Alto

[ewindels]

Fans of Scott Conant’s work at L’Impero will want to run, not walk, to his new property, Alto, tucked at the back of a plaza on 53rd between Fifth and Madison. bergerka and I hightailed it there last night to take advantage of a deal through April 23rd of 25% off the food (not inclusive of booze or tax). Go this week if at all possible.

Designed by L’Impero’s Vincente Wolf, Alto’s sleek, sophisticated interior brings to mind an Armani suit: clean, masculine lines, dark slate-grey interiors with cool accents throughout the variegated downstairs seating areas, the tables offset by the same tall, lean candle holders as its sister restaurant. In place of L’Impero’s gauzy draperies, Alto features floor to ceiling glass walls displaying their wine collection. Upstairs are private rooms that can be divided according to size and necessity. This is high-end dining: lots of formal but cordial attention with a “Ciao” from each new server (and there’s lots of them), multiple changes of cutlery and plate (the Riedel-esque water glasses are particularly fetching), detailed explanations as each dish is set down. This latter comes in handy: neither of us knew what half the stuff on the menu was (and at this early stage, even some of the staff is still getting it down).

All those bottles in the wall are the real deal, verified in the limited but impressive wine list. But be prepared to shell out: while I only got a cursory skim of the list, and that with the sommelier hovering over me, I saw maybe a handful of bottles under $100, and not many more under $500. (I was also left with the impression that the list skewed very heavily toward France, which seemed odd for an ostensibly Italian restaurant.) That said, the very nice sommelier, realizing that we weren’t in a position to pay the equivalent of a year’s rent for one bottle, very cordially spent much time hearing our preferences and recommending different reasonable options, and the final choice – a $46 Chateau de Montmirail Cuvée des Deux Freres 2000 – couldn’t have been lovelier.

There is also a short list of terrific cocktails, which plays off the Italian side of the restaurant. Kathleen’s Pesche Piamontese, with rum, peach, soda and lemon, was a light and lovely girlie drink in the best sense. My Milano – Torino featured Campari accented with Punt y mes, lemon juice and champagne, a more two-fisted number with a nice bite to it.

The gimmick here is the cooking of the Alto Adige region in north eastern Italy – Italian with Swiss and Austrian accents. The menu can be viewed here. It seems balanced pretty evenly between teutonic and italian. There’s a choice between a four course $68 (starter, a pasta, a secondo and dessert) and a seven course $150 prix fixe. Only the seriously edacious should attempt the latter – for all that the portions are delicate, both Kathleen are I were stuffed after our four courses. Bread choices include pretzel, potato, pumpernickel with raisin, rye with nuts and seeds – all fine if not overly memorable.

The amuse consisted of a single Kumomoto oyster, ostensibly with a hint of horseradish (which I couldn’t detect) and the tiniest dice of green apple, and a small quenelle of dense, pungent bacalao. A recent convert to snails, Kathleen jumped on the braised lumache with porcini mushrooms, polenta and black truffles, a seriously luxurious dish. My smoked goose liver “carpaccio” with the barest drizzle of green tomato mostarda takes liverwurst to ethereal heights. Plin “Ca’cimpero” were sumptuous miniscule pasta rounds filled with veal, chicken and pork in “parmigiano foam” with carrots and teeny morels. “Tajarin” (super-thin hand-made fettucini) were accented with julienned zucchini, prawns and mussels and served in a thick, rich “froth” of sea urchin, which brought just a hint of brininess. A dish of guinea hen – the poached breast soft and velvety, the leg roasted with crispy skin, in an emulsion (read “foam”) of foie gras with speck and asparagus beans – packed serious, earthy poultry flavor. My pork also came two ways – a roasted loin with a small rectangle of guanciale cooked sous vide, caramelized cabbage and potato “schupfnudeln”(small, oblong, chewy, potato spätzle). The continuing trend among younger chefs of cooking meats very rare is one about which I have mixed feelings, and I wasn’t crazy about it where the pork loin was concerned. That aside the dish is a winner.

You couldn’t pick two more perfect ways to end the meal (or any other, for that matter) than the Tyrolean Chocolate Pudding – yet another take on the perpetual soft-centered chocolate cake, but this one actually gets it right – in a pool of vanilla foam (anyone counting?), and the rhubarb strudel: small nuggets of flaky dough filled with tangy rhubarb in a luscious crème anglaise studded with absurdly killer strawberries (where did they find these at this time of year???). The adornment of a star shaped by mandolined strawberry slices, their centers touching concentrically and then slow dried in the oven, excited Kathleen’s particular admiration.

