Alter

The best food at Wyndwood, no words to describe the food, it melts in your mouth, seemly exquisite 10 over 10

Having seen Alter at the top of Eater’s heat maps for Miami’s new restaurants, I decided to book a reservation 2 – 3 weeks in advance of our Miami trip. I waffled a bit between going to fine dining (Alter) or opting for a more authentic Little Habana experience. Boy am I glad I followed through with Alter! The meal was by far the most memorable and innovative of the meals over 4 days (mind you, even compared to a $ 125 prefixe at another well known establishment).
On a Saturday evening right after the new year, the restaurant was bustling but service was excellent. We were seated a good 15 mins ahead of our reservation and our waiter was extremely attentive throughout the next two hours. Instead of the Chef’s Tasting, we opted for a la carte — a combination of their best dishes and couple of dishes that caught our eye. If you’re going a la carte — GET THE SOFT EGG! It will blow your mind. A fluffy almost effervescent concoction that’s both flavorful and decadent. The grouper cheeks was also phenomenal — that bed of black rice was so on point. To be honest, while the Chef’s Tasting Menu has all of their best hits, I’m glad we ordered a la carte. Portions were significantly larger than the Chef’s Tasting menu dishes — the couple in the table next to us even commented on it loudly.
Trendy atmosphere, clean semi-​industrial finishes and really innovative food with great flavors. A must if you’re looking for a memorable meal in Wynwood /​Miami!
P. S. It’s a supertrendy restaurant with rave reviews. If you’re going on the weekend, definitely plan ahead. It’s not a place to casually «drop by».

Went to Alter after having read various reviews touting the chef, etc… unfortunately we were RUDELY turned away by the host who let us know in the snobbiest way possible that they weren’t open till 7pm (it was 5:30). «Ok,» my CHEF husband and I said. «We’ll be back at 7 pm.» «Have a good night,» said the host, basically telling us not to bother going back.
Twenty minutes later, we went back to speak to the owner, who was basically clueless; and the host, who feigned ignorance. Both my husband and I worked for YEARS in the restaurant business in NYC; we know what customer service means. Unfortunately, it seems the staff at Alter are believing their own paid-​for PR and forgetting that the primary factor people pay for at a restaurant isn’t the food, but the EXPERIENCE.
Don’t waste your money.

I just called to try and get a reservation for tonight and this was the conversation…
«I’m looking to make a reservation for tonight.»
«Today is a Saturday… …we’re fully booked.»
«Okay, is it possible to wait around until something opens up?»
«Absolutely not. We don’t do that. That doesn’t work on a Saturday at THIS kind of restaurant.»
This phone conversation reminded me of Patrick Bateman calling Dorcia in American Psycho. I would have loved to try the food but it’s hard to justify it when the host treats you like that.

Any serious foodie will love this place. Alter is fresh and innovative. Probably one of the best restaurants in Miami right now. Flavors are clean and sophisticated. The menu changes often to reflect the changes of the seasons and the availability of local ingredients. I happen to go there for lunch and loved everything and everything was presented beautifully. You go there for the food and to support a truly innovative Chef who is making a difference in Miami… and Chef Kilgore is doing so at at very reasonable prices…(which is impossible to find in Miami nowadays!). Will definitely go back and will tell people about it.

Party of seven opened the restaurant
Food exciting see other reviews Soft egg special as were the grouper cheeks everyone happy with their dishes
Cocktails good
Desert yummy
Service a bit slow place very busy
Definitely a place for foodies
Energetic which was what we were looking for

As good as it gets in Miami!
All the dishes we tried were top drawer, including soft egg, tomato salad, scallops, short rib and carrot cake Plus great service.
Enjoyed eating at the chef’s bar in view of the food preparation (they really attend to the details).
Bravo to the chef and staff!

Alter is a great place serving excellent food in Miami’s Wynwood arts district. It is those sort of places with mixed crowd enjoying good food, good drinks and wines listening good music. Their softeggs is a must have. Prepared with sea scallops foam, truffle, gruyère cheese and caviar.

Went here today and the food was ah-​mazing. The place is nicely decorated and is trendy.
I love their prix-​fixe lunch menu. It’s very simplistic and keeps you from agonizing over a plethora of food options. I had the risotto, the duck leg confit and the meringue and they were all perfectly cooked and delicious. The quality and quantity of food was a great deal for $ 29.
The only negatives here are parking. There is street parking but no valet. Also, it took us over 30 minutes to get our appetizers. I think there was an issue with our order in the kitchen but once we finally got out appetizers the other courses followed in a timely fashion.

