You’ve read about Miami’s hot tickets picked by some of the city’s leading hotel concierges. Now it’s my turn and I have one that I predict will become one of the hottest tickets in town. Deservedly so. And it’s already happening.
It’s Alter, 223 NW 23rd St. (T.305-573-5996) whose buzz has been building since opening in May. The day a friend and I went for lunch there was a two week wait for tables on weekend nights, with reservation requests from some of the big names in town. The Wynwood based Alter is the trophy of Brad Kilgore, formerly of J & G Grill at the St.Regis Bal Harbour where he worked with Jean Georges Vongerichten. That assignment was part of a pedigree that includes other famed chefs Laurent Gras and Grant Achatz. I liked the cuisine at J & G but this, Kilgore’s own restaurant (he’s the chef owner) is a different animal. Evan Benn of the Miami Herald gave it a coveted four stars and Eater.com just named it the restaurant of the year and Kilgore the chef of the year for the second year running.
Kilgore calls the cuisine progressive American with the emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and seasonal flavors. Artistic presentation is also part of the show along with the exciting cuisine. The 38 seat restaurant is industrial in design, exposed ceilings, concrete walls, and an open kitchen as centerpiece. It’s minimalistic but has some style, thanks to a wall that could be a distressed painting and a shocking pink neon sculptural light.
The menu is a printed card, one side. Here it’s about careful curation. Lunch is three courses for $29 or a tasting menu of five courses for $48. Dinner is a la carte with appetizers $13-$16 and entrees $21-30. Tasting menu and wine pairing are also offered. During Art Basel, from December 1 -5 tasting menus are offered exclusively, two seatings at 7 and 9:30 p.m. with payment in advance required through Table 8 on the website. Service was smoothe thanks to restaurant pro, Manager Partner Antoine Lecas.
Alter is one of the more exciting restaurants in Miami these days. And there’s parking nearby.
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Photo courtesy of www.travelandleisure.com
3 Responses
We had a delicious and artistic experience when we celebrated our anniversary at Alter last night.
What was your favorite dish?
loved the food and atmosphere at the st regis so I will give this one a try….so often new restaurants are all icing and no cake , and it may be that I am a jade but I am frequently underwhelmed