(Photo dump, not much time to talk but had fun and enjoyed, the various breads and the pork were my favorites)
FYI Pampas omakase starts 11/11, reservations are out now.. 7 courses, $180/pp
ooooh I canât make that day but if anyone is going Iâm curious what itâs like so I can decide on the next one
I had a very enjoyable meal at ALTO last night, though not without some issues.
I was there with a group of 9, which they mentioned is the largest party size they can even accommodate at a regular table.
I really like the space and the design. Everything feels thoughtfully designed. The lower level closest to the kitchen lays out in a way with tables on the sides and aisle in the middle to allow the live fire kitchen to really stand out as the centerpiece of the room. The design and the color scheme - the wall texture, for example, really speaks to the fire/grill focus. This does not look like every other new restaurant, which is a nice change of pace.
The service was exceptional. Our server was thoughtful and helpful without being pushy. He explained what was necessary without doing the whole obnoxious spiel you get at many places. He was friendly and talkative when engaged, but not overly gabby. Pacing was on the slower end of normal, though I havenât gone out with a party of 9 in a long time so perhaps thatâs always the case for such a large group.
Drinks
I sampled two cocktails:
Pasito Tun Tun
Bacardi 8 - Acholado Pisco - Farmers Market Strawberry & Lavender Oleo - Amaretto liqueur - Carbonated
It was a bit too sweet, and the rum was nearly indiscernible. It tasted more like a mocktail, and an average one at that.
Pan con Manteca
Nikka Days Whisky Fat washed in Toast sourdough Bread & Butter - Old Forester Rye - Walnut Bitter - Dulce de Leche
This was advertised as being close to an old fashioned. Ironically, this one needed a hint more of sweetness - which I thought would shine through with the dulce de leche, but it more faded into the background.
Iâm not sold on the cocktail program here. None of the cocktails were undrinkable, but none of them were memorable.
Others ordered wine, and though I only had a sip here and there, my initial impression of the wine was much more positive. They carry a lot of wine from Argentina and Uruguay, including some rare varietals.
Food
Whole turbot
With such a large party, I decided we had to pre-order the whole turbot. Iâve never seen turbot on a menu, let alone eaten it. Sergio brings it by before itâs cooked to show off the creepy looking bottom crawler.
This bad boy was flown in from Spain. Surprisingly, the busser mentioned that she has only seen 4 or 5 tables with the dish since the restaurant opened. I thought it would be far more popular, but I guess itâs tricky when it has to be pre-ordered 3 days in advance - even the whole short rib at Majordomo you can normally call the day before.
Sergio was really excited that we ordered it. He said itâs really the essence of his childhood in Basque country.
The preparation, as others have mentioned, is quite impressive. The extra fat/collagen juice is poured into a saucepan and mixed with something else (butter?) to create a sauce. Itâs then filleted table-side and topped with the sauce. Itâs served with a ginormous side tray of clams and potatoes.
The turbot was unlike any fish I have ever tasted. Incredibly moist and tender, but also very viscous. It was trippy to eat a bite with meat and skin together - texture wise they are nearly identical.
I would echo @PeonyWarrior in saying that it may have been the best whole fish I have eaten, at least in recent memory. Certainly the most interesting.
My fiancĂ© said the potatoes were the best potatoes of that style sheâs ever had - what do you call these, disc style maybe - (you can see the perfect exterior crisp/brown in the photo), and I canât disagree. The clams were solid - nothing much to add.
The portion size is ludicrous. I think we got like 4 or 5 ginormous filets from the fish, plus the massive tray of potatoes & clams. There was leftover fish at the end, though we did order a bunch of other food. Market price was $250 - possibly the most fairly priced item on the menu.
Criollo w/herb butter (2 orders)
The closest analogue I can think of is the laminated brioche at Muse. It rips apart in layers, incredibly moist with just a hint of flakiness. The herb butter is a star. Fantastic.
Chipa w/tomato butter
A modern take on Argentinian cheese bread. Is this version really bread? Or is it a pastry? I donât know. But itâs phenomenal. Itâs soft with a slightly doughy consistency, with the most delicious cheese inside. I would have ordered another, if we had not already grossly over-ordered. The tomato butter is crusted in some sort of nut I think, and was the best of the the three butters.
Marselles w/chimichurri butter
This is essentially a baguette. It was fine, it was good, but it was dramatically outshone by the two other breads we ordered. Skip it. If you want a baguette, go to RĂ©publique.
The OG Empanada
12hs Handcut Braised beef - Housemade dough - Llajua sauce
Everyone I have spoken to that has gone to ALTO has said you have to order one empanada per person. Yea, thatâs for sure. Probably the best empanada of my life. Itâs not ground beef like you often get. This is real, high quality hand braised and then moderately finely chopped beef. The beef is a little thicker than a typical empanada, but thatâs not a knock.
