Altura

The service we experienced was very hot and cold with regard to hospitality. We arrived 5 minutes early for our reservation… the person at the door said they weren’t ready to seat us yet and then just stood there awkwardly… no conversation. The person receiving you at the door sets the tone for the whole evening, and you blew it!
Later, we found it odd that one of the server’s inquired as to why I was ordering non-​alcoholic drinks «Are you taking a break? or… just don’t drink?» What an odd question to ask a guest! Additionally, we felt rather ignored by most of the staff.
We opted for the tasting menu, and found it rather unremarkable. Granted the ingredients did seem of very high quality.
One last thing… we are both allergic to dairy. It is not a voluntary restriction… so once the wait staff insured us it was ok to order the tasting without dairy, it was disheartening to hear passive aggressive comments from the chef’s behind the counter.
For the prices they charge, I would rather go to Spinasse twice. This place is loud, overcrowded, and overpriced!

My first review looks really funny. But yeah I still have that feelings for it. Been here many times and this is definitely my favorite in Seattle. Both their regular menu and tasting menu are changed quite often and never let me down. Today’s highlights are beef crudo, wagyu tenderloin and duck breast. They really know what are good combinations and what sides can bring out their main ingredient. Surprise me every time. Pricy but worth of it.

Perhaps it was an off night, but in our 13 tasting menu courses, there wasn’t a single dish that didn’t have something off about it. From the caviar and oyster dish with potato foam that was salty and brash with starchy, sticky, unpleasantly textured potato, to the lamb chop with looked perfectly medium rare only to cut into it and realize it was illusory — it was an end piece that was hiding the fact it was well done, to the 3 bites of agnolloti in sugo that were so salty we drained our water glasses twice over.
To top it off, the pacing of the tasting menu wavered, with uneven service. Sometimes we received a nice pacing of dishes, but other times there were long breaks between courses, so long that by the end we were eager to leave. The other part of service that was interesting was the open kitchen concept. In this particular open kitchen, it didn’t seem like the chefs likes or enjoyed being so close to the diners. There was extremely limited interaction between the kitchen and the patrons, other than presenting dishes, as if there was an invisible wall between the two. One of the reasons we like open kitchens and chefs tables is the informality that comes with them, the ability to talk to the chefs for a few minutes throughout a tasting menu and get and understanding for the dishes and menu.

Didn’t take many pictures because I started eating before the thought crossed my mind. One of the best dining experiences in Seattle. The food is 5 star no doubt but the ambiance is delightfully casual. The best pasta I have ever had in my life and I used to live in Italy. I had the pappardelle. Insane! Just insane! Spicy too. Wagyu beef is to die for. Risotto with morels, fiddleheads, fava beans, ramps, asparagus, pea shoots, garlic spears, all the things that make Seattle the best culinary in the USA. You are going to have an excellent dinner. After we got home, my daughter said to me, «I cant believe that just happened. I want to go back tomorrow.»

We celebrated our anniversary here. The tasting was $ 137 per person and totally worth it. The flavors went well together. The meal took about 3 hours and I would definitely return. The abalone was our favorite. The cheese course was the worst. I’m glad dessert was not chocolate and a lighter cheesecake.

First off, customer service here is excellent. We showed up on a busy Friday night to celebrate my wife’s birthday, only to be told we had missed our reservation — it turned out I had booked it for Thursday by mistake and didn’t notice. Completely my fault! No worries, they found seating for us anyway.
We sat at the counter, as a) that was available, and b) that’s what we wanted anyway, as I had read recommendations for this arrangement. Good choice! We were right in front of the chef, and watching him and his crew in action was a bit like observing controlled chaos playing out. Yet, in spite of being so busy, everyone was very professional, and even found time for small bits of humor and to interact with the counter customers. The wait staff were similarly professional and courteous, and I was impressed with how well everyone navigated through what is really a very small and quite full space.
We opted for the «tasting menu,» which is basically offering yourself up to the chef’s choices, and we were not disappointed. Multiple small courses over about 3 hours left us very satisfied, full but not over-​stuffed, and every course was delicious. If you want the full experience, I recommend this option.
I took the wine pairings as well, and the sommelier seems to really know his stuff. «Wine» is perhaps a misnomer, as there was also an ale in the mix for one course. Most unusual and well-​done was the pairing of a sweet moscato with a peppery gorgonzola, where the opposing flavors highlighted each other in an unexpected way.
The room and kitchen are both small, and diners are at their tables for a few hours to get through the entire experience, so they don’t seat many people per night. Despite the close quarters, though, the ambiance is very welcoming and the staff manage to be unobtrusive as they weave between the tables and to the counter, where we sat. It doesn’t feel too crowded when you’re inside.
Highly recommended.

