THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Alter Awards

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Alter Restaurant Review:

Alter serves progressive and refined American food prepared by a talented team, spearheaded by chef and co-owner Bradley Kilgore. Prior to his first solo venture, Kilgore worked under Jean-Georges Vongerichten (J&G Grill), Grant Achatz (Alinea) and Laurent Gras (at now-closed L20). At Alter, the décor is grunge, the music loud, cocktails are strong and the food is delectable. Two tasting menus as well as a number of dishes available à la carte pay respect to local ingredients and seasonal flavors. One constant and must-have is house-made Bread & Beurre: bread finished with a sumac and dill crust and served alongside umami butter. Use it to sop up an impeccably cooked soft egg in an overflowing pool of scallop espuma with truffle pearls and a Gruyère crisp. Equally fine are the rich and meaty grouper cheeks with black rice and shoyu hollandaise; a young chicken with Valrhona cocoa mole; or prawns and squid in green Thai curry. Can't decide? The chef's tasting menu presents Kilgore's five picks that evening. The wine list spans from the top selections of well-known producers to options from small artisanal growers around the world. Desserts keep true to the menu's theme and are in continual rotation. Expect anything from lucuma honey cake with carrot and passion fruit sorbet to a cajeta pot de crème derived from the Mexican confection.