Beautiful, creative, and delightfully delicious. I’ve finally had the pleasure to try out Alter, it met and exceeded many expectations. Although I came for lunch the menu was perfect.
Apps:soft egg, blue crab
Entrée: duck leg confit, scallops
Dessert: meringue, chocolate mousse
Each dish was a work of art, almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Every taste was so well thought out and delivered perfectly, thanks Chef you have a wonderful team.
The service was great as well, and can’t wait to revisit and try more!

I want to go back and change all my five star reviews to four star reviews because of Alter.
No dining experience I have had in Miami-​Dade county can even compare to the level of technical execution I witnessed on a Tuesday night.
The meal itself was flavorful and balanced and lovely and all the food was excellent — but where Alter really shines is the unparalleled service. Every dish came out at just the right time at just the right temperature. It seems like a strange thing to think about, but the attention to detail at Alter is so excessive that even the cadence of the meal was perfect.
The real stunner in our meal was the «pastrami» roasted vegetarian dish: even the vegetarian dish (often overlooked and usually very bland on other menus) was packed with flavor and cooked to exactly the right tenderness. Incredible.
Excellent.

BRAD KILGORE! :bows down:
This little slice of heaven was everything I thought it would be multiplied by 100. The food was mouthwatering (not kidding all other food has lost its taste) and the service was exceptional. I loved the location and the setup of the restaurant. It is small enough to be intimate but large enough so that you don’t feel as if you are sitting on top of the person at the table next to you. If you have any questions about which app, entrée or dessert would best suite your palette, the waiters can definitely point you in the right direction.
I went on a girl’s date with my mom, aunt and sister. We decided to get the chef’s tasting menu because everything looked so good that we couldn’t decide what to get. Honestly, it was the best thing we could have done. We started off with the local crudo (beautifully prepared), the risotto (the dill really turned up the flavor on this dish) and the soft egg. The soft egg was amazing. It was a party in my mouth, you MUST try this when you go. For the entrée we were served the BLT. The BLT at Alter is unlike any other BLT you will eat anywhere else. It is savory and tangy and crunchy all in one bite. Onto dessert… I love dessert and the chocolate mousse was everything a chocoholic dreams about with a hint of mint and crunchy chocolate goodness.
Do not miss out on this restaurant. Go now before you have to make reservations 2 months in advance!

It’s almost painful for me to write this. Why you ask? Because it forces me to reflect upon the fact that Miami has an absolutely awful culinary scene and that the people of Miami don’t comprehend what excellent cuisine should entail. People will read this and say NO way! Miami has an awesome culinary scene. Uhhh… no. I’m sorry. Compared to Manhattan and even LA, Miami is pretty far behind but has so much potential.
Why are there not restaurants like Alter on every block?
Why do people flock to Prime 112 and the like? Where the portion size is so big it sends you into cardiac arrest.
I
don’t
get
it.
My favorite little gem used to be Shikany. That is now long gone and I’ve had quite the bone to pick with Miami residents for not supporting such a truly unique culinary experience. What went wrong? Who knows… but Alter seems to have it all together.
Ambiance:
Alter has an artistic yet rustic down to earth vibe. I feel as if the food does’t really fit with the ambiance but I think that for Miami you have to play it down because Miami isn’t ready for the total package (amazingly high-​end décor as well as food). You kind of have to pick one or the other. I get it.
My friend Tim who is a local sommelier recommended that I try Alter and I didn’t waste much time. I went for lunch the very next day. I love that Alter offers a prix-​fixe menu even for lunch. For $ 48, I felt like we were getting a deal actually.
Food:
IF YOU DON’T GET THE TASTING MENU,
SHAME
ON
YOU!!!
+++ Local Crudo with hibiscus ponzu, key lime curd, raw tomato, green apple — Started the meal off on an excellent foot. Extremely light and refreshing but bursting with flavor. I absolutely loved this dish. The plating was SPECTACULAR. Extremely creative and really well done.
+++ Blue crab shumai — with thai green curry, cilantro relish, kumquat, rice crisps — Again another really well plated dish. I seriously didn’t want to eat it. So delicious. It melted in my mouth.
+++ Risotto with royal shrimp, dill, boursin, preserved lemon — I’ve never had risotto with boursin cheese. Have you? If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? I have stomach issues. Without going into much detail, I love risotto… BUT it literally destroys my stomach. It will hurt for like years. Boursin cheese? Light as air. It was so light and definitely the best risotto I’ve ever had.
+++ Duck confit with pearl onion kimchi, young cabbage, cashew condiment, black garlic — I personally don’t enjoy duck but I still tried it and it was pretty good although I cannot be an accurate judge of this. My friend tried it and loved it/​ate my portion and loved it.
+++ Chocolate mousse with mint ice cream, chocolate streusel, hibiscus — Holy s#!T Helllllloo! Gosh this was amazing. I’m a huge chocolate lover AND mint ice cream lover. This sent me into bliss.
Service:
On point. It was lunch and the restaurant is relatively small so I don’t think they will have issues as far as the service goes but I was not disappointed.
For Miami, the food presentation of Alter is literally in its own class/​category. There is not one restaurant that has this type of cuisine. None. Not only that, but the food is actually really delicious. The prices are extremely low for what this restaurant delivers and I just truly hope that Miami people will get their acts together and realize this!
Yum!

