl of about the tastiest broth I've ever had. It was simple, light but full of flavor.
When my client and his girlfriend arrived, we were promptly seated in the equally beautiful dining room and the drinks started flowing.
The cocktail hit of the night was the JARDIN de ALTURA ($23) made with tequila infused with fig leaves, orange liqeur, magnolia flower nectar (!!), herb oil and corn salt. This drink was absolutely wonderful if very pricey.
Preferring a more traditional drink first, my first cocktail of the night was the GARRA CHARRUA ($20) or traditional Uruguayan Highball made with Rosa Negra Grappa Miel (honey), lemon juice, perrier and lemon peel. It was very good and came with a square column of clear ice but the Jardin was definitely better.
Our friendly server helped guide us with our order and suggested we try at least one or two of the bread appetizers....so we ordered all FOUR and they were insane. They were small but perfect for sharing for the four of us and we demolished them. We ordered the Torta Frita ($12) with the perfect sphere of cashew butter and rosemary honey, the Criollo ($17) with herb butter, the Chipa ($15) with tomato butter and the many layered Marseilles ($11) with Chimichurri butter.
I usually don't order (and pay for) a bread course but these little delights were incredible. Truly life changing they were so freakin' good. I don't honestly know if I could pick a favorite and well, like I said, the drinks had already started to flow...but that Marseilles was pretty amazing. If you can, order them all.
We then shared the Burnt Avocado Salad ($25) and my friend/client and I couldn't resist the lovely oysters (the women folk don't care for oysters much to our benefit). The salad was interesting, nice and light and while the avocado sure looked "burnt", it wasn't. Perhaps this wasn't a standout but it was a nice salad. The oysters were fantastic and beautifully presented.
Oh! And how could I forget, each couple shared one of the highly recommended "OG" Empanadas ($12) made with housemade dough and filled with braised beef, served with Llajua sauce. These little suckers were awesome. The waitress mentioned that people have a hard time sharing these but considering all that we ordered...we were totally fine.
For our mains, we ordered the Pork "Txuleta" ($62) - A 12oz. house dry aged Ped & Barnets Pork chop applewood smoked and roasted in Kombu seaweed. This was absolutely delicious as was the Ribeye special ($93) - slowly roasted 12 oz. dry aged ribeye with hollandaise on the side and served with wild mushrooms. They recommend this cooked medium rare which is usually too cooked for me but it was fantastic.
Because we were still hungry....KIDDING...but we did actually order the recommended Peppers ($22) - Piquillo Peppers slowly confited for 5 hours in the charcoal oven. This actually was one of my favorite dishes...so much flavor...just wow. Make sure you eat them when they're hot as the fat of the dish did congeal as the evening went on. We also ordered the Eggplant ($20) - Japanese eggplant braised in honey and bay leaf broth, slowly roasted on the grill, served with eggplant smoky sauce. This was a nice dish but not exactly how I expected it to be. The peppers were definitely the highlight of the sides and I couldn't stop eating them.
And for dessert...HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?? We couldn't resist the Chocolate & Sambayon ($25) and the Ode to DDL (We were charged $28 but the menu read $27). These dishes were remarkably yummy. Ode to DDL is an "A la minute" Dulce de Leche Souffle with housemade Dulce de Leche ice cream...truly the bomb as was the Chiffon Cacao Cake with 70% chocolate mousse and Oporto Zabaglione foam and topped with carob brittle.
I loved every aspect of our experience at Alto....BUT...if I hadn't been using my expense account, I probably would have never visited. The prices are C-R-A-Z-Y. $25-$27 (or in our case $28) for a dessert, $20-$25 for cocktails and even $93 for the ribeye....in Studio City..... read more