I am absolutely agree with Renee A.
It was «as experience», but unfortunately not a good one. The menu is very ambitious, but the quolity is poor.

I had an amazingly personal and attentive experience — the staff at Altura and the food were professional to the letter. I highly recommend spending a special evening here with the full tilt tasting menu and wine pairing — just go for it.

Altura was definitely was an «experience» that you should not pass up on if you ever get the chance to dine there.
Went for a 30^th birthday dinner. Did not intent to order off the tasting menu, as it’s all or nothing for the whole table. But, one person wanted the tasting menu so we caved, and so glad that we decided to order the tasting menu.
The icing on the cake was not the fact that the whole dining experience was top notch, but you get to have a copy of the whole menu take home. So, don’t worry about memorizing what you just got served as you can look back on it afterwards!

Meat with GREY ring of DEATH. Are you KIDDING me! I was recommended to go to this restaurant by a professional chef in NYC and went way out of my way to get there.
Too expensive for the subpar experience! Pasta was OVER cooked and the meat had the dreaded grey ring of DEATH!
Service was inattentive! Very very unprofessional to see the chef holding up the waiter counter drinking wine!
Go back to the drawing board!
Two people I did love was the hostess Maddie and I wish the Sommelier Ryan took care of us all night.
There are much better experiences, food quality and prices at StateSide or Salare! Go there!

Wow. Just wow. If Seattle restaurants were included in the Michelin ratings, Altura would most definitely earn its stars.
There are several different menu options for dinner at Altura. You can go with 3 courses for $ 75, or the tasting menu (roughly 12 – 14 courses) for $ 137. Yes, it’s quite pricey for a tasting menu, but you would be extremely remiss to order anything else, in my opinion. If you’re trying to make the decision, let me put it simply: you’re within moments of ordering an extremely unique and memorable culinary experience, which may possibly be one of the best in Seattle. Why sell yourself short?
I love open kitchen concepts in general, and Altura is no exception. I would absolutely request a counter seat when making your reservation, as it is well worth it to watch the dishes being constructed with care. There was almost a theatricality to it as well, and I mean that in the most complimentary way — every detail was painstakingly attended to, and carefully coordinated and led by Chef Nathan. I really felt like watching the preparation significantly added to our experience.
The tasting menu itself is centered around 5 main plates, with the others being smaller amuses-​bouches or accentuating accompaniments. One of my pet peeves at tasting menu restaurants is that the portions can be so exasperatingly small that even after you end up forking over a significant amount of money for dinner, you still feel like you have to fill up at a fast food joint afterward because the teeny tiny morsels of food simply weren’t filling enough (tell me you haven’t been there!). I am beyond pleased to report that there was no danger of this happening at Altura. The meal was paced well, with an astonishing amount of variety while still leaving us very full and satisfied at the conclusion. I honestly don’t think I could have taken another bite, and that’s not something that usually happens for me at tasting menu restaurants, ever.
The menu on the night we visited had 14 courses (they provide you with a printed menu at the end of your meal). This included:
1. Osetra caviar with arugula and fermented potato
2. Steelhead roe with shigoku oyster, smoked sturgeon, and white asparagus sabayon
3. Mediterranean mussel wrapped in house cured pancetta, smoked with madrona bark
4. Wagyu beef crudo with pickled turnips, wild onions, parmesan
5. Carabinieri with porcini, popcorn
6. Risotto with juniper smoked pigeon, aged catelmagno, and kale
7. Stinging nettle farfalle with dungeness crab, mussel sformato
8. Columbia city filone baked in cartoccio, black winter truffle, and duck liver
9. Tortelloni with bone marrow roasted beets, dill pollen, elderberry wine
10. Kiwi sorbet with grappa, blood orange
11. Dry-​aged pleasant view duck breast with winter roots, braised greens, spicy pickled cherries
12. Gorgonzola dolce with bosc pear, crispy sage, black pepper honey
13. Variations of winter citrus with lingonberry, vanilla, meringue
14. Adffogato with roman hot chocolate, mascarpone gelato
Overall, the flavors were extremely well balanced and showcased seasonal and local flavors. Chef Nathan clearly takes great pride in unexpected and unique flavor combinations, which I think is well highlighted in this meal. Presentation was also a delight: an example included the smoked sturgeon, which was brought out in a miniature smoke-​filled glass dome and unveiled by our server. These are magical moments that only the most special of restaurants can evoke, and Altura therefore earns its seat among the culinary greats.

I took my best girlfriend out for dinner while we were in Seattle. I’m glad that I chose a restaurant based on the Unilocal reviews, as their website and menu really does it no justice!
I highly recommend, and I will definitely go back if I’m in Seattle again.
LOVED:
The ambience. Many high-​end restaurants will have an air about them that feels unwelcoming. We did not feel this at all. In fact, the décor probably did help as a more industrial West Coast décor.
The service was en pointe — utensils and plates changed between each meal, water was refilled with good cadence, they didn’t miss a beat with us that night.
The pace of the servings. It was a 14-​course tasting menu. Each was small, and they gave us enough time to savour, and definitely enough time in between to yearn.
Food experience — I don’t know how else to say it, but the menu truly does the taste no justification. Each bite was full of all different kinds of flavours, and textures, and crumbliness… delicious. Just try this place!
One of the best (if not the best) tasting experiences. Thank you!

I was here for the chef’s tasting menu with wine pairings.
Great food, and nothing to complain about except that it was indeed expensive but didn’t hit my Seattle top 5 list. The wines were good but not fantastic.
Service was good, however I was on a dinner outing with an older male «foodist» friend of mine, and the server was definitely deferring to him, i. e angling the wine bottle label to his side of the table, addressing him first when explaining the wine, food etc. Please don’t make any assumptions when a pair is dining, as I was just as interested in the wine and was indeed fully capable of paying what turned out to be a $ 350 each including tax and tip when we split the bill.

The evening I had at Altura last month ranks as one of the best meals I’ve ever had. I decided to add the wine pairing (which I never do), and the somm hit it out of the park.
I travel a lot for work, and routinely dine alone. I’ve never spent 2 hours on a meal by myself, but I did here and can’t wait to return.

