ALTA has been a long time coming. The restaurant finally opened on February 28, 2017 and since then I’ve gone three times. I had a lot to say about this place, and not enough time on CBC radio to say it.
It’s a highly ambitious approach from Ben Staley whose menu at this 30 seat wine bar on Jasper Avenue has only 13 items (including two desserts). I say ambitious because every dish here is served cold or room temp. That in itself, isn’t a bad thing, but you’re asking customers to adhere to your very specific food philosophy where few items are offered—and that is a dangerous approach if you want to make money. Add to that a narrow wine list of only natural wines (known for their ‘funkiness’ and most definitely not for every palate) to pair with a fairly unique culinary concept (local but Nordic influenced). It’s not that Edmontonians are averse to risk; we are in fact known as a city rife with risk takers (in business and food from sold-out bear dinners to a place like Noorish that offers raw foods) but when it comes to succeeding in one of the most difficult industries out there, you need bodies to fill those seats, so no matter how beautiful your dishes look on Instagram, if you aren’t bringing people to your yard with overgrown coriander, pine emulsion, and pickled baby peaches, then something needs to change. Visiting ALTA out of curiosity and having no desire to come back does not a successful venture make, and when seats don’t get filled, it doesn’t take long before corners get cut and concepts get diluted out of desperation to remain afloat.
It’s April 24th, two degrees Celsius, and snowing here in Edmonton today, and a plate of pickled vegetables or some charred romaine—lovely as it is—is not what I want to comfort my belly on this cold and grey late spring day.
I appreciate Staley’s commitment to using only local and regional ingredients. Absolutely commendable. Overboard in some cases? Yes: no pepper, no citrus, no chocolate, and in the case of the black malt tart made to mimic chocolate: ruinous. He is talented, that’s irrefutable, and I championed him during his short time at North 53, but a successful chef—especially if that chef owns or co-owns the restaurant—also needs to know the business aspect of operating a restaurant, and that includes how to establish a connection with the people who matter; the customers. Not sure if the 24-year-old chef is there quite yet.
You can listen to my on-air review on CBC Edmonton AM, or read the follow up article on the web.
All the food:
Top: Unripe plums, cured and marinated like an olive – savoury, tangy, heavy on the thyme, with various textures. Preferred the crisp ones over the soft ones; odd but they grew on us. Some soft, some crunchy. Bottom: Malted hazelnuts – malt is one of the hardest things to describe: toasty/grainy/heady.
Cocktail made by Natasha Trowsdale. Clean, sophisticated and balanced.
Chicken liver on brioche/ pickled berries/ balsamic/sunflower shoots: lovely chicken liver, beautifully presented on brioche, topped with sunflower shoots and berries. Would like to see this on the sourdough bread instead of the brioche; that liver needs a more substantial base.
Sourdough bread with cultured butter.
Plate of last year’s preserves. Green coriander and yogurt whey salami with fermented tomato gastrique. These two items need to go together. The fatty salami is the perfect complement to the acidic preserves.
Lamb tartare with chickpea “miso”, pickled baby peaches, potato crisps. The meat is a combination of dice and ground; an odd texture made more odd by the chickpea “miso”. The baby peaches, although not very attractive, were an interesting component with the right acidity needed to bring out some much needed flavour in the meat.
Charred romaine with various seaweeds, fried garlic and hemp hearts. The surprise dish of the (one) night. Other than struggling to cut through the lettuce, this was a surprisingly satisfying dish.
Salmon, lightly cooked with charred cucumber/ buttermilk/ dill. The fish is moist, colourful and because it is cooked sous vide, the richness of the flesh is still retained.
Mussels, marinated in beer, vinegar & pine/celery/parsley stem. Despite all the ingredients, this dish lacked punch/ wow/ pizzazz. Perhaps the most forgettable of all the dishes.
Tart of black malt & freeze dried black currants: black malt, beeswax and brown butter, brought together to mimic chocolate. Texture and flavour didn’t work at all.
What a disappointing outlook on such an amazing addition to our city. I am in complete admiration of what ALTA is. I have eaten there three times and they have been the most memorable meals I’ve had in this city. There is nothing like this in Edmonton and we are so lucky to have this. We should be supporting this sort of creative endeavour. Keep it up Ben Staley. Glad to have you back.
Thanks, Anna. I agree, this is disappointing. I expected greater things for ALTA. Seeing the restaurant so empty is not a good indicator of things to come. The Edmonton food scene is an exciting one and Edmontonians are willing to embrace new concepts. In order to support a concept though, the customer has to feel they’ve not only received good food, but good value and a pleasurable, satisfying experience. Ambience, drinks, service, food, and comfort all factor in. ALTA is coming up short in a few of those places. I agree that Staley is creative; that’s never been the issue.
Sorry Twyla, I think you walked into Alta with a Pecan Pie frame of mind. It’s time to start experimenting with the ingredients that grow all around us. I love Alta’s comforting space, stoneware, thoughtful bathroom toiletries and friendly service. It’s tidy and modern without feeling uncomfortable. The plums are Alberta’s olives, the malt is our version of chocolate, the salami was perfect for me. This is where I feel comfortable and want to spend my money. I am tired of Fried Chicken and I can’t wait to gorge on Alta’s summer season. Alta is excellent value, pleasurable in every way and very satisfying to me. It’s an education and a eye opening experience that keeps me coming back for more. I support and admire restaurants like Noma, Faviken and Alta! Go Ben GO!
Hi Carla, thanks for your comment. No “Pecan Pie frame of mind” here. I’ve been promoting local bounty for almost 20 years and am well aware of what grows here. Along with good tasting food, I appreciate authenticity, originality and food that speaks of a place and time. Restaurants are more than food, though, and so are restaurant reviews. I do not find Alta’s space comforting at all. I find it beautiful, but not comfortable. I wish more people found ALTA as pleasurable as you but I think the empty seats speak for themselves. Like I’ve said, Staley is talented, and I really enjoyed a couple of dishes, but after 3 tries, ALTA left me wanting. Oh…and, I’m not huge on the fried chicken trend either; we have that in common. 🙂
Your review is laughable Twyla. I’m surprised the CBC allowed such subjective nonsense.
Keep it up Ben Staley.
Food reviews ARE subjective, Daniel. They are based on personal experiences. News is objectively reported, but I’m not a reporter. I talk of the good and the bad based on my experience, and out of the three experiences I had at ALTA, there were good and bad points – which I noted. I want Staley to succeed, as well, and I cringe every time I drive by and see the restaurant empty. If people aren’t going because they look at the menu and find it unappealing, that’s a problem. If they go but don’t come back because of an unsatisfying experience (food, drink, ambience, service — one thing or the whole shebang) then that’s Staley’s fault, not mine for talking about it.
If you want to see Ben succeed Twyla, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to let your “followers” know that they ought to fill the seats and try the amazing food? Seems that a more logical approach to continually pointing out that the space is empty. – D
Actually, no, Daniel, that wouldn’t be appropriate. My job is to give an honest review of the experience, that’s all. Plus, the food was not “amazing”. I want Ben to succeed as I want all other chefs in this city to succeed, but false praise does no one any good. That being said, I did praise him (in the on-air review as well as the web article) for the things I felt were praise-worthy.