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Alta Strada Restaurant
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Valet
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
20 reviews for Alta Strada Restaurant
20 reviews in English
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Review from Kelly O.
11/7/2011
Very pleased with our Saturday night meal here. With a group of 12, we had a bit of a hard time finding a reservation within Foxwoods for the evening, but Alta Strada had room for us and so we went.
The atmosphere is polished and slightly rustic (not nearly as rustic or casual as the Wellesley outpost). Service was polite, efficient, and knowledgeable, and major props for putting up with our big party. I started out with a $14 fig cocktail, which while pricey, was really inventive and tasty and I was happy with my choice. They gave us hot, fresh, focaccia-like bread with herbed olive oil for dipping, which was a nice start.
Having just had a gut-buster lunch about 4 hours before (we clearly did not plan very well), I was in no shape to gorge myself again, and so the boy and I decided to split an order of the Cavatelli with Brocolli, Pancetta, and Pecorino ($19). They kindly brought this to us on two separate plates, and we dove right in. The pasta was clearly homemade and had a great texture and flavor (looked a bit like little worms, but held the sauce well). We had asked the waitress beforehand about what kind of sauce this was served with (assuming it was dressed with some sort of olive oil with the three ingredients scattered throughout, rather than a red sauce), and she told us the crushed broccoli itself was the 'sauce', which was spot on... it felt like a type of rustic pesto, where the broccoli was the basil and the tiny pancetta cubes and pecorino were incorporated as accents. It wasn't a sauce/dressing/finishing I'd experienced before, but it was really well balanced and delicious, and combined with the tasty homemade cavatelli, I was very pleased with this dish (the boy agrees). Everyone else at the table was also pleased with their own orders (the spaghetti and cavatelli were the most raved about).
Prices were on the high end which is to be expected in Foxwoods, but I didn't find them unreasonable... I'd pay $19 for my pasta dish again, it was definitely worth it. They did have some cheaper options (flatbreads for $15), and as Foxwoods 'luxury' dining goes, I think this is probably the most reasonably priced (as fans of Tom Collichio, we wanted to go to Craftsteak, but it was just too expensive, even for a Craft outpost). Plus, Italian tends to appeal to everyone, so it's a great choice for a group.Listed in: Italian
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Review from Anita I.
Cranston, RI
12/7/2011
This review (or any for that matter) is long overdue. I would have only given them one star if it hadnt been for the food. This was my second visit to alta strada and the most important. The first time that I went, we had a late (10:15pm) dinner and I was so tired and hungry, cardboard would have been tasty.
The four of us fabulous friends planned a fun filled night to celebrate a birthday an I made reservations at Alta Strada. Normally we do Shrine, however last time, Fried rice, sushi, and soy sauce didn't mix well with drinking. So I made the executive decision that carbs and sauce and would be far more effective.
When I called to make a reservation, I advised the hostess that we had a small cake (6" although kind of fancy) and she proceeded to tell me that it would be a $5 a plate fee to cut it. Are you kidding me? Pay for the cake again so you can run a knife through it and put it on a bread plate!? Yeah, we will have it in the room, thanks.
We had an 8:30 reservation and were seated
In a bistro style seating section. For a casino of that size, Alta Strada should be able to have seating of separate tables, I hate eating right on top of other people. Our waitress came over and right of the bat, I coul tell she was putting her best act on and it wasn't even very good. She needed a personality and class on sincerity, I used to waitress and its far more effective that being fake. My friends overpriced Mojito was disgusting, the mint was not muddled and they forgot to put the simple syrup in. When we told the waitress, she looked confused. Not a cute look for you hun, just take it back and bring something else.
We asked for bread several times and finally got it. Rustic, crunchy Italian bread and a basil oil, it was delicious. We ordered the Calamari, Truffle Parmigiano wood grilled pizza and the Cavatelli with broccoli, pancetta an pecorino. Since we were sharing, we didn't mind when everything came out. The calamari came out first, crispy with a delicious marinara that wasn't too watery. The waitress (not ours) that dropped off the calamari looked for a spot to put it on our table, since we had bread plates and drinks. We asked her to remove our bread plates when the rest of the food came out as well and she had the audacity I tell us to stack the plates and someone would come pick them up. I'm sorry, if I'm paying over $19 for a pasta dish, I shouldn't be stacking my own plates. My friendly quickly quipped back that we will not be stacking our own plates and that she can remove them or get someone to remove them.
If I ever wanted food from Alta Strada again, it would probably be when I am staying there and order it to bring up to the room. The truffle pizza was wood grilled, perfect size to share as an appetizer. The highlight of the table was the Cavatelli dish, the pasta was perfect, al dente and they processed the broccoli so it had the consistency of a pesto sauce. I would actually like to attempt that dish at home, that's how enjoyable it was.
