Alta Strada

Last weekend, after a marathon day of shopping, GK and I found ourselves in the vicinity of the town of Wellesley, Mass., and in dire need of some dinner.  Not being super familiar with the culinary options in the area, we whipped out GK's iphone, did some quick searching, and decided on Alta Strada, an Italian restaurant that seemed to have a promising menu and good online reviews.  The place was packed, which we took to be a good sign, but luckily a table for two opened up quickly and we were able to sit back and ogle the menu while admiring the cozy, warm atmosphere and loud din of cheerful people enjoying good food.

A large chunk of rustico Italian bread with olive oil for dipping was immediately brought to our table, which was just enough to hold us over until our other dishes arrived.  The bread was that perfect combination of soft and chewy on the inside, but crusty and hearty on the outside. 

After the bread had perked us up a bit, we ordered prosciutto with fig jam and crostini to share.

 The presentation was lovely, with two long pieces of crostini that were covered in the jam and surrounded by a generous dusting of prosciutto.  The crostini was toasted to perfection and would have been delightful all on its own, but why not eat of a huge portion of proscuitto when its right in front of you?

GK and I quickly demolished the starter and then moved on to pasta.  It was a difficult decision to make with so many tempting options on the menu, but GK went for Veal and Spinach Agnolotti with brown butter and roasted tomatoes:

and I chose the Linguine Amatriciana with pancetta and caramelized onions.

Both dishes were the stuff of foodies' dreams.  All of the flavors in the agnolotti were so fresh and complemented each other so well, while the amatriciana sauce on the linguine had just the right amount of heat.  After finishing off most of what was on our plates, we sadly had to throw in the towel as we were both too stuffed to order dessert (How embarrassing.  This is not usually a problem that I have).  I'd love to go back soon though and give it a better go......try some of the other pasta dishes, work my way through the antipasti options, explore some of the desserts, or just linger with a bottle of wine and people watch.

It would be the perfect place to hole up with a nice velvety red, lots of carbs, and good friends to keep you happy and warm on a chilly autumn night.  Maybe I'll see you there?

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