I may be unusual in how I rate things here because I think in most peoples book, this is a clear 5 star. However, I find that I rate restaurants against other restaurants of their type so, in fairness I have to rate this against some of the higher end dining I have experienced.
The ONLY reason I am giving 4 stars vs 5 is the dollar to experience equation. It is an exceptional meal, but was over $ 500 with the wine pairing for 2 people not including our tip. My main comparison here is with Castagna in Portland, also an unreal dining experience with pairings that ended up at 21 courses for a mere $ 400. Anyways, if you want to have a very very special meal, one for the memory bank, this is a great one, I just think they should more closely evaluate the end price point. Service and staff are excellent! It really is a nice experience! We sat at a table this time but next time I think we would opt for the counter which is right on the kitchen.
Here are the goods from the jan 20 Chefs Tasting Menu:
Osetra Caviar, Shigoku oyster, smoked sturgeon and prosecco sabayon paired with Bodegas Muga «Casa Conde de Haro» Brut Cava 2011
Mediterranean Mussel wrapped in house cured Pancetta smoked with Madrona Bark — really great!
Roosevelt Elk Crudo with black trumpet mushrooms and white truffle snow paired with San Lorenzo «Le Oche» Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi Classico Honestly I am all the way in ANY time Elk is on board!
Steelhead Roe arugula and fermented potato. This was really a stunner. Arguably the firmest Roe I have ever had… it was stellar!
Ezo Black Abalone with sweet garlic burnt honey and pigs feet braised in apple juice. Paired with Hexamer «Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Hochgewachs. Great bite and great pairing! One of the best Riesling I have ever had and perfect for this portion of the meal.
Agnolotti Dal Plin Dungeness Crab and Spicy Brodo paired with Antica Masseria Venditti «Assenza» Falanghina Del Sannio. The whole thing was great but the Brodo was particularly amazing!
Columbia City Filone baked in Cartoccio with black winter truffle and duck liver
Tortellini Bone Marrow Roasted Beets, Dill Pollen, Elderberry Wine paired with Moric Reserve Blaufrankisch. This was one of the highlights for me. Just spot on all the way through!
Kiwi Sorbet grappa blood orange. Beautiful and light packed with flavor!
Magnolia Farms True Wagyu Beef winter roots and braised greens paired with Buckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon. Really a beautiful and delicious dish, but quite light on the protein. It was done perfectly but typically there would be 75 percent more on the protein as I look at this as the «main course». Really great though!
Gorgonzola Dolce Bosc Pear Crispy Sage Black Pepper Honey. One of the best bites of the night. Really creative and perfect in every way.
Satsuma Passion Fruit, Vanilla, Meringue paired with Elvio Tintero «Sori Gramella» Moscato D’Asti
Affogato Roman style Hot Chocolate, Mascarpone Gelato. Wow!
This is a great place if you want a splurge that is on bar with some of the best tasting menus around, if you want to impress that significant other, it is really enjoyable. I think everyone should have a splurge on dining from time to time. Next time I will probably just order off the menu unless a little price eval takes place though.

My family and I had 3 course meals for $ 73 each and were mostly satisfied. We chose to dine at a table and not at the chefs’ viewing seats but the restaurant is narrowly shaped so everybody has a view of the chefs at the least (minus their hands at work).
Their oyster soup is creatively presented and one of their best dishes IMO. One amuse-​bouch was salted, fried gnocchi, which was MY JAM. A couple entrees were too salty, some left us underwhelmed and altogether kept us slightly hungry afterwards, hence the 4 star rating. For $ 73 per person, my expectations were high. I do appreciate their acknowledgement of my mom’s birthday, though. They presented her with a scoop of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with salt.

This is not a place for a casual meal, but a celebration of what is possible with food. Call and make a reservation for the chef’s counter, sit back, and prepare to be amazed.
We went for their special Christmas Eve menu and were treated to one of the top five meals we have ever had. The entire staff is intimately familiar with what they are serving, what pairs with it, why, and where their ingredients come from. It was amazing to see the way the entire staff worked together to make sure their guests had a wonderful experience from the moment they walk in. These are people who really care about food, love to experiment, and like to have a bit of fun, and it shows in everything they produce.

It’s probably one of the best dining experiences that I’ve had in many years. The whole experience from start to finish is pretty cool. The menu is simple.
You can choose from small list of menu items with wine pairing or truffle inspired choices at set prices for both. Truffle menu is $ 197 per guest and you get a wide variety of truffle dishes prepared by the chef for the entire table. I opted for the $ 73 three courses meal with appetizer, entrée and dessert with wine pairing.
It started with Chicory Salad which was small enough and just the right amount of balsmico. The chef served us a complimentary duck liver appetizer. Nice job chef. Entrée was Neah Bay Ling Cod prepared on top of roasted cauliflower, crispy polenta, caper, lemon and diavolicchio. And finally dessert was Meyer Lemon in Velo (fancy lemon pie).
It was delicious from end to end for sure. Friendly staff, good atmosphere and excellent menu. I will return definitely and try the truffle inspired dishes.