Even though they have a few ding-a-lings working there, the food was worthy enough for me to get to go. -
Review from Steve s.
MA
9/13/2011
Unfortunately, I did not love the place, and I could have
Alta Strada is in the MGM part of Foxwoods. It is a nice looking place with a large bar and seating area.
The food is pricey, which is ok. Really good food can be pricey, and the food is pretty good......There just isn't enough
My eggplant parm was three identical small triangles about the size of a ravioli...Not a bad app at $6-7.99, but as an entree for $21?....
I don't think so.... -
Review from Joann H.
Burlington, MA
1/8/2012
I finally found an over-the-top Italian restaurant that I can rave about! After a big win on the slots last night, and weighing our options in the food court and seeing crusty pizza and General Tsao's chicken that had been sitting out half the day, we decided that we'd splurge and head to Alta Strada (we'd already splurged a couple of years prior at Craftsteak after winning at MGM:). I can't say I was a fan of the traditional Italian bread (just not my thing), but my Albanian husband raved about it. The olive oil was really nice, though that accompanied it. We did notice that the waiter (who was so friendly and explained the menu perfectly to us) did wait and see if we were ordering an appetizer and then brought the bread over - but that could be because it would have been the same bread if you order the homemade buffalo mozzarella crostinis. So on to entrees - I got the spaghetti ($19) and it was homemade, with simple spices and ingredients and so delicious. Best spaghetti I've ever had, I would say, and I didn't even miss the meatballs or beef. It's rare that just a starch and nothing else as your main course satisfies, but this one did for some reason. My husband was going to order the fettuccinni, but the waiter first explained that it's a traditional Roma style and doesn't have the predictable cream sauce that you'd see in most other restaurants, so it's a lot lighter with a bit of oil and lemon. It was great that he explained that in advance, because my husband decided instead to go for the special that evening, which was a Chilean sea bass and while the portion was tiny for $35 (comprised only of about 4 oz of seared bass, finished with a tablespoon of potato puree and a few small mushrooms and tomatoes), my husband said it was worth every penny. He even shared a bite with me and I can vouch it was perfectly cooked and one of the best pieces of fish I've ever had. Again, simple ingredients but perfectly fused together! Thank goodness we didn't pass on dessert . We ordered the marscaporeos, which was a huge bowl of marscapone cream and 8 shortbread homemade "oreo" cookies to dunk in the cream. Ironically, that dessert was bigger than my husband's main entree, but oh well, who were we to complain? In addition, we got the affogato, which translates as "to drown," and it was vanilla bean gelato, doused with warm chocolate and finished with just-pulled espresso shots over the top of that. They brought us two straws to drink it like an espresso shake, and that paired perfectly to curb off the richness and sweetness of the marscaporeos. The extra caffeine boost also helped us stay awake for the 1.5 hour drive back to Boston with our winnings (minus the $85 for dinner:). The only thing I would change is to make some of the portions a little bigger (at least add some veggies or more of a starch to the main entree to bulk it up, as the pizzas and pastas are all sufficient portion size), but even so, I can't bear to take a star away because the meal was so delicious.
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Review from Rick P.
Randolph, MA
8/15/2011
Just ok. A bit disappointing for a fancy and expensive restaurant in Foxwoods. Every dish was good, but not quite very good. For the price, 3 stars seems right
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Review from taz s.
Boston, MA
Updated - 10/8/2011
Alta....what happened? I had easily one of the worst meals ever and yikes! It wasn't just me :( I've never seen more food get thrown out, literally, by patrons. The pasta was a hot gluey mess, I sent my spaghetti back 2x and gave up. Every pasta that came out had the same nasty look - like it had sat for far too long. Everything was way too oversalted and tasted like it was doused in rancid oil. So I'm up - with agita. And out $130.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/10/2010
Everything it should be, from food to service. Really, it's as close to a "vegas" dining experience… Read more »
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Review from Stephanie K.
Riverside, RI
4/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
On a recent trip to Foxwoods my husband and wanted a good breakfast and stopped by for their breakfast buffet. A little pricey at $22.50 per person. They have the usually selections of french toast, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, yogurt and granola. they also had chicken parm, hash potatoes, salami, cured olives, ham, salad, smoked salmon. It was all good I just wished it had mozzarella and olive oil and balsamic.
Their bloody mary was a little chunky for a lack of a better word. There big chunks of horseradish and cracked pepper. I like spice and kick to my bloody marys but I don't like crunching it. -
Review from Hussam B.