Total with tax and tip came to $110 a person, a bargain for this level of quality. Gimmicks aside (all those foams, so four years ago), this is stellar cooking on a rich and imaginative level.

[bergerka]

The only possible thing I can add to ewindels' dead-on review of our evening is a personal note - absolutely NOTHING to do with the dish itself - it was my choice that was at fault, but after my assertively flavored appetizer and pasta choices, I should've ordered a less delicate entrée than the guinea hen, because I was expecting another strongly-flavored dish and my palate took a little time to readjust. My bad. It was magically delicious, though.

It was a wonderful evening - our cheerful waiter Peter and Eric the sommelier (and, indeed, the entire staff) made us feel at home, and I also appreciated that the restaurant remained quiet enough at 3/4 capacity to hold a low-level conversation without any problem.

K

[cibo susci]

Has anybody been. I am going on weds.

[redwinegulper]

I loved it. Unfortunately I flew out the next morning to Napa, and after several gallons of vino my brain is having trouble remembering all the details.

It was a 3 course tasting menu for $75. You start with an amuse, then for apps I tasted a polenta with mushrooms and a fresh pea soup...both were excellent. Presentation is rather exquisite...so, looks great, tastes great, but not huge portions. For the entree I had beef which was prepared two ways...braised and grilled...also quite good. Dessert...hmmm

The room is pretty modern, perhaps I should say sleek, the walls are bottles of wine, rather contempoary but a much warmer feel than The Modern or Lever.

Wine list was good with many selections from Italy, but don't expect bargins.

I really enjoyed the experience, and would certainly recommend it for those expense account meals.

[cibo susci]

Went to Alto last night. It was great. The tasteing menu with wine. The service was great. Seven courses and there was not a bad one. It was pricey but so is everthing at that level and that area. Nice job

[ewindels]

Adam Platt of New York magazine reviews Alto.

[slkinsey]

Adam Platt of New York magazine reviews Alto.

The customary brief excerpt for posterity:

Alto is named for Alto Adige, the northern Italian region that abuts the border with Austria. The area is known for hearty Aryan food like pork dishes and lots of dumplings, although I doubt you’d encounter anything there quite as rarified as Conant’s porcini-and-Swiss-chard ravioli, which are encased in a light, crispy skin, like pot stickers, and served with a deliciously sweet form of sauerkraut. Other dumplings appear on the excellent pasta section of the menu, like delicious little pouches of agnolotti (they’re stuffed with veal, pork, chicken, and fontina cheese, and decorated with Parmesan foam) and green ricotta-spinach gnocchi, which are mingled in an awkward way with dry medallions of rabbit. My nice bowl of ramp risotto didn’t quite go with its topping of glazed eel either, although everyone at the table admired the perfectly cooked farfalle, which is decked with morels and nickels of crispy sweetbread, and the perfectly cooked tangle of trenette (a flat pastalike linguine, but thinner) tossed with fresh mussels and spot prawns, and poured with a lightly frothy uni broth.

[ellenesk]

Looking for suggestions from anyone who has dined recently

Going this week.

[SobaAddict70]

Mr. Bruni weighs in on Alto:

Guinea hen consists of slices of memorably succulent breast, poached sous vide at a low temperature, and round cross-sections of roasted leg. For good and decadent measure Mr. Conant stuffs the leg with bits of liver (and almonds and currants) and drizzles a foie gras emulsion over the breast.

Why does every table have a flask of Greek olive oil, which seems at odds generally with Alto's airs and specifically with the non-Italian selection of breads (potato-onion, pretzel, pumpernickel-currant)?

Alto (Frank Bruni)

Soba

[bergerka]

I don't mind saying that I was both shocked and appalled to see that Bruni only saw fit to give Alto two stars . The NY Sun reviews it today also (subscription only, or I'd post the link), and their experience was MUCH more in line with my own - I'd have called it a 3+ star experience, buckin' for four.

But hey, who asked me, I only ate there.

And intend to do so again as soon as I can afford it.

K

[mikeyrad]

I don't mind saying that I was both shocked and appalled to see that Bruni only saw fit to give Alto two stars      . 

If only we could elect (and impeach) restaurant critics.