I have to give this place 5 stars. My second time here and wow what a culinary adventure I was on!
Just the sheer quality of food… Leave aside the ambience and the great service… Food is truly exceptional… If you’re a foodie this is a place you must visit. Every dish is exquisite and makes you stop for a few seconds to savor each bite. Definitely worth a try.

Thanks to Savanna M’s effort on organizing this UYE, I was finally able to taste the food of this restaurant which I’ve bookmarked for a long time. Both my wife and I was looking forward to this event for a long time.
After I found a parking spot, which amazingly was pretty easy, we started to walk around before we arrive at the restaurant. Wynwood is a pretty unique and eccentric place. It’s full of energetic vibes which gave you a totally different experience unlike everyplace else. Therefore, I had very high expectation of this restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, the décor feels very nice, clean and modern. We had a reservation for party of 11, most fellow Unilocalers!, most of us choose to try their Miami Spice menu. For $ 23.00, you get an appetizer, an entrée with a desert, that’s a great bargain! And they certainly didn’t disappoint!
For starters, both my wife and I ordered their signature cocktail Melon Cooler. It was light, refreshing and delicious. It was so good we each had two! For the appetizer, I went with their Scallop Carpaccio. The scallop was thin which made it tasted light and pleasant. Personally, I think a little acid on the scallop would bring the dish to another level. For entrée I went with the Glazed Brisket. The meat had a very good smokey flavor and not dry. Love the salad on the side, was looking for a fresh element in the dish. And for desert, I had their Chocolate Mousse. I normally dont eat desert, but that mousse was not too sweet, and very smooth. I love they added a little salt in the dish, which balanced well with the sweetness to the mousse.
Over all, it was a very good experience. Everyone in our party enjoyed their food. The service was excellent. Our waiter was friendly and helpful in explaining the different items in the menu. This is certainly on top of our list to go back again!

My first UYE setup by my friend Savanna M. (She rocks, BTW).
I expect parking is typically an issue there, but were lucky enough to find on-​street parking a couple of blocks away.
Let’s start with the appearance and setup of the restaurant. The décor is kind of a modern raw industrial, if that makes any sense. What I liked most about the setup is that it is an open kitchen. Although you can’t see exactly the food prep because of the counter height, you can see the flurry of activity and how seamless they all seem to work together. Overall it was a trendy but casual feel. I was dumb enough to not take photos of the restaurant itself. So you will just need to come see for yourself.
My first time here and I liked the variety on the menu. Not easy to make a selection because everything seem good. Fortunately, my friend and I decided to order different things and sneak a taste of each others courses (so we got a really good feel for the flavors showcased).
The presentation of the food was outstanding. One of my favorite things about going to eat at restaurants like this is to see their creativity with the presentation. Everyone knows you eat with your eyes first, then your nose, then your mouth. It all needs to be present to have the proper dining experience. Food presentation to me is like experiencing a find wine or viewing artwork, not appreciated by everyone, but those who appreciate it will get more out of life.
(Shhhhh…I even have purchased books on plating food so I can do it myself at home.)
Each course I tried from my plate and hers were all very good. I liked the Blue Crab Shumai the best and my final cheese course the least (the cheese was not super creative). I did enjoy the Rock Shrimp Roll, it was a twist on the Lobster Roll that I grew up with in the Northeast.
I will definitely be back and love to see how the menu evolves.

