A flavor explosion thanks to BRUSSEL SPROUTS from Alta

So I was walking home from work recently on 10th st. heading East from 6th Ave. (one of my favorite blocks because of the Brownstones) and I poked my nose in to a what looked like a tiny restaurant Alta which simply had a tapas menu with mostly Mediterranean looking dishes and a nice looking wine list. As I continued my walk I thought that this would be a perfect place for my friend Debbie and I to grab a drink and maybe a snack after work.

Once I got home, I had to do my research and see if this place was considered any good by my trusty Zagat (thanks Paul). According to Zagat it was a mix of Meditarranean influences with a great wine selection. The review said if you go there that one must try the "Crispy Brussel Sprouts." Now the way I feel about food and restaurant reviews no matter where they come from is similar to how I feel about movie reviews which is to say that even if the review is not so stellar and I am slightly interested, then I am going no matter what. So it was to be that Debbie and I were meeting at Alta for post work happiness.

Debbie snagged us 2 seats at the bar which was perfect because this is where all of the good people watching is but on the other hand we had some interesting commentary from our neighbor, more on that later. The first order of business for me was to order the crispy brussel sprouts which according to the menu came with fuji apples, crème fraiche and pistachio nuts. Being the dietitian I still had to think of calories (I know they are crispy) so I asked the bar tender to nix the crème fraiche which is equivalent to sour cream. We also ordered a plate of bacon wrapped dates.

The brussel sprouts arrived and I was very happy because for a small plate, the portion was a very generous bowl. I did not ask how they were prepared but my sense is that they roasted the brussel sprouts until the edges were slightly black and crispy enough to make some of the leaves come off which added to the depth of the texture. The fuji apples are sliced thin and in a slight cinammon sauce which is then incorporated with the brussel sprouts. The dish is topped with a bit of crushed pistachios that tasted great but from a color perspective boring to have green on green. The overall taste was amazing (a true flavor explosion) and just the right amount of bitter/savory/salty and slight sweetness which happens to be one of my favorite flavor combos think salted caramels. The bacon wrapped olives were ok (hello bacon is goood) but they paled in comparison to the brussel sprouts.

At this point, I was feeling good after having 1 glass of white wine and half a bowl of yummy brussel sprouts along with 3 bites of bacon wrapped stuff. Debbie and I had not planned on eating a full meal but we both agreed that we could go for another nibble of something. Debbie said that she would gladly have more brussel sprouts but that she would leave the choice up to me (I never did ask her if it is because food means so much to me that I have a hard time deciding which I know to some of my friends it can be seen as a problem). Naturally, I tortured the bartender to get his opinion on what we should order next. His suggestion was the pulled pork empanadas which sounded good but I asked him if it was a "FLAVOR EXPLOSION" like the brussel sprouts which he replied no it is not but they are good. The bartender naturally suggested we get both so we said ok but then as he started to walk away we yelled after him to just put the order in for the empanadas and forget about the 2nd order of brussel sprouts which he nodded ok.

Fast forward to a bit later when the bartender came over and dropped the empanadas and another bowl of brussel sprouts in front of us. We were surprised and said didn't you hear us we only wanted the empanadas? The bartender was so sweet and said "don't worry I will take it off the check for you guys, once we drop a plate down it is down and we can't take it back to the kitchen so enjoy it." Enjoy it we did and felt nice and satisfied. At this point I was thinking that the taste of the brussel sprouts was still good the second time around until a little while later the bartender just dropped off ANOTHER (#3) bowl of BRUSSEL SPROUTS and these fried goat cheese balls that were sitting in some lavender infused honey. Debbie laughed and said this is an embaresment of riches, where did these come from but the bartender only shrugged his shoulders and topped of our wine glasses also without asking.



We were not going to ask too many questions so we decided to eat the food and give the bartender a large tip, perhaps that was his strategy. I did not really enjoy the 3rd bowl of brussel sprouts the same way I enjoyed the first but I am sure most people would not even eat a 2nd bowl. The goat cheese balls were good but how can you really mess up fried cheese.

Now I promised to add the interesting commentary from our neighbor who was sitting to Debbie's right which was one seat closer to the door. When people came in or out, the door opened and gave us a cold blast so this guy thinking he was funny or witty or something said to Debbie "the downside of working out and having no body fat is that I get cold easily" to which I said to myself that perhaps he should eat more often. What a ridiculous comment.

The end of the evening approached so I went to use the ladies room before my journey home and discovered that the restaurant was much bigger than I originally thought. It is very big and nice to sit if you have a group. I am sure most people are in shock at the fact that I ate 1 1/2 bowls of brussel sprouts but on the up side I managed to get all of my vegeatble serving in one sitting. As the American Dietetic Association catch phrase goes for fruits & vegetables "MORE Matters"

The brussel sprouts are highly recommended by me but just keep in mind that sometimes more is not always better especially when you are dealing with roughage.

I walked home full, happy, and pretty darn fast.