[JosephB]

Glowing review in this week's New Yorker, Tables for Two.

[slkinsey]

Here's a link and a brief quote for posterity:

Conant has a deft touch for dishes that, if somewhat contrived in their complexity, are undeniably exquisite. Amuse-bouches set the tone: an oyster decked out in horseradish foam, crunchy apples, and red-beet vinegar and a silky almond gazpacho with muscat grapes and scallops were surprisingly subtle enticements. A soft polenta appetizer studded with snails, truffles, and asparagus spears was as delicate as it was earthy. Dishes that, on the page, seemed weighted by a cavalcade of luxurious elements—like raviolini filled with ricotta di bufala and accompanied by an asparagus-tarragon sauce, Pecorino, and a beef glacé—turned out to have an ethereal lightness.

[tb86]

just looking for some experiences that any of you guys/gals had?

[tb86]

i ate there last week, at the bar here is what i had

amuse bouche

first:

4 types of raw fish

hamachi

scallop with truffle cubes

toro with organic carrots & preserved truffles

fluke

second:

wagyu beef carpaccio

pickled honsmeiji, shaved parm & autum truffles

third:

smoked ocean trout

horseradish froth parsley root vinaigrette and american caviar

fourth:

kingfish

pickled eggplant panzanella, sunchoke and chibatta sauce

fifth:

porchini stuffed skate

rosemary stuffed lentils spinach puree and articokes

sixth:

sturgeon

cooked sotto vuotto, caramelized cauliflower, bottarga emulsion, and caper "salmariglio"

seventh:

monkfish

pancetta wrapped loin, seared liver, lagrein reduction and radicchio

eighth:

white truffle rissoto

ninth:

white truffle gnocci

tenth:

pasta trio

pumpkin ravioli amaretti emulsion and puntarelle

rabbit ravioli foie gras foam pignoli and concentrated tomatoes

agnolotti piedmontese"plin" parm foam, organic carrots and baby mushrooms

eleventh:

poached duck egg

foie gras consumee, foie gras dice

twelth:

squab

chestnut spaetzle, butternut squash and truffle reduction

thirteenth:

venison

chanterellemushrooms, vnison speck canerderli, brussle sprouts and dried cherry reduction

fourteenth:

six cheeses

robiola bosina with dried fig, grape saba

garrotxa with white watermelon mostarda and mustard green oil

la serena with crisp artichoke and smoked paprika oil

pecorino di fossa with spiced wine gelee and maple butter

gorgonzola picante with pickled crab apple, hazelnut and cinnamon biscotti

parmigiano delle vacche rosse with black truffle honey and rye paper

thats it ........ oh yeah i had wine with each course and some digestifs after dinner

ny times is insane two stars....... yeah right

great food, great service at the bar

[M.X.Hassett]

tb86 I have not eaten there but I intend to now, I look forward to trying your pastrys and desserts quite a resume you have.

[mikeycook]

tb86 - I am a huge Conant fan and have been trying to pick a time to try Alto. I salivated through the entire second half of your posting.

[Sneakeater]

I'm confused.

I thought I read somewhere that Alto had pretty much dropped the "Tyrolean" cooking conceit and was serving more straight Italian food. But the venison dish, if nothing else (well, also the squab), seems very Alto Adige-influenced. Were those reports just wrong? Or is it more like they've de-emphasized rather than eliminated?

[Sneakeater]

Oh, I get it:

http://www.nypost.com/food/58454.htm

Anyone able to compare the old and new menus?

[weinhen]

We went on Thursday (12/15) and my wife and I each had the four course (@$75).

It was a rainy night and the entry was packed. The coat checker was ratlled with all the simultaneous arrivals but things sorted out quickly and the table was ready (a good sign in my book - no waiting.)

We were left to settle a good 10 minutes before anyone showed up at the table. When our waiter arrrived, he seemed to start the truffle hard sell immediately (pick your own color truffle - add 'em to any dish you like - at up to an extra $75 per plate!) This didn't really concern me much as I seem to have not inherited the gene that allows for swooning over truffles; it's nice to not feel neither deprived nor extravagant. The waiter was a touch on the snooty side but not so much that it was a turn-off.

