Alto [Closed] 

11 East 53rd Street,

New York, NY 10022

Tel: (212) 308-1099

This was my second great meal at Alto within a span of a few
weeks. Executive Chef Michael White may be spending much of his time at the
recently-opened Marea, but you would hardly know it by the quality of the food
at Alto, which hasn’t slipped one bit. Our lunch was simply marvelous. The
seared scallop appetizer and the flat-iron steak were both sublime, but I would
have to say the highlight was the house-made tagliatelle topped with white
truffles, a dish that adequately prepared me for my upcoming trip to Piedmont.
Nothing like a little homework to get the creative juices flowing! All of the
food paired beautifully with the wines. As always, Wine Director Eric Zillier
did a fabulous job with our bottles. Readers who haven’t yet been to Alto own
themselves a visit. The food has never been better, and the ambience is perfect
for a cozy dinner in mid-town Manhattan.

Roulot is one of
my favorite Burgundy producers. His 2006
Meursault Charmes was awesome. A big, fat wine, it flowed from the glass
with compelling citrus, minerals and graphite in a richly-textured, vivid style
that is hard to capture with words. Suffice it to say the wine was magnificent
and impossible to forget. Leflaive’s
1992 Chevalier-Montrachet coated the palate in a rich, full-throttle style.
The finish was dense, oily and honeyed, as everything came together in the
glass with magnificent elegance. I wish I could say the same about the 1996 Bâtard-Montrachet from Ramonet, which was dead on arrival.

The 2000 Clos de
Vougeot from Méo-Camuzet was pure sex in a glass. Truly seductive and
showy, the wine offered up sweet red cherries, spices and flowers with lovely
inner perfume. Despite its mid-weight texture, the wine showed that elusive
depth and intensity that only Pinot Noir is capable of. This was an
aspirational wine of the highest level. Mortet’s
1996 Chambertin was much more straightforward. There was nothing to
discover here, everything was very obvious in the wine’s massive fruit and
formidable concentration. Though undeniably attractive, the wine didn’t develop
at all in the glass, rather it remained monolithic and heavy. Toasted oak,
spices and tar lingered on the finish. Although not my cup of tea, the wine
still showed plenty of vineyard and vintage pedigree but in an extreme style.

In retrospect, the 1982
Gaja Barbaresco should have been served alongside the white truffles.
Instead we enjoyed it towards the end of the meal. Not a problem, though, as
the wine was spectacular. Still rich, dense and powerful, the wine offered up
classic scents of Nebbiolo that wafted through the air with that elegance that
is the hallmark of the finest Piedmontese wines. It was a magical bottle, and
was a perfect wine with which round out this delicious lunch.

Food:

Seared scallops, grappa-soaked raisins, toasted marcona
almonds 

Tagliatelle with shaved white truffles 

Sliced Creekstone Farms flat iron steak, wild mushrooms,
roasted potatoes parsnip puree and red wine jus

Plate of three cheeses

Wine:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2006
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Roulot Meursault Charmes
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1992
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2000
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos de Vougeot
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Denis Mortet Chambertin
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1982
 </td>
 <td>
 Gaja Barbaresco
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

--Antonio Galloni

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