Made popular in Geneva, Altiro is a tapas style restaurant where each of the dishes features a unique fusion of classic Latin cuisine and innovative new flavors. When dining at Altiro, you can expect the dishes to not be like anything you have ever tried before.
For the taco lover, the menu features an expansive collection of innovative flavors and taco combinations. However, to really get a good idea of what goes down in the kitchen it’s the succulent dishes from the tapas side of the menu that really deserves all of the praise.
Altiro also serves locally sourced meats and seasonal produce, ensuring that your meal is handled with the utmost care. Plus, each of the menu items is quite affordable making multiple plates doable for any type of budget.
From just perusing the menu, I knew I had to go check out Altiro for myself so I enlisted the taste buds of my friend Melissa Kimble. We visited the quaint yet vibrant restaurant on a Saturday afternoon during the brunch hours. However, instead of eggs and bacon, our brunch was going to feature full-blown Latin cuisine.
We first began the meal by ordering a round of cocktails. I selected the Ala Florinda which comprised of Hibiscus flower, bourbon, orange liqueur, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice with a glass sprinkled smokey chili de Arbol. Trust me, it taste just as good as it sounds. It was a refreshing drink, perfect for the bountiful brunch. Melissa selected the Al Mojito which featured the traditional ingredients of Mojito but with dashes of brown sugar. The Altiro’s Mojito according to Melissa is another drink worth checking out.
We began the meal with some light appetizers beginning with guacamole dip, Al Atun, and Al Elotito. The guacamole featured a trio of flavors ranging from traditional to guacamole with hints of pear and mango. As always, chips and dip are always a win when it comes to appetizers.
Next we had the Al Atun which featured pink peppercorn, yellowfin Ahi Tuna, chipotle glaze, avocado cream cheese, chipotle aioli and it came with a warm stack of crispy tortillas. The presentation of this dish was especially appealing. The dish itself wasn’t too heavy so it was a perfect fit for an appetizer. It came in 4 pieces making it easily shareable. Eating the dish without the tortillas is satisfying, but if you want a more filling meal I would suggest testing it out by wrapping the Al Atun in the tortilla.
Next up was the Ala Poblana. This is a soup that consist of creamy roasted Poblano pepper, sour cream, queso fresco, and potatoes. This was a standout dish due to the rich flavor and smooth texture. This dish was quite plentiful in portions so you could easily get full from slurping away on the soup. I was upset with myself for not finishing it in the restaurant. This is one dish where I regret not fully indulging in it. This was a standout item of Altiro’s for sure. On my behalf, order the Ala Poblano and eat every last bit of it in memory of the soup I didn’t finish. Trust me, you won’t regret adding this to your items to check out.
While the menu focuses on a fusion of flavors, with the Al Elotito we take a journey back to traditional Mexico with the famed roasted corn that is commonly sold from street vendors. This dish is prepared the same way it is sold on the streets of Mexico with garlic aioli, serrano pepper, Epazote, onions, queso cotija, and Chile piquin. The blend of savory and spicy made this quite the scrumptious dish. Melissa was the first to try this dish and she shared how it was something that I just had to try. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the corn in the restaurant I was already full. But when I took it home and ate the corn for leftovers I swear to you that it did not sit long on my plate. Plus as I’ve mentioned before, if the leftovers taste good, then you know that the dish was prepared well. The corn was cold by the time I ate it but it’s good either way. The Al Elotito is a must order, especially if you love corn.
After we warm up our palates, we then move to the slightly heavier dishes the tapas. For our first tapas, we selected the Al Raviole. This brightly colored dish comprised of creamy Serrano pesto, red pepper Ravioli casero and topped with Basque jumbo shrimp. The delightful presentation was a perfect match for the exquisite taste of this dish. As a lover of anything in ravioli, I was quite pleased with this dish and I loved that it was drenched in the creamy sauce. There was no shortage of flavor throughout the whole dish. Even the jumbo shrimp was seasoned to perfection.
For our next tapas, Melissa selected the Al Frito. This dish featured Tilapia, organic cilantro slaw, Avocado-chipotle aioli and it was all battered in Bohemia Beer. The beer battered tilapia was delicious and featured just the right amount of tenderness. My own teeny tiny concern was the slaw portion of the dish. I’ve never been a fan of slaw because I have a thing with textures, but if you fancy textures similar to coleslaw then you’ll appreciate the cilantro slaw on the underbelly of the tilapia. It also had a slight kick to it, but the kick was tolerable so not too spicy.
As we conclude with the tapas portion of the meal, I selected the Al Poblano which is Altiro’s most popular dish. I think it has a little something to do with everyone’s favorite ingredient chicken. Let’s face it, chicken is everyone’s safe dish. If you have no idea what to order, then it’s always safe to just go with the chicken. However, even for those who like to play it safe with their food the Al Poblano is certainly not your ordinary dish. It features pan-seared lemon herb chicken, a rich creamy Poblano sauce, Poblano-corn aborio rice, and organic cilantro. After taking one bite, I completely understand why this is Altiro’s most popular dish. While the entire dish is delicious, the aborio rice steals the show from the chicken in my opinion. It has the perfect creamy texture making you wish that the bed of rice was a lot more plentiful. Whether you love chicken or not, order this dish for the impeccably prepared rice.
When we were placing our orders, both Melissa and I agreed on the Al Fundido for our taco. This dish is perfect for the cheese lover as it is literally oozing with cheese. The dish features queso Chihuahua, escabeche red onions, cilantro lime oil and it is topped off with sautéed garlic shrimp. This dish itself wasn’t too complicated and it didn’t feature any complex flavors. For those of you who just want to keep your taco safe and simple then you can’t go wrong with the Fundido. However, if you decide that you want to take your taco experience to the next level many of Altiro’s tacos will do just the trick.
My experience at Roscoe Village’s Altiro Latin Fusion was all-in-all a great experience. If you are looking for a cozy yet vibrant spot with scrumptious plates, then Altiro is definitely worth checking out. Plus, it certainly takes your lunch or dinner to the next level making it a memorable experience. Altiro has my stamp of approval!
I had a wonderful meal courtesy of Altiro and I can’t wait to check it out again!