We wanted to see what all the sommelier discussion was about so we chose our courses and asked for advice. Our choices were:

My wife - marinated scallop carpaccio

- ravioli with porcini/snail filling

- venison with dry cherry reduction

Myself - wagyu beef tartar

- tajine with roasted porcini and duck sausage

- sturgeon "sotto vuoto"

When the sommelier came, it turned out to be a charming young woman who had no trace of "attitude" whatsoever. We informed her of our choices and said we'd like a separate glass of wine each for the appetizers, and then a bottle to share for the remaining two courses, somewhere beween $50-60. This was a challenge to be sure. I was thinking light red but I was having a hard time thinking of one which would work with both venison and (essentially poached) sturgeon - maybe a pinot noir? Anyway, for the individual glasses she suggested an Albarinho for the scallops and an aged ('96?) rose Italian sparkling wine for the tartar. This fit my sense of what would work so we agreed to it. Good call. For the bottle, she really pulled a rabbit out of her hat; a 2004 Hilberg Pasquero Vareij - huh? She explained that it was an unusual wine - a Barbera/Brachetto blend. Brachetto is ordinarily vinified as a sweet wine but was done dry for this blend. She called it a personal favorite, and it was only in the mid $40 range. My goodness! It was like strawberrries and violets in the glass - light in texture but with enough grip for the venison. Brava!

The food was exquisite. Everything was spot-on in preparation, well-spiced (if a drop salt heavy) and well thought out. Among all the dishes listed above, I think the ravioli was the winner but, as I said, it was all very good - no real losers.

For the fourth course, things got a bit confusing. We both wanted some cheese instead of sweets and the dessert menu seemed to not permit this as part of the prix fixe. The waiter allowed that it was confusing and explained that the menu offered a selection of a single cheese. My wife asked for creamy and was steered toward a Serena. I ordered some Gorgonzola with a glass of sweet Brachetto (slightly pettilant). The Gorgonzola was quite good, the Serena not so good (sort of funky in a not too attractive way - and I LOVE funky cheese.) The odd part was that we were served a large portion of each cheese in a not too interesting presentation - and without the offbeat flourishes that characterize the L'Impero menu. They should really bring over the cheese steward from the the other place and teach the Alto kitchen how to do it.

That was our experience. On balance, a superb dinner and a retaurant to which I would definitely return.

Andrew

[mikeycook]

Would have gotten this post up earlier, but it's been a crazy week at work.

In any case, my wife and I went to Alto for Valentine's Day and had a really nice time. We are huge fans of L'Impero, and Scott Conant's food, for a couple of years and were looking for the right time to go. It turned out to be an excellent choice.

We both had the 4-course prix fixe, marked up for the holiday to $100, but a good deal at the every day rate of $75 ($65 for the 3-course, but the thought of only 2 non-dessert items doesn't really seem fair with so many interesting choices). We considered the seasonal tasting menu but as it turns none of the items we ultimate chose were on it (this is certainly not a knock as I considered ordering everything on the tasting menu except the octopus, which is a personal preference.)

Here is what we ordered:

Amuse

Hog Island? oyster with green apple? gelee, and caviar on a bed of salt

I love oysters, so to get one as the amuse is always a pleasure. This was a nice flavor combination. I think my description is correct, although to be honest I didn't entirely hear what the accompaniments were.

Appetizer

Me

Glazed Veal Sweetbreads - truffle reduction, creamy polenta, roasted green onions, pumpkin seeds

I wish I could figure out why I don't see sweetbreads on menus that often any more, or when I do it is usually in tiny pieces as part of another dish. It is one of my absolutely favorite types of offal and I wish it were served more.

These were perfectly cooked and an absolute pleasure, nicely carmelized on top and firm but creamy all the way through (not a trace of membrane). They were served on a bed of Conant's signature polenta, which to me is one of the best sides ever. If I were to taste it blindfolded I would almost think it was very fine mashed potatoes with a ton of butter (but, to me, it is even better than that). You could probably get my to eat a car battery if it were served on a bed of it. I thought the toasted pumpkin seeds were a really nice touch. A satisfying crunch and nice nutty flavor the contributed well to the overall flavor profile of the dish. I would definitely order this again.

My Wife

Puree of Cauliflower Soup - Hog Island oysters, fried capers, and tuna bottarga

The lowly cauliflower seems to get a lot more play these days. I only had a couple of tastes of my wife's soup, but it was excellent. Oysters, capers, and bottarga each add a nice flavor component (brininess, acidity, salt) that brings out the cauliflower flavor (I have spent my whole like thinking it had no flavor and now seem to be proven wrong on a regular basis), as well as contributing the overall flavor of the dish. My wife was very pleased as well.

