Given the supremacy of Mexican and Central American cuisines in greater Los Angeles, it’s noteworthy when flavors from South American countries make a mark in the city; think Carlitos Gardel’s Argentine steakhouse fare, H&H’s Brazilian barbecue specialties,
and now the Argentine-Uruguayan wood-fired dishes from Studio City’s Alto. Coming from chef Esteban Klenzi and Juana Castellanos, the rustic dining room with mottled blue hues, soft white skylights, and dark mahogany beams visually gives way to the lower-level open wood-fired kitchen. The roar of the fires and gentle music render a magical, escapist quality, like you’re pulled into a hidden restaurant inside a five-star hotel in Buenos Aires. Once seated, you’re likely going to start with one of four house breads, like the tapioca cheese bread or torta frita dressed with rosemary honey. From there, you can choose your meat-filled adventure that will progress from charred beef empanadas and sweetbreads to Argentine-style asado.
What to order
- Start with a sparkling vermouth soda like the Rosado, Nebbiolo Cortese rose and 9 Di Dante vermouths from Italy mixed with bubbly water. The slightly bitter, slightly sweet drink gets you right into the proper Argentine mood.
- Servers will recommend multiple breads to begin, but I recommend the Chipa, a cheesy tapioca bread paired with a bright red tomato butter covered in toasted hazelnuts for a pull-apart loaf you won’t want to share (but should, because there will be a lot of food to come).
- The lettuces in the burnt avocado salad are arguably better than the main event (the avocado’s char, while visually arresting, doesn’t stand out powerfully in terms of flavor); the tangle of frisee and arugula dressed with crispy shallots and sweet vinaigrette works as the utmost appetite enhancer.
- Hamachi crudo, based on fish processed ikejime-style (instantly), stands out in a landscape of endless raw yellowtail preparations. Thick, plump slices get placed in a chilled, smoked fennel broth with crunch from purple radish slices and pops of umami from sea grape (caviar-like algae).
- The OG empanada, blackened like a Neapolitan pizza crust, comes with roughly chopped beef inside instead of the more common ground variety; it’s served with a balanced llajua sauce, a pico de gallo-like Bolivian salsa. Get one empanada per person to prevent a table fight.
- Sweetbreads may be the best dish on the menu: seared meaty nodules swimming in a sweet, roasted onion broth and garnished with charred green onion stems. The construction feels inspired by izakaya-style agedashi tofu.
- Dry-aged beef short rib asado is good, but the kombu-cured pork chop proves even better. The non-traditional preparation allows the seaweed’s umami to meld with the relatively mild pork, even more amplified when cooks place the seaweed and pork right on the grill for something resembling the smoky aromatics of pit-roasted barbacoa. It will be the night’s stunner.
- The metal plate of roasted piquillo peppers might be the greatest side dish in Los Angeles, featuring a millimeter-thin layer of sweet, vegetal chiles singed by charcoal fire on the edges and covered in a layer of beef tallow.
Insider tip
The bar offers a very reasonable get-in price (expect a typical seated dinner to run $150 or more). Try the chimichurri-filled choripan (sausage sandwich) or the beef milanesa topped with mozzarella and white onions, washed down with vermouth cocktails.
Best for
Splurge-worthy weekend dinners for folks celebrating an anniversary; people tired of the strictures of tasting menus and eager for a playful but finesse-filled meal; wine geeks who haven’t had the chance to try more esoteric Uruguayan and Argentine bottles.
The takeaway
At this point, Angelenos are fairly well-versed in the folkloric hallmarks of Argentine cuisine: empanadas, asado, chimichurri. Alto raises the bar with refined preparations that will still feel familiar while infusing Uruguayan through lines that make the spread distinct and different from any other similar steakhouse. Klenzi lets the wood-fired grill lead most of the flavors, like molten piquillo peppers or the dizzyingly complex pork chop that you’ll remember until your next visit.
