We had been hesitant to try Don Alfonso during the earlier incarnations, because the reviews were mixed on Chowhound at the time. However the Michelin star and Estufarian’s review last fall (above) put it on our list to try. So we gave it a go.
Yes the view is fabulous. The tables are nicely spaced, so you are not smushed into other diners. The noise level is such that you can actually talk to your dining companions. The service is informed, friendly, and helpful. And the food was pretty darn good, certainly in the range of a one-star.
As noted, the price of the tasting menu is steep - $220 per person. You get 6 courses, plus bread, canapés, and petit fours. However if you don’t mind splitting your dishes with a dining companion, the far better deal is ordering à la carte. For $140 per person, you get three courses, plus bread, canapés, and petit fours. Pay $18 each more and you get a dessert. Almost every course in the tasting menu is available à la carte. So for $158 per person, you can each get an 8-course tasting menu, plus all the extras.
First up was the bread selection:
- babà rustico - like a brioche with figs hazelnut and blue cheese
- handmade Grussini breadsticks
- focaccia with cherry tomatoes and rosemary - light and fluffy
This was accompanied by butter with Italian black truffle (really truffly) and Sicilian EVOO - great with a non-harsh hint of bitterness.
We also sampled one cocktail: Smooth Operator - Pisco, Carpano Bianco, Benedictine, with charred grapefruit, and a dollop of grapefruit sorbet - dessert first!
The canapés were all fun, with contrasting flavours:
- Black rice squid ink chip with lobster panzanella salad
- Black sesame wafer sandwich with fermented leek, onion and ricotta
- Turmeric chip with bison tartare
- A gelée bite that was a riff on caprese
Both antipasti featured a complex mix of flavours and textures:
- L’Anatra - Seared Quebec muscovy duck breast slices wrapped in a roll, celeriac puree and pomegranate sauce, baby spinach, anice demi glace, cinnamon powder, puffed rice.
- L’Anguilla - Eel gelato with sturgeon caviar and pink wild rose scented tagliatelle, and minced wild herbs and pulverised egg yolk.
With these we shared a glass of Mastroberardino Fiano di Avellino 2021 - really nice. Struck us as low acid (though the sommelier thought otherwise), nutty, mineraly, Meyer lemon on the nose, and a little floral tasting too.
Both the pasta and risotto were well-executed and vibrantly flavoured:
- Ravioli stuffed with pheasant Genovese style, king oyster mushroom, grana padano foam, black truffle and crisps of 36 month aged Parmesan - delicious and mushroomy.
- Risotto (Acquerello rice aged 1 year) with Iranian saffron broth, sour butter, 36-month parmigiano reggiano, deconstructed gremolata, and osso buco - rich saffron highlights and melty veal shank.
These went nicely with a glass of 2021 Mauro Molino Nebbiolo (Langhe) - smells like cherry candy, very translucent, a little metallic, overall very pleasant.
Secondi had many fun elements and complementing flavours:
- Il Bisonte - organic Manitoba bison wrapped in Swiss chard, buffalo mozzarella and sourdough, seared organic vegetables (mashed potato, fennel, Brussels sprout, tiny carrot, cauliflower, green cauliflower), salsa verde, San Marzano and red chili sauce.
- L’Astice - Nova Scotia lobster with king mushroom, shiitake, portobello, and herbed mashed potatoes in leaf of escarole, topped with trout roe, and lobster bisque reduction poured over.
They obliged us with extra foccacia to mop up the remaining sauces.
We tried all three desserts (why not?) and skipped the cheeses since they seemed quite standard (Taleggio and the like):
- Il Trionfo alla Nocciolo - Piedmont hazelnut parfait, mousse, sponge cake and crumble, raspberry marmalade, 24 karat gold leaf, caramelized hazelnut - pretty and not too sweet.
- La Sfogliatella Napoletana - (the lobster tail) layers of phyllo, cinnamon-infused pastry cream, amarena cherry glaze and lemon balm - lovely.
- Amalfi Coast - vegan lemon mousse, orange marmalade inside, crunchy yuzu white chocolate, carrot-green apple sorbet macaroon crumbles - definitely the most interesting and fancy.
The petit fours were all lovely and a wonderful way to end:
- raspberry parfait - fresh raspberry and real gold on dollop of sorbet on something round
- chocolate truffle
- liquirizia with black sesame glass (something between sesame rounds) - but we tasted no licorice
- Napolitana pastaria - mascarpone and candied orange
So definitely worth a visit if you like this kind of dining.