Pasta

My Wife and I

Rabbit Ravioli - pignoli nuts, mustard seeds, currants

This was the one case where my wife and I decided we had to get the same thing because we both picked it out immediately and didn't really want to share. The first surprise of this dish (at least to me) was that they were not ravioli-shaped in the traditional sense. They were more of a square shape, almost like oversized dice. I am not sure what was mixed with the rabbit inside (I ate all of mine whole to appreciate the bursting of flavor in my mouth), but it had a very creamy consistency with just the right level of saltiness. The pignoli, mustard seeds, and currants were all nice flavor components, and the dish had, as its sauce a foamy emulsion that I could not (and still can't) identify. Whatever it was was delicious and didn't stay around long enough to be contemplated.

In the trips I have taken to L'Impero, it has always been the pastas (as well as the polenta) that I have been most impressed with and had the fondest memories of and this was no exception. I have yet to be disappointed by a pasta at either restaurant.

Entree

This is the only part of the meal where there were a couple of missteps (IMHO).

Me

Duo of Local Raised Pork - slow roasted loin and braised fresh bacon, apple puree, carmelized cabbage, and green mustard

I have been on a pork kick recently, particularly belly, and this was a natural choice for me. As I stated in THE BEST: Pork Belly, you will note that I thought the skin was too crispy (almost candied) and the belly a little too fatty (ironic, I guess, when you are basically eating bacon), but the loin was excellent. Perfectly-cooked and fork tender, it was actually stuffed with a pork stuffing (not sure what it was bound with, but it was minimal) and it made for a nice contrast of textures in the loin alone, making for 3 pork textures in the same dish.

On a personal note, I have to confess, as often happens, I forgot what each of the accompaniments was when the dish arrived and for a moment I thought that the green mustard was a bit of vegetable. It was a thought that quickly vanished, but I managed to hide my embarassment. Needless to say, it is good as an accompaniment, but I would probably never order it as its own side.

My Wife

Roasted Leg of Colorado Lamb - baby root vegetables, fregola, and braised lamb shank

This was the only disappointing dish of the night, not because it was not a good combination of flavors, but because the lamb was far too rare for my wife's taste. It was rare to the point that it was a bit of a struggle to cut. Neither of us have a real problem with a restaurant deciding the correct temperature for meat, but we felt this was beyond rare (red nearly all the way through -- bleu, I believe, would be the french term, which I find to be very rare).

Desserts (my apologies, but I don't have all of the details around the dessert accompaniments)

Me

Black Truffle Ice Cream

This was kind of like a caramel sundae, served in a martini glass, with a black truffle ice cream and generous shavings of black truffles from norcia on top and chocolate on the bottom. I am normally not a big dessert person (given my druthers I might have had the sweetbreads, again, for dessert), but having never tried black truffle ice cream and being a big truffles fan, I had to give it a try. I was very impressed. It was truly like a good, but not overly sweet caramel sunday, and the flavor of the truffles provided a nice earthly counterpoint (incidentally, I think white truffles or any variety of heavily perfumed truffles might overwhelm the other flavors.)

My Wife

Tiramisu

I was kind of surprised to see Tiramisu on the menu, but this was not your mother's/father's tiramisu. It was deconstructed, with a block (rectagular log) of light, but rich, mascarpone, with a chocolate square on top and bottom, and an espresso cup of chocolate with chunks of lady finger inside. My wife loved every bite.

Wine

In my desire to limit alcohol consumption, we each opted for a glass of wine. We had the Foradori Granato which is a Teroldego. I am a huge wine fan, but Italian wine, other than those of Piedmont or Tuscany, are still a bit of a mystery to me. I have heard Teroldego compared to Zinfandel, but to me it was much smoother, like a high-quality, fruit-forward Chateauneuf-du-Pape such as Clos des Papes. This is definitely a wine I would look to buy on my own.

All in all, an excellent experience. Only the minor complaints about the entrees to detract from an enjoyable evening. There were more than enough dishes we did not have the time to try to make a trip back in the near future.

[oakapple]

Alto is the newer of a duo of Italian restaurants by chef-wunderkind Scott Conant. Eric Asimov awarded three stars to L’Impero in December 2002, while Frank Bruni gave Alto a two-star kiss-off in July 2005. For a restaurant helmed by so well regarded a chef, it was a significant slapdown. Bruni seemed almost vengeful in that review, calling Alto “haute and bothered,” but it never really made sense. A celebration for my friend’s birthday provided the excuse to see for ourselves whether Bruni was right.