Huge thanks to Savanna M. for setting up the UYE. She gets my vote for the title of UYE Queen!
This restaurant is really low profile and you can easily walk by ten times and not notice it. Walking in, the space is smallish, with an open kitchen almost as big as the dining area.
First, let me just say delicious ten times and get it out of the way, to avoid repeating myself upcoming. Also, the restaurant sources most ingredients within Florida, so you taste freshness in every bite.
For appetizers, the scallop carpaccio is millimeters thin, soaking in a light lemongrass consommé. Fresh and tender, but probably not for someone with a good appetite. I couldn’t resist paying extra $ 9 (used to be $ 7 in August) for the soft egg, and it didn’t disappoint. The construction of the dish is ingenious: creamy espuma on top, and when you get familiar with the taste, your spoon hit against something hard — a layer of bacon, adding crunch and saltiness. There are also some truffle pearls which while not very fragrant again provide another dimension of texture and taste. At the bottom of the bowl is a soft egg yolk, again turning up the notch on flavor, ending the bowl in a satisfying rich creaminess.
I thought the entrée rock shrimp roll was something like a sushi roll or summer roll, but turns out it’s more like a lobster roll. A trench was dug into a thick slice of toasted bread and stuffed with shrimps that are fresh and firm to the bite. The eggplant «pastrami» came out looking like a skirt steak in a creamy sweet purée.
My dessert, the panna cotta, is a winner in both looks and flavor. Love the coconut pearls with the intense burst of flavor. If you like cheese, definitely try the tomme, from Cypress Point Creamery near Gainesville. Made with raw Jersey cow’s milk, it is not dense but slightly crumbly with a nutty and earthy flavor.
For the taste of the dishes, quality of the ingredients, creativity and presentation, down to the service, it’s all around a five star experience, and at the Miami Spice price, it’s totally worth trying, if you’ve never been to this restaurant.

Alter may be the best restaurant in Miami. I’m convinced chef/​owner Brad Kilgore could stand toe-​to-​toe with top chefs in NY and San Francisco, and if he isn’t renowned now, he will be. While not inexpensive, I’ve had meals that cost much more and yet didn’t quite quite equal the combination of food and service — which is world-​class. As you can tell, my wife and I plan on coming here again, and again, and again…
Like most restaurants in Wynwood, the exterior is modest and doesn’t advertise it’s presence strongly, so you need to look. The interior is a mix of elegant details in an industrial-​chic style space. The service was universally great. Every server was clearly educated thoroughly about the food, as they provided detailed descriptions of the dishes and were able to field any question about them. It’s a small restaurant and one of the cool service details is that every member of the team was happy to field our requests and questions.
Our server let us know that a key element of the chef’s approach is locally sourced, organic and farm-​to-​table. She said that they work with local growers and producers, and have an extensive garden from which they draw much of their daily ingredients. As such, the menu is somewhat seasonal.
The food is outstanding and, as my wife put it, everything was prepared with «precision and perfection.» She commented on the thoughtfulness that went into the unusual combinations of ingredients to create a single thought around each dish, and the presentation was likewise well considered. As far as taste, it was all very flavorful and rich without being sickening. While the presentation made the portions look small, once you dig in they are actually fairly good servings — and satisfy without leaving you uncomfortably stuffed when you leave. They do have a 5 course $ 65 tasting menu which we didn’t try that might have you waddling out, but we didn’t partake in that. Note that it’s chef’s choice and changes daily, so each experience is theoretically different.
We had two appetizers: The «soft egg» and «blue crab». Our entrees were the grouper cheeks for myself and the miso swordfish for my wife. For dessert, we had two items: «fudge», and «peaches». These names are deceptive, because they in no way capture the complexity and refinement of what’s actually going on on the plate.
Soft Egg: Fantastic and a different approach to this concept. It’s a soft egg in a custard-​like setting with a baked surface. Going into it is sea scallop espuma (basically a dense creamy foam), chive, truffle pearls, and gruyère cheese. It’s incredibly rich and satisfying.
Blue Crab: at merely great, it was our least favorite item. It’s a sort of crab cake island sitting in a creamy broth. It’s made with peruvian aji chili, cilantro, culantro, lemongrass.
Grouper Cheeks: Having an Asian heritage, we’ve known about the awesomeness of fish cheeks for a while, and it seems western cuisine is finally catching up, as I’ve begun seeing quite a bit of grouper cheeks being offered recently :). However, color me impressed: I’ve never seen a grouper cheek of this size served. It was as large as a mid-​sized filet. Cheeks are a small pocket of flesh under the eyes, so for the filet to be this big, the grouper it came from must be enormous. The server did tell me Chef Kilgore gets it from a specific person consistently to ensure the size. It was served on a bed of black rice and sea lettuce, and topped with a shoyu hollandaise that didn’t mask the taste of the perfectly cooked fish.
Miso Swordfish: My wife loved this. I can say that I’m not a massive swordfish fan, but nevertheless when I sampled it, it was wonderful and set off by the citrusy, ponzu-​style broth. In fact, after my wife finished I literally spooned the liquid like soup it was so good. It was prepared with charred avocado butter, small onions, sprouts and greens.
Both the desserts were great. The ‘peach’ was the highlight, featuring banana bread, pretzel ice cream, brown butter and white chocolate confit. A perfect combination of sweet and salty, and it felt light and refreshing. And although a bit less adventurous in taste, and heavier, the fudge is great for chocolate lovers (peruvian cacao, parsnip, coconut sorbet, candied thyme sprigs and jwb porter ale foam). Be aware that it’s raw cacao, so has a pleasant but more earthy taste than more processed chocolates.
I’m aware that all of this may sound a bit precious and ‘molecular gastronomy’ trendy. However, Alter doesn’t fall into the trap of becoming more concerned about the novelty or ‘show’ than delivering satisfying, craveable food; they also aren’t precious or pretentious in their approach, presentation or attitude in any way either.
Highly recommended doesn’t cover it. Try it. As soon as possible.

The haphazard industrial look screams «all about the food– no time for fluff.» Don’t let the ultra hipster, casual vibe fool you. This is fine dining. Chef Kilgore (whose career I have been following the last several years) showed off his skills with every single dish and delivered the very experience I expected, a great one.
The menu listed just seven appetizers and seven entrees for the night. We considered the five course, $ 65.00 tasting menu, but we chose to order a la carte instead. We started with the piping hot Bread & Beurre. One bite of the bread and I knew a second order was happening. A sumac and dill seed crust paired with umami butter that spread easily gave way for a lot of oohs and aahs. The Soft Egg came next. Forget the fork, use a spoon as we did, and order this alongside the bread. Add the caviar supplement. Trust me. The egg, sea scallop espuma, chive, truffle pearls, and gruyère mix work nicely together with just the right amount of creaminess and crunch. Feel free to use the bread when you reach the bottom of the egg bowl. Elbows can go on the table. Go for it!
Every bite of each new dish we tried after the egg and the bread proved successful. The food was exciting and intricate without being pretentious or trying too hard. The flavors were unique in each course and the detailed plating did not go unnoticed. Our party also tried the Guitara Noodles, Blue Crab, Short Rib, Grouper Cheeks, and the Charcoal Strip Loin. One bit of constructive criticism, not everything came as hot as we would have liked. Given the opportunity to correct this once we mentioned it, the waitress immediately remedied the situation for one of the orders.
Four of us + four desserts on the menu = easy choice. We ordered them all. The table favorite was the Fudge (Peruvian cacao, parsnip, coconut sorbet, thyme sprig, and jab porter). It’s a good thing I dined with close friends. Arms criss-​crossed all night as we took bites off each other’s dishes. We also sampled the Peaches, Local Fruit, and Cajeta Pot de Crème.
I often whine about restaurants being good, yet not memorable enough to run back to for a second visit (especially given the many dining options in South Florida). When it comes to Alter, I can’t say enough great things. I will be rushing back.

Eight days after opening, Alter feels as though it could become the best restaurant in Miami and a regular haunt for me.
This is a great new Wynwood spot with a warm vibe, a talented & experienced team, and super-​high quality molecular-​oriented cuisine, too. All that, and fairly moderate prices, too.
We felt all this clearly and intensely in every dish we tried: green «guitarra» noodles with clams were superb, and a blue crab appetizer nearly stole the show. I’ve never experienced «grouper cheeks» before, but I can now recommend them to newcomers. A $ 65 tasting menu seems like a great way to try Alter – includes short ribs.
I also experienced a surprisingly nice touch when Alter’s GM called me back to offer a table on a busy Saturday night.
Great experience here – stellar spot, bet my only concern will be how to score a table in coming months.