Cambridge, MA
10/30/2011
this is by far the best restaurant in foxwoods. I also like the fact that they change their menu every once in a while. I had the black fish and it was healthy, tasty, and light. I strongly recommend this place if you appreciate food made by an actual chef!
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Review from Lo-an L.
Santa Clara, CA
7/15/2008
Yes, I drove the hour and a half up here for dinner at Alta Strada. I'm a Michael Schlow fan and damn proud of it. I had my choice to head to Craft Steak or Alta Strada and I decided to hit this place first.
I like the decor of this Italian haven inside a casino. It's rustic yet elegant and the type of place that makes you want to sit down and quickly order a glass of wine so you can breathe in your surrounding.
The food wasn't very unique but it satisfied my Italian craving. We had the fried calamari (not my choice), the baked meatballs was delicious and tender... I think it was veal, not quite sure. I had the clam linguine and it was perfecto! Simple and light soaked in absolute delight! I would definitely come back here and spend all my MGM points on a grander meal! -
Review from Mj W.
Tariffville, CT
5/12/2010
An unfortunate dining experience, especially given the price and location.
Both my and my daughters pasta dishes were bland, dryed out and lacked any reasonable amount of sauce not to mention they both appeared to having been left under the lights on the line for too long.
The bread needed to be handled in order to be shared properly, not pre-cut and no knife was included. Also, it was was served with a bland green dipping sauce that was presented on a shallow bread dish.
My beverage glass was dirty on the outside, the dishwasher water probably needed to be changed.
The dining room had a birds eye view to all the TV's in the bar adding to it's lack of elegance and ambiance.
I found it was trying to hard to be cutting edge and simply ended up being over pretentious with a lack of attention to the most important and basic of details. -
Review from Megan R.
2/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Alta Strada happened when Sergio forgot to make Valentines Day dinner reservations.
http://www.OpenTable.com gave us a helpful little list of restaurants within 50 miles that still had tables left, and Alta Strada was one of them. So we booked the 8:00 slot, and headed out to Foxwoods.
The casinos are not a usual stop of ours, though we pass it every time we head to Rhode Island on the scenic route 2. On this holiday, I felt excited to be going somewhere a little different for us.
After having a few drinks throughout the casino, we were welcomed and seated about 15 minutes early for our 8:00 reservation. The place seemed quiet, considering the occasion, but that is better anyways. We had a spacious booth in a corner, and was greeted promptly by our server.
After our drink order was taken, our table was visited by at least 3 back servers, filling our water glasses, taking away extra settings, and bringing hot bread and olive oil.
Sergio and I shared the arugula salad, which was generously split for us, with fresh pecorino cheese, and fabulously fresh. From the antipasto list we have the balsamic marinated mushrooms (yummy!) , and then we had one more round of appetizers with the prosciutto and fig crostinis, rich and full of flavor.
As for entrees, we both went with pasta, mine with fresh manilla clams, tomatoes and basil, and Sergio had a veal marsala. Both plates were obviously made to order pasta, not the type that is boiled by the pound earlier that day and then refrigerated. The flavors were perfectly balanced, and the portions were spot on. I was able to finish my entire plate without feeling too full after, especially considering dessert was to be had later!
An excellent dining experience in all, a spot I would definitely recommend to others visiting the New England casino. -
Review from Elizabeth L.
Fort Lee, NJ
7/31/2010
Appetizers are great in that the portions are definitely more than enough for 4 people. We ordered the calamari and crispy veal meatballs and to our surprise they came out hot, delicious and in large bowls!
The table of entrees included: the mushroom ravioli, fedelini with clams, shrimp and spicy chitarra pasta, and eggplant parmagiana. All dishes were cooked to perfection. I have been to Italy and tasted the pasta there and it's been hard to find a place to match the flavor infused pasta. In america most of the time you need sauce for the taste.
Alta Strada was not exactly Italy but it definitely satisfied our tastebuds and provided ample portions for the price. Compared to the other restaurants at MGM definitely a great value. The ambience was nice as well.
Casino restaurants are usually overrated but this one fit the bill and left us satisfied and uber full. -
Review from Amiee L.
6/28/2008 1 photo
So this is one of the 4 restaurants in the MGM and by far my least favorite.
There really isn't much good about this place....for the $$ we spent here I would have rather went across the way to Craftsteak.
The bread is super hard and it's the same bread they use for all the appetizers....which were not that good.
My main course, the pork chop was over cooked and they had to re-do it over since it was too crispy on the outside...and lastly there were no good desserts.
Not a good $140 spent at all. -
Review from Zach G.