Alto is named for the Alto Adige a region of northern Italy. It’s a companion to L’Impero, which features the food of southern Italy. But Conant plays with flavors and ingredients, and aside from an emphasis on pasta dishes, one is not really conscious of a focus on Italy. We ordered the seven-course tasting menu ($115) with wine pairings ($75). The server said that the kitchen would substitute freely, but we took the menu as printed. After a delicious amuse-bouche of smoked trout, we had:

Branzino Tartare (avocado, gremolata and preserved lemon vinaigrette)

Poached Black Sea Bass (caponata panzanella and lemon thyme broth)

Veal and Fontina Angolotti (organic baby carrots, baby mushrooms, and parmigiano emulsion)

Risotto with Frogs Legs (summer squash and black truffles)

Roast Suckling Pig (smoked corn, chanterelles and black pepper agrodolce)

Braised Beef Short Ribs (vegetable and farro risotto)

Warm Chocolate Ganache (milk chocolate gelato, roasted peanot froth)

We found the pacing and variety of the dishes, the combination of ingredients, and the quality of the presentation, all impeccable. The first four dishes were unanimous hits. The branzino tartare was meltingly delicious. The crunchy caponata was a perfect contrast to the soft black sea bass. We noted that the risotto ran rings around the one we had at Del Posto (for which Mario Batali charges $50). I found my suckling pig a bit tough, but my friend said that her portion was wonderfully tender. Short ribs, I suppose, were a rote inclusion not quite as exciting as the other items. The staff were alerted in advance that it was my friend’s birthday, and her dessert came with “Happy Birthday” written on the plate in chocolate calligraphy.

Conant has made some changes since Frank Bruni’s two-star review. Some dishes that skewed towards German-Austrian cuisine have been dropped. There is no longer a bottle of olive oil on every table. The menu, formerly prix fixe-only at dinner ($75 for four courses), is now available à la carte. It was a Saturday night, and the restaurant was not full — I suspect they are starting to get desperate. The décor, which Bruni hated, appears to be unchanged. For us, it was elegant, refined, serene—delightful.

The day before our visit, the food blog Eater put Alto on deathwatch, with an over/under of January, noting that “Conant’s investors can’t be very happy with the thin dinner crowds. There’s even a rumor circulating that the venue is up for sale, which, no, does not bode well at all.” I hope it survives, but I must admit the same thought crossed my mind when I saw so many empty tables on a Saturday night.

We found the service attentive and impressive. Many dishes were delivered with half-moon covers, and the food uncovered with that voila! moment that is so seldom seen these days in restaurants. I was mildly irritated when we ordered champagne, but the sommelier could not explain what it was. (“It just came in and I’m not too familiar with it, but I’ll be happy to help you with any of your other wine selections.”) At $15 per glass, she should know.

There was an addictive selection of homemade breads, but oddly enough they came with no butter, and the bread server’s accent was so thick that we couldn’t quite understand all of the five choices. A couple of the other dishes were dropped off by barely-comprehensible servers. Am I asking too much when I suggest that at a restaurant of Alto’s calibre, a reasonable command of English should be required of those entrusted with describing the food?

These minor complaints aside, Alto did a lovely job on a special occasion. We would gladly go back.

[Vadouvan]

How accurate is Eater's deathwatch ?

Has it been historically true ?

[oakapple]

How accurate is Eater's deathwatch ?

Has it been historically true ?

←

Like much that Eater does, the Deathwatch is a bit tongue-in-cheek. Eater puts restaurants on DW when there are clear signs of trouble. Some may recover. Eater has only been doing this for about six months, so it's too soon for there to be a real track record. I think there have been a couple of DW'd restaurants that closed.

In Alto's case, I saw for myself that they were only about half-full on a Saturday night, and à la carte options have been added to what was formerly a $75 prix fix-only menu. The signs are pretty obvious that Alto is struggling.

[ewindels]

It bears remembering that Alto's location in an area light on residences (Trump Tower notwithstanding) means that Saturday night traffic, particularly the weekend after Labor Day, would not be substantial. This probably applies to the rest of the year as well, as there's nothing else around there to draw business on that night. My understanding is that during-the-week traffic remains quite healthy.