Alta Strada - Wellesley, MA — Restaurant in Wellesley

Alta Strada – Welesley, MA – 6/16/2016

As soon as you drive by the front of the restaurant you get a sense that you will be in for a gastronomic adventure of epic proportions… Plenty of off street parking and a large lot behind the restaurant makes this a prime dining destination… As you walk up the stairs and turn left into their large open dining room, you start to get the vibe… The palate awakens and the senses start to prepare…

My server, Alex was absolutely perfect! Knows the menu, makes recommendations and with the obvious passion and love for what he does, paints a picture that perfectly describes what will be coming out of the kitchen… When I listen to him describe the wines to the next table, he knows exactly what he's talking about right down to region and factors affecting the growing of the grapes… I'm not much of a drinker but it was a pleasure to hear him answer their questions with such exacting detail… Tonight they put together a tasting menu for me…

The bread they bring in from a bakery in Boston par-baked… I would have devoured the entire loaf had it not been for fear of not being able to sample all that Alex would bring out… And the pace, also perfect being completely accommodating to my desires…

The Truffle Salad with shaved mushrooms, arugula, lemon, capers and shaved Parmesan was nothing short of amazing. The capers really add some snap to this salad and give it a whole new dimension!

Crunchy Meatballs in a spicy tomato basil sauce… These meatballs were completely different to what you would envision meatballs at an Italian restaurant to be… More like croquettes carefully placed on a bed of this wonderful sauce with herbs and chunks of tomatoes… Now, when you cut into one and take your first bite is when your palate screams its first OMG! On the inside, it was like the diner scene in when Harry met Sally…

Moving onto the Mama Zecca’s Eggplant Parmigiano… Again, not what you would ordinarily expect but I'm fast learning to appreciate the unexpected here… Firm in body yet soft to the forks touch… The sauce and cheese, just exactly the right amount of everything leaving nothing to chance…

A bit of lemon sorbet to cleanse the palate and onto the main event… At this point the dining room is completely full and abuzz with conversation… From my table I see a room full of diners enthusiastically enjoying their meals…

All this lead up to the grand finale of Spicy Chitarra with shrimp, tomato and basil… House made pasta similar to a spaghetti cooked in a seafood stock… Seasoned, spicy shrimp meticulously cleaned, tails removed and pressed in a savory sauce unlike any I’ve had before… It's a dish you simply don't want to end… There are no words to sufficiently describe how delicious this was!

Then if that wasn't enough, add an order of Mushroom Lune… More mushrooms, truffle and Parmigiano ravioli… Totally different than the previous Pasta dish yet counterbalancing the Flavours… Who comes up with these concepts?! Wow!

With a wide variety of offerings to satisfy the most discerning of diners, this is a place you need to put on your list… Rachel, the manager works the room serving drinks and making sure that everyone's needs are properly tended to… A hands on manager that clearly loves her profession… Then the icing on the cake is the general manager, Richard who comes over after dinner to make sure that they hit the mark in offering the type of dining experience I was expecting. Ambiance… Cuisine… Service… All top shelf! Thank you for a wonderful dining experience… I'll...

Went here with my wife for our anniversary. Regretted doing so within the first 10 minutes.

Had a reservation and were sat within 5 minutes. Good. It is one giant room and quite loud, completely packed with families and couples. Clearly seems popular.

We got to our table at around 6:50 pm. Got taken care of on the water front quickly. Our waiter arrived and took our drink order. He seemed overwhelmed and lacked any enthusiasm whatsoever. The floor was oddly slippery, to the point where my chair was literally moving under me as I sat. Asked the waiter for some napkins that I could put under the legs. He said 'sure'.

After a while someone else delivered our drinks. Wife's martini was fine, my non-alcoholic lime rickey was entirely undrinkable. I don't need it to be too sweet, but there was enough acid to clean a battery. Decided not to drink and send it back or get it fixed.

No waiter. Good 15 minutes now. Flagged down the person who served our drinks and asked for the rickey to be fixed. Also put in our order in since it was possible we never would see our waiter again.

Drink got fixed and returned, became palatable. Appetizers arrived. Wife's watermelon salad was interesting and had a good balance of flavors. My crudo was unimpressive and overpriced, but presentation was tastefully done.

Still no waiter. It is 7:30 now.

If the place serves bread and oil, we never got them. Wife is hungry and cranky. Couple behind us were seated and were already on their entrees. Grrr.

Waiter shows up randomly. No napkin for the chair. Completely forgot - nice. Informed us our food will be there shortly.

7:55 the entrees arrive. 1+ hour after we got seated. Nice. The couple behind us who arrived after us, paid and left already. Sigh.

Food arrives. Entrees were great. Wife's raviolis and my halibut were very well done.

The second the waiter shows up again we immediately ask for the check, pay and get the hell out. It was around 8:30. I don't have the check in front of me, but the prices were a bit out of control. 15 dollar martini and 18 dollar crudo, were just annoying.

Usually, when I read reviews and people complaining about the service I roll my eyes. But let me tell you, slow and unresponsive service can straight up ruin the dinner. It did this time. Never...

I will echo what some of the other folks on here are saying in that this restaurant feels expensive for what is delivered. I am certainly no stranger to fine dining, and I will pay a premium price for premium food/service/experience. It is to be expected.

I also don’t feel that huge sides should necessarily come with a dish, and that some dishes justify their price tags. All that said… I feel some sort of side should accompany a main course like a fish dish. I don’t need a giant plate of potatoes, but I ordered the broccolini on the side. My friend did not order the broccolini with his branzino, and he just received a plate with a fish on it. It seems a bit odd to me that they wouldn’t put any sort of accompaniment with it. Often chefs pride themselves on what side to pair with the fish or beef or poultry. Again, I’m not wanting a huge plate full of food, but some sort of side with the main dish (carefully considered by the chef to complement the main dish) is to be expected. To be fair, the waiter told me there were no side, and that is why I asked for broccolini. It was not a surprise, but a $42 dish should have a little green offering! (Capers and parsley don’t count) ;)

Now for the good points. Fish was fresh and cooked perfectly!! It was served filleted but with head and tail on. I love a whole fish! My husband enjoyed his chicken parm, but did not feel it warranted the $29 price tag. I mean… it’s chicken parm. It should hover in the $10 to $20 range unless it is spectacularly large or comes with a bunch of sides (neither applied here). Service was fair. We were meeting friends we had not seen since Covid, and it was difficult for the waiter to navigate our excitement and...