Jewett City, CT
6/16/2011
The food at Alta Strada is nice and for what it's worth is very good. The veal meatballs are outstanding. My family and I order them every time that we come here. The pasta is nice and proves to be pretty filling and delicious. The eggplant is a good choice too. Although it can become a little rich, but i suppose that's why it comes in small quantities. The eggplant itself is good, but the cheese and sauce that come with it tends to be a little overwhelming. I can never really finish it because of that reason.
The desert here is the best in Connecticut. The mascarpores are hands down one of the best deserts that I've ever had. They're a sort of oreo type pastry that can be dipped in a fully oreo-like cream. There's a hint of espresso in the cookie and it's just right. The pastry chef here won an award for being the best in Boston a while back, and after eating these I'd venture to say that he's the best in New England.
Definitely worth going. It can be a bit pricey, but if you're willing to splurge or reserve it for s special occasion then I would say that it's definitely worth it. -
Review from Anna B.
Gloucester, MA
12/28/2008
My friends and I went to the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in August 08. Since the prices at Craftsteak were a bit too intimidating [but I'm still coming for you, Coliccio!], we headed over to Alta Strada for dinner and let me say that it might have been one of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at!
The decor was rustic and comforting, the staff was so on point [like "turn your head away from for a split second and look back to see EVERY crumb gone from your table" good] and the overall service was amazing!
Our waitress was friendly, knowledgeable and went above and beyond to make sure we were having a great time. She took the time to explain the different aspects of the menu and answered any and all questions we had and she didn't make us feel stupid for asking them.
I ordered a "Chicken Under a Brick" that came with two sides - broccolini and a potato puree. After our orders were place, our waitress came back to tell me that they were out of puree - which was fine - and offered to replace the side with another starch. Then she offered our table a complementary dessert. What?!? Yes, a free dessert. Hold up, let me change my rating from 4 stars to 5 stars. :)
Our entrees came and everything was delicious. I wasn't even aware that there was in in fact potato puree on the plate, "Looks like we were able to get your puree!" the waitress said. She could have given me a side of tater tots and I would have been happy.
As our meals were ending, I jokingly asked my friends, "hey, think we'll still get a complementary dessert?" And low and behold out came our waitress with a plate of chocolate shortbread cookies and a bowl of what can only be described as 'heaven'. I can't remember the components, but I believe it was a sweet marscapone [pardon the spelling] cheese. Essentially, our dessert was a "create your own Oreos kit."
This was an amazing dining experience and I would definitely go there again. Two thumbs WAY up. I loved it. -
Review from David L.
1/24/2010
I've never understood how food can be so expensive. What's the food cost on the $45 sea bass?! Perhaps having 29 employees on the floor contributes to the amazingly high prices...but being in a casino it's practically a given.
It was a Friday night at 7pm and the place was a ghost town. As in: no one else was there. Our server was excellent and offered some wines that we had no interest. After looking at the menu I played it safe and went with the pizza. The others ordered some kind of squash ravioli, a tragliatelli (sp?!) with bolagnase and another pizza.
To keep it short...the food was good, but wicked expensive so order the pizza unless you've done well at the tables. -
Review from G H.
Fort Lee, NJ
2/28/2011
Yummy. We had the Veal meatballs & Eggplant Caponata to start. We were feeling extra fat that day so then we ordered Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Pizza, Crispy Chicken Piccata and the Spicy Zuppa di Pesce (mind you it was 2 of us). Everything was really tasty. Great decor and bar.
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Review from Jonathan R.
Middletown, RI
7/18/2010
Writing this post dinner at the table, a first for me. Calamari is a standout for an app, which it should be for $16. The veal meatballs were much anticipated and disappointing, for exquisite veal meatballs hop on a plane and go to pizzeria mozzarella in LA. The old school eggplant Parma was not remarkable in anyway and the mushroom ravioli fits the same bill. The pizza was very good. Do yourself a favor and spend $80 for comprable food and drink rather than $200. Michael Schlow you can do better my friend, I want to think of Via Matta not this when you come to mind.
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Review from Steph C.
5/4/2009
After playing poker for six hours straight, when you're hungry and wondering if that guy who gifted you $50 in chips after your bad beat by another player is going to come around the corner demanding a hand job you don't remember signing onto anytime soon, a good meal on someone else's dollar is just the ticket to unwind. Alta Strada was the unwinding place.
The decor is subdued but swank, and it feels open and inviting in a cozy dim-lit way that makes you think of good food and soft music. In fact the music was at times inappropriately clubby, but the ambience was still there.
Our party of five split a couple bottles of wine that my tired ass did little to participate in and a few appetizers to start. We chose the fried calamari, the roasted beet salad, the bruschetta with roasted peppers, and a smaller plate of eggplant caponata. Of the bunch, the eggplant caponata was the best. It just gushed with flavor. The calamari was another winner, fried right so the breading was at a nice lull between soggy and crunