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At Alto, Scott Conant's urbane, sophisticated, somewhat calculated new establishment in midtown, the L'Impero hand follows the script of the aspiring four-star chef with a practiced acolyte’s zeal. The tone is elevated to such a refined, even high-strung, degree that you might have a difficult time knowing the food is Italian. The restaurant is located behind a small courtyard, discreetly tucked behind the Thomas Pink store on Madison Avenue. The rooms, which are neatly designed to give a sense of intimacy as well as loft, are filled with wait staff gliding to and fro in a practiced, choreographed way. Once seated, diners are strafed relentlessly by waiters proffering bottles of spa water and baskets of artisanal bread. The area for which Alto is named is known for hearty Aryan food like pork dishes and lots of dumplings, although it's doubtful you’d encounter anything there quite as rarified as Conant’s porcini-and-Swiss-chard ravioli. Other dumplings appear on the excellent pasta section of the menu. These inventive Italianate flourishes are more muted in the entrée section of the menu. Among the fish dishes, the pike and the crunchy-skinned Japanese sea bass were very good. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Prix-Fixe Menu

Three-course espresso lunch, $30; four-course dinner, $75

Tasting Menu
Seven-course seasonal dinner, $115

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

• Adam Platt's Full Review (6/13/05)

Best of New York Awards

• Best Veal Chop (2008)

Featured In

• Where to Eat 2008 (1/7/08)
• It's White Truffle Season (10/22/07)
• 101 Best New York Restaurants for 2006 (1/9/06)

Recipes at Alto

• Ramp Risotto (2005)