Alta

People assume that because I write a “food blog,” selecting restaurants comes easily to me. In actuality, it’s that much more difficult because my brain becomes overwhelmed by the possibilities and it’s so crucial to me that my visitors have a memorable time. After agonizing for weeks about where to bring my two friends from DC and making literally 7 reservations, I finally settled on Alta. I’ve been to Alta before, and though the food didn’t wow me, the idea of shared plates and great sangria motivated me to try it once more. I’m so glad I did, because after last night I have a totally renewed love for this place.

Where do I begin? The menu consists of what seems like hundreds of different options, all of which sound delicious – and “the whole shebang” can be purchased for a decent $480. Sadly, our group of four couldn’t handle the idea, but that didn’t stop us from ordering our hearts out.

Everything was delicious – the spinach and mascarpone bruschetta topped with turkish figs and balsamic was the first and my favorite thing to come out. After that, it was an outpour of mouth watering food: grilled shrimp and chorizo, eggplant dip and hummus, seared sea scallops with black truffles, pulled pork empanadas, striped bass, skirt steak with chimichurri, pizza with porcini cream and fontina cheese, fried goat cheese with lavendar honey, wild mushroom risotto, crispy brussels sprouts with fuji apple, and finally peanut baklava with caramel ice cream. The plates are sized for a table of four to have a good bite or two of each – any more than 5 people and I’d suggest doubling orders. After a few photos I had to put the camera down to keep up with the pace of the meal.

best bruschetta combo ever

deliciously creamy risotto

skirt steak

amazing brussels

empanadas

mushroom pizza

The food is not the only great thing about Alta – their drinks are strong, their sangria is not too sweet, and they allow you to order progressively,  as opposed to requiring that the full order be placed at once to rush you out as quickly as possible. I’m ecstatic that I have a new go-to place for a girls’ night out – but I recommend Alta for all occasions.

Grade: A+
Location: 64 West 10th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue
Website:  www.altarestaurant.com