Small plates rise to the occasion at Alto

Alto (“up” in English) capitalizes on the small-plate concept using the attractive upstairs dining space to offer lighter meals and wine specials. On Friday and Saturday nights, Alto hosts the David Geist Cabaret, live piano music between 6 and 9 p.m., sometimes with guest performers.

Friends and I have visited Alto twice, and liked what we ate. I’ve always enjoyed the upstairs space, especially at lunch when the windows add abundant natural light. I figure climbing the stairs entitles me to enjoy a few more calories.

	Alto@Pranzo LOCATION: 540 Montezuma Ave., Santa Fe, 505-984-2645 HOURS: Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; dinner, 5-8:45 p.m. daily FULL BAR

On our first visit, my friend and I were seated upstairs in the official Alto dining area. On a second visit, this time for lunch, the Alto space had just been cleaned and the ghost of Clorox lingered. We asked for a table downstairs instead. We were able to order from the Alto menu in the regular dining room. We appreciated the restaurant’s flexibility, since the purpose of our lunch, besides catching up on girlfriend news, was to sample more of the Alto selections.

To further keep the staff and customers on their toes, Pranzo also has a bar menu and offers daily pasta specials. If you can’t find something to eat among all these choices, you just aren’t hungry.

I tried two starters from the Alto menu, fabulous Chicken Liver Bruschette ($6) and a tasty white bean soup with roasted red pepper ($5).

The liver, creamy, rich and mild, arrived atop three pieces of toasted fresh baguette. The dish goes gourmet, topped with the sweet, slightly spicy zing of soft, warm caramelized onions. The onion, finished with a whisper of balsamic vinegar, made these open-faced appetizers even more memorable. This isn’t your grandma’s chicken liver, no sir.

The cup of soup arrived hot and had a snazzy red-orange look thanks to the roasted pepper. The soup tasted fresh but was too salty for me. My friend, who loves to cook, liked it and told me soup ought to be salty.

To go with the starters we received fresh bread to go with three kinds of seasoned olive oil arranged in pretty bottles on the table. This gracious touch makes customers feel valued, whether they eat upstairs at Alto or downstairs at Pranzo.

I tried two of the Alto salads. I especially enjoyed the arugula salad, a savory, light combination of greens, crisp raw fennel, tart slices of juicy green apple and salty shaved Parmesan, all tossed in a lemony vinaigrette ($6). The roasted beet salad with a bit of goat cheese ($7) was easily big enough for two. It was the most beautiful of all the food I ordered, but disappointingly flat tasting.

The warm protein dishes I enjoyed both get a big thumbs up. The Chicken Mirabella ($10) matched the poultry with an unlikely duo: green olives and prunes. But, like hot-air balloons on a cold morning, the pairing led to a wonderful surprise. If, instead of arriving whole, the large olives had been sliced the presentation would have been even more attractive and the flavor enhanced. The roasted diver scallops ($11) were excellent, too. The seafood came wrapped in salty prosciutto with a crisp outside, and the combination worked well. The scallops sat on a bed of fresh risotto with a bit of leek; the chicken dish came with a few roasted potatoes. The serving side was perfect, just enough for adding a salad or starter.

Alto’s menu also includes a zucchini carpaccio, ceviche, calamari, portobello fries, short ribs, salmon, seared beef tenderloin and a watermelon, feta and mint salad. Desserts are limited to ice cream and strawberries or poached pears, but you also have access to Pranzo’s more extensive menu, which includes fancier desserts such as zabaglione, crème brûlée, Italian bread pudding and a ricotta cheese cake.

When my friend and I ate in the official Alto space, the waitress was more than happy to give us the regular Pranzo menu as well as the more limited Alto bill of fare. Pranzo’s regular menu, which is reasonable for the portion size, ranges to about $26.

Like the portion sizes, Alto’s prices are skinner, too, ranging from $3 to $13 and the upstairs ambience a bit more casual than downstairs.

On our first visit, our server, Rubia, was wonderful: friendly, informed and a true professional. We enjoyed her company as well as her work. On our second trip, when my friend and I ate in Pranzo’s main downstairs dining room, the wait for attention of all sorts was longer and our servers seemed distracted. Still, they got the job done and did their best.

Pranzo Italian Grill opened in 1988. If you take the train, the restaurant is a quick walk from the Rail Runner’s final Santa Fe stop, next to the Sanbusco Center. If you drive, there is plenty of free parking just across the street.

Alto is a fine addition to Santa Fe’s food scene, and a timely acknowledgement of patrons’ changing tastes and, for some of us, tighter budgets. I recommend it.