Amazing!
Altura served one unforgettable meal when we visited Seattle. I’m planning on writing a detailed post about our experience on my blog, but I wanted to write a quick review to let others know about this gem.
We did chef’s tasting menu, and it was about 12 courses total. Each course was meticulous, intricate, and delicious. I had some that I liked more than others, but I didn’t have one bad dish. I loved the beautiful simplicity of each dish, and it was like a culinary adventure.
The restaurant is not stuffy, which I liked. There were some people that were dressed up, but some people that were casual. Loved the open kitchen where you can see the chefs working hard.
We were very well attended to. What I liked about the service was that everyone from the hostess to the chef came by and made sure we were doing ok.
Price-​wise, it is one of the most expensive dinners we’ve had. You can go the less expensive route by doing three courses rather than chef’s tasting menu. We went all out and had the chef’s tasting along with wine pairing, and it was about $ 300/​pp with tax and tip.
One thing I didn’t like was that they don’t do chef’s tasting unless everyone at the table does it. I’ve been to other fine dining restaurants that accommodate whatever each customer wants, but that was not the case here. Also, I wasn’t a big fan of some of the wines we had. I didn’t feel that the wine pairing was as seamless or an enhancement of the dish. But on the food alone, I would give it 5 stars.

During our 7 day stay in Seattle, we made it a point to eat as much as possible from as many different places as possible. Without a shadow of a doubt, the meal that we had at Altura was the absolute best meal of the trip. In fact, it was one of the best meals I have ever had in my life.
I am no stranger when it comes to Italian food. I taught myself how to make handmade pasta, gnocchi, risotto and all kinds of sauces. Back in Hawaii, I eat a lot of Italian food. I’ve eaten Italian in many places including New York, San Fran, Austin, Anaheim, Juneau, Portland, Washington DC. you get the idea. I don’t know what I’ve been eating all my life, but it wasn’t as good as the stuff from Altura.
For $ 67, you can choose your own 3 course meal. The only stipulation is that only one entrée can be chosen. If you want an entrée and two desserts, so be it. I love this flexible menu and wish more restaurants would adopt it.
We each tried three different courses and closed the night with THE most amazing dessert I have ever eaten. Details are below:
AMUSE BOUCHE:
This was complimentary: fennel panna cotta with beets and a parsley foam. Oh my god. so delicious
GRASSFED BEEF CRUDO:
I was expecting a carpaccio of sorts, but it came out looking like a beef tartare. Once it hit my mouth, I didn’t care what it looked like because it was absolutely delicious
RISOTTO:
There were wild mushrooms and foraged greens. Also a foam and some peas. The rice was perfect and it tasted lighter than most risottos I’ve made and eaten elsewhere. Delicious. This was the best risotto I have ever eaten.
GNOCCHI:
Wagyu and lamb ragu? Done. Healthy shavings of cheese? Done. The gnocchi was perfect. So light and pillowy. Clouds of heaven to be sure. Delicious. This was the best gnocchi I have ever eaten.
PAPARDELLE:
There was also a ragu in this dish. This one was made of tripe and oxtail and some spice. It was amazing. The pasta was perfect and helped gather up all the amazing goodness. This was the best papardelle I have ever eaten.
ZABUTON STEAK:
Its hard to describe this one. Yes, it was delicious, but it also tasted so clean. Lots of flavor and very filling
RABBIT FIVE WAYS:
The most I’ve ever eaten rabbit before was one way. This dish had various parts laid out in a beautiful presentation. Wrapped in cabbage, chicken fried, rack of rabbit, kidney, wrapped in bacon. they were all amazing. In a night of standout dishes, this one stood out slightly more and it was also the best rabbit I have ever eaten.
MEYER LEMON IN VELO:
Any additional dishes would be $ 11 more. I’m glad we decided that we could handle dessert. Words cannot describe how amazing this dish is. The flavors were so intense and the dessert itself I found to be very velvety. This was the perfect end to an amazing meal and to no ones surprise, this was the best dessert I’ve ever had.
I would suggest anyone who is even remotely into food to come here. Sit at the bar like we did so you can witness the action of Chef Nathan Lockwood and his team first hand. You will not regret this decision. Altura is now on my list of permanent fixtures every time I come to Seattle and it should be on yours as well.

Quelle petite phrase bouleversante au coeur d’un être?