Burnt Avocado Salad (2 orders)
Arugula - Candied Meyer Lemon - Sugar snap peas - Crispy onions
The salad arrives topped with a whole avocado, peeled and burnt til black. A little jarring to look at. This was an unexpected hit. Just the right amount of sweetness from the candied lemon, some good texture from the peas and onions. All around a great salad.
Chimichurri Prawns
Grilled tiger prawns - Housemade XO Chimichurri
I wanted to order the Provoleta, but they were sold out, so we pivoted to the prawns. Two whole prawns, medium sized, shell on. They looked promising, but they were unfortunately grotesquely overcooked. The consistency of the prawns was closer to what you would find in a shumai. Mushy. Also, kind of fishy. Borderline inedible. Universal agreement at the table that they were atrocious. It was truly shocking, given how good the food had been thus far. I didnât mention anything mid meal, but did bring it up to our server as we were walking out.
Cordero Patagonico
12oz Lamb Saddle house aged in beeswax for 14 days - Grilled over Rosemary leaves
Maybe just a tad overcooked (noticing a trend?) - but nowhere near as egregious as the prawns. Good flavor, generally enjoyable but not a must have.
Pork âTxuletaâ
12oz house dry aged Ped & Barnets Pork chop applewood smoked roasted in kombu seaweed
Walk-off grand slam. Cooked perfectly, so tender and juicy, with a hint of sweetness - we remarked that it gave off notes of a honey-baked ham. It reminded me of a likewise unbelievable pork dish I had 10 years ago at El Celler de Can Roca - which was apt as the chef later mentioned he used to work there.
Humita
Sweet corn stew - Spring onion - Garlic chili oil - Provolone crisp
I couldnât get the provoletta so I thought - hey this has a provolone crip, thatâs close enough! This was really nice, perfect for a cold rainy night. A hint of spice that lingers at the back of the throat, but nothing overwhelming. But we were just too full to put much of a dent into it.
Peppers
Piquillo Peppers slowly confited for 5hs in the charcoal oven
These were great - really nice flavor and texture. They come out insanely sizzling hot so watch your hands and your mouth.
Potato ârescoldoâ style
Potato cooked Potato foam - Crispy fried potato curls - Black Lime
Three styles of potatoes. Fun and playful, and delicious, too. Maybe not essential if youâre also getting the turbot which comes with potatoes. Reminded me of the dish at Osteria Francescana where they serve three different consistencies of parmigiano reggiano (and also 3 different ages).
Parting Thoughts
To echo what @MaxShapiro said, I think this place has enormous potential. You can already have a fantastic meal, but there are some issues they need to work out, primarily around consistency of cooking proteins. Sergio was in the house, so who knows - maybe one of the line cooks fired those prawns and he was not involved? Either way, they need to dial it in, as while there can be an acceptable range, those prawns were way out of that range. The cocktails, too, could use work, though I think my move will just be to order wine next time.
This seems to be the kind of place that is aiming for a Michelin star, but itâs not there yet. That said, I think itâs one of the more exciting openings in LA in recent memory, and I canât wait to go back, armed with a better sense of what to order and what to skip.
PS - this was too much food for a party of 8 adults and 1 kid. Skip the prawns, skip the marselles, skip the lamb (or sub for a 2nd pork chop if youâre hungry hungry hippos), and youâve got yourself a perfect meal.
Thanks for that extensive writeup!
Thatâs a good price
Nice write up. I believe those were fondant potatoes, https://www.recipetineats.com/fondant-potatoes/, that were served with the clams and turbot.
Funnily enough when I had the turbot a month ago it was just myself and my friend and while we didnât have the prawns or lamb, we also didnât have any fish leftovers (just some tatos). Agree on the bar program as I wasnât wowed by the cocktails. Loved all of the staff there, from start to finish. Great energy and although not everything ordered was a hit, Iâm really hoping they do well for years to come.
Pampas Omakase, now at Alto. $183.60 per person.
so, good or overpriced?
I havenât yet tried the omakase. My last visit to Alto was before they announced this concept.
you tell us!
so, itâs a family style course menuâŠ
I think they still only do it once a month (showing up as a tuesday in March)
My friends who went did not enjoy it. Was apparently very slow and not much different than the regular menu.
Turbot 
now $325.
Renamed the 911 TurbotâŠ
They should implement the Porsche business model tooâŠ
you can only order the turbot if youâve dined there at least three times and spent a certain amount of money 
$325 for the 911 turbot (base)
$75 for the sauce
$100 for the clams
$50 for the table side service
Iâll take a 3.6 (kg) flat one with some GG from 1994, X84/X85, please donât 86 my Special Wishes when I ask for Exclusives, Andial the sides to be included.
Maybe this time of the year they are getting larger fish? Although I can not imagine the price will go down if they get a smaller fish. At $250 it was very fair, at $325 it is not a great bargain but maybe palatable. Our turbot at Elcano in 2017 was about 150 Euro for the fish alone but it was not as large as the one we had at Alto.