BEST ITALIAN IN MIDTOWN EAST/MURRAY HILL
Wine buffs sing the praises of Alto, which boasts some 2,500 vintages and recently received Wine Spectator's much-coveted Grand Award (an addition to its many other distinctions). In a game of musical chefs, star chef Scott Conant left Alto and sister restaurant L'Impero in 2007, but Alto has not missed a note since well-seasoned chef/partner Michael White (formerly of Fiamma) took the reins. This swanky Midtown spot is slightly hidden: Just look for the graffiti-tagged chunk of the Berlin Wall outside. Make your way down to the windowless, mirror- and curtain-clad dining room, with white tablecloths, plush red chairs and walls covered in wine bottles. Service is reputably attentive, and the noise level is refreshingly low. Northern Italian cuisine gets haute treatment and displays some influence from Italy's neighbors to the north. White's menu may include the likes of seafood risotto, pan-seared octopus in a tomato vinaigrette, and orecchiette with cuttlefish, pork sausage and broccoli rabe. Amish veal chop and roasted squab may round out the menu, which offers a four-course, prix fixe option. Jacket suggested. Reservations suggested. Full bar. Serving lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Mon-Sat. Closed Sun.
Where The Locals Eat rating
Top 100 Restaurant, New York City
"The restaurant's name is both a reference to Alta Cucina (the term for highly refined Italian cuisine) and to Northern Italy, from which Alto draws considerable inspiration for its menu."
– Alto website
"Star chef Scott Conant has departed this midtown spot and been replaced by Michael White, leaving behind an eatery that still feels slightly austere (bottles of vino are stolidly displayed and sturdy banquettes line the walls), but delivers some surprisingly homey Northern Italian cuisine."
– Randall Lane, Time Out New York
"Alto is now a full-throttle dining experience, no matter where on the menu you turn. ... They've banished much of Alto's self-consciousness and, in the process, found it more of a soul."
– Frank Bruni, The New York Times, Oct. 31, 2007 review
"Service – from the accommodating reservationist to the exceedingly well-informed waitstaff to the attentive bus boys – was impeccable."
– Newsday
"Oenophiles will certainly find something to suit their palates in the basement cellar filled with a staggering 12,000 bottles."
—Michelin New York City
How others rate Alto
The New York Times
*** (excellent)
Top Pick
New York magazine
** (very good)
Zagat 2009
25 food rating (very good to excellent)
Michelin Guide 2009 * (very good)