Alto

Awesome favor, balance and creativity, this is something you will not find in this city. The chef Scott Conant doesnt go after the main stream Italian dishes, nope he goes where most have never tasted. For those of you that are familiar with the writings of Ayn Rand, I would tell you that Mr.Conants new restaurant reminds me of the book the Fountainhead. His motivation for food is his ego, and he practically ignores the ideas of others. After meeting Mr. Conant he beamed of self-confidence that makes his food irresistible. 'The self-sufficient, self-confident, the end of ends, the joy of cooking personified.' Conant is a chef who does not follow the typical path to success--he follows his own ideals rather than the rules of his predecessors. He achieves success without compromise. Bravo Mr. Conant Bravo!! Alto is a gleam of culinary delight all must experience. Pros: Wine, Service, Food Cons: Location more

Scott Conant has done it again. I am an huge fan of L'Impero and when I heard that they were opening up another restaurant called Alto I could not imagine how different it could be. Well from the moment you step foot in the door to the 7000 bottles of wine incased in glass, the most comfortable chairs and bankets. I had the tasting menu and have gone back again to have even more. One must try the smoked trout, strangolopreti, squid ink cappuccino, smoked fois gras carpacio, seared seabass, rack of lamb. The overall quality of the food coming out of the kitchen has surpassed any Italian restuaruant I have ever been to. Save room for the ruhbarb strudel and steamed chocolate pudding. My new favorite drink is no longer a Mojito or Cosmo but what they call the Basil Clap. Alto is a cut above the rest. Pros: Private rooms, Attentive service, Beautiful setting Cons: Hard to find more

I will not return even if they serve up good pasta. We were left to dine at the bar counter next to women who were loud, drunk and flirting. Fine.......but when tables began to clear up, it seemed polite to seat us comfortably in the dining area instead of having us twist our backs to talk, perched on bulky high chairs at the bar with no place to put our handbags (which the waiter happened to drop and expose contents later on). The first course came 45 minutes after we had ordered, service dragged on longer after that. The manager brushed off my feedback as ""well, it is a prix fixe"". The waiter was knowledgeable about his food, and at least tried to translate the Italian names for truly exotic ingredients...with some snobbery no less, something we did not care for by the end of a tiring and unfulfilling night. more