Altiro Latin Fusion – Fresh, Flavorful Fun.
by Torie Gehrig
Truth be told, I’m the kind of foodie who is skeptical of fusion cuisine. I tend to prefer things to be more straightforward. Like straight up French or straight up Thai. I am pleased to say however that my fantastic meal at Altiro Latin Fusion thoroughly led me to change my mindset.
The culinary hotspot of suburban Geneva has opened a second location in the Roscoe Village area of Chicago. Nestled amongst cozy storefronts, Altiro Latin Fusion is cheerful on the outside. On the inside, you’ll find an easygoing, festive vibe.
One of my favorite things about Altiro Latin Fusion was their bright, colorful craft cocktails. I started with one of the seasonal cocktails, the Ala Moradita. Comprised of fresh lime, lemon, blackberries, bourbon, organic agave nectar and egg whites, the drink was sweet but not acidic. My favorite element however, was the graham cracker crust the rimmed the drink. This was truly killer. Even though I enjoyed this before my meal, it would make a great after dinner drink. My friend ordered the Ala Florinda. Even though it wasn’t sangria, it kind of tasted like a boozier version of it. The drink was made up of Hibiscus flower, bourbon, orange liqueur, fresh orange juice and chili de arbol. It was truly a well balanced cocktail and thoroughly refreshing. It was also a gorgeous cocktail to look at!
We debated on getting another round and decided to go for it. I’m glad we did because we came across the two stunners of the night (at least as far as drinks are concerned). Altiro Latin Fusion offers a few drinks on their menu with flavored ice cubes. Eventually these ice cubes break down and create a slushy texture. This was something I have never seen before in a cocktail and I found it to be a pretty thrilling concept.
My friend ordered the Ala Pina, which featured a pineapple-chipotle ice cube, fresh muddled pineapple, fresh lemon, and tequila resposado. The drink was very complex. It had a mellow flavor and smooth texture, which was offset by a very spicy rim, which stuck with you after each sip. I ordered the Al Verde. This reminded me of the bright verditas I’ve had in the past, which makes sense. The drink is made up of muddled green tomatillo, mint, lime, fresh orange juice and 100% blue agave tequila. This one featured a Serrano tomatillo ice cube and was rimmed with citrus salt. Everything about this drink was fresh and vibrant. It was truly delicious.
Now onto the main event; the food. I was pretty excited to dig into the menu as I’d seen some mouth watering pictures of a few of the dishes already. Altiro Latin Fusion sources all of their meat and produce locally and sticks to seasonal items. This made a great deal of sense to me as everything I consumed in this restaurant tasted exceedingly fresh.
We started off with the Ala Papa Brava. This was a nice little starter featuring crispy, Basque potato wedges, which acted like beautifully seasoned fries, topped by a Sunnyside egg, which added a deliciously gooey component. The dish was also accompanied by a chipotle and an avocado aioli.
Not only is Altiro Latin Fusion, skilled at fusing foods from different cultures, but also they are especially skilled at fusing flavors, most notably, creamy and spicy. Their chipotle aioli is to die for, but nearly every dish we ordered flawlessly wove together these elements as well.
Next we tried the Al Raviole. As there was a noted Italian influence, this was perhaps the most traditional in terms of fusion out of all the dishes we had. The red pepper ravioli casero was topped with creamy Serrano pesto and them crowned by Basque jumbo shrimp. As previously noted we found that perfect combo of cream and spice in the Serrano pesto.
We followed the Al Raviole with the Al Frito. This dish is essentially Altiro Latin Fusion’s take on fried fish tacos with beer battered tilapia, cilantro slaw and more of that delicious chipotle aioli. The fish was lighter than air with a golden, flaky crust. The cilantro slaw was also killer.
Our server suggested we try the Al Poblano, a newer dish of pan seared lemon-herb chicken, creamy poblano sauce and organic cilantro. Everything was placed atop across a bed of poblano corn rice. I’m a big fan of poblano peppers as chile rellanos is one of my favorite dishes ever. The well-balanced sauce did not disappoint. The poblano corn rice was lovely too and reminded me of risotto. The dish was served with tortillas but it stood so well on its own, they weren’t even needed.
We finished with the Al Pastor Tacos. This is my personal favorite and I try to order it wherever I go. Altiro Latin Fusion’s version is made with guanjillo-chipotle sauce, the customary marinated pork, organic cilantro, habanero pickled onions and tomatillo avocado salsa. The sweet, spicy pork was a riot of flavor and very tender. I also adored the added tang that the pickled onions brought.
The service at Altiro was truly on point, which is big factor of the merit of any restaurant. Lucky for us, Altiro Latin Fusion is also open for brunch with numerous additional menu items such as a variety of egg dishes and some tasty looking tortas. No matter the occasion, I can say with confidence that is you are looking for fresh, flavorful fun, look no further than Altiro Latin Fusion!
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