Alto Pizzeria
This entry was posted on 7/3/2011 11:57 AM and is filed under New Openings, Italian.
We're frequently seeking somewhere new that stays open late so we can dine after the theater or ballet. Alto fits that bill, and we stopped in one recent Saturday evening. We aren't big fans of the RDG enterprise offerrings, having not even reviewed RDG on this blog. But we like pizza, and we live not far from the new West Ave center. With the restaurant's pedigree, we weren't sure what to expect in terms of the crowd but, later in the evening, there were plenty of tables. No reservations are taken.
The restaurant is very attractive. Contemporary, dark woods, huge windows overlooking Kirby, comfortable seating in almost a lounge like environment. There's an open kitchen, with a view to the brick oven from which many of the menu offerrings emerge. The attitude of the server was a little nonchalant, but we can't fault his timeliness. And he did graciously replace one of the signature wine cooler type drinks that we found too sweet.
We started with the oven roasted mussels. Baked in the oven in a copper pot in a white wine and herb infused broth, the mussels were tasty enough. To their credit (or detriment, depending on one's perspective), the broth was quite light, no cream in sight. We were looking for a litle more flavor, but we weren't filled up before our pizza arrived. We ordered Alto's version of the meat lover's pizza, topped with salami, italian sausage, and pepperoni, as well as mushrooms and provolone. Was it one of the best pizza's we've ever had? No. Did we scarf it down with no leftovers? Yes.
Will we race back when we need a pizza fix? Probably not. Will we go back when we're looking for a nice post-theater environment for a glass of wine and a bite to eat? Probably yes.
2400 Kirby (in the West Ave center at Westheimer)
713/386-6460
http://www.avaalto.com/alto/
