With its combination of high-end quality and neighborhood comfort, Michael Schlow’s Alta Strada (www.altastrada-wellesley.com) is the perfect spot for the high-end neighborhood of Wellesley Center.
The clean, narrow eatery invites guests from the large street-side windows to the open kitchen in the rear. Along one side is a long, uncluttered bar, backed by a simple, hand-picked set of Italian and American wines, beers, and cordials and flanked by an espresso/cappuccino machine and a charcuterie cutter that offers the most delicious slices of house-cured meats. The walls and floors are of the same brick and wood that make the food so delicious and line the rest of the space with rows of dishcloth-topped tables that can fit any romantic evening, family get together or private event.
In addition to entire menus of single-malt Scotches, Rye, Bourbons, Tequlias and apertifs (including such Italian classics as Campari and Aperol), Alta Strada’s creative bar team offers signature beverages like the Limoncello martini, Marrone Negroni, and seasonal sangrias, as well as the Bourbon revolution (with Tuaca and Cassis) and the Rum or Death (featuring Astra Luna’s award-winning Liberty Tree Rum). For those who want a special treat without alcohol, their own special root beer is a big hit.
No matter what you drink, the main focus at Alta Strada is the food. Among the extra-special featured specials are an 18-hour braised short rib and their ever-evolving cheese board. But with an antipasti menu that offers Caprese salad with fresh Mozzarella, sautéed calamari, cranberry bean salad and crunchy meatballs, a list of amazing pizzas including the sweet and savory mushroom and Fontina and a carnivorous cadre that runs from slow roasted salmon with pesto and white beans to grilled Heritage Farm pork chop with peas and green beans and old fashioned chicken with lemon and capers to grilled hanger steak with root vegetables, not to mention their amazing pastas that range from spaghettini to mushroom lune and wild boar cavatelli to spicy chitarra with lobster and shrimp, there is never a bad night or a bad choice.
Downstairs from the main dining room is a prepared food market with its own small seating area. Among the ready-to-go favorites available in the gleaming glass case are antipasti selections ranging from eggplant caponata and marinated olives to Sicilian tuna and homemade Ricotta, two-sized pizzas that can be topped with anything from local produce to sausage and other meats, fresh-made mac & cheese and other pastas, and such sandwiches as Mamma Zecca’s eggplant parm and their famed Italian social club. There are even full entrees such as chicken Milanese and grilled salmon and Alta Strada’s famed desserts, including tiramisu, budinos and cheesecake.
Speaking of dessert, while the fresh pastries and gelati are all delicious, Alta Strada is known for its make-your-own Mascarporeos, which are just as creative and delicious as they sound!
So whether you want to cap off a day of upscale shopping or enjoy some downtown style in the local neighborhood, Alta Strada sets the high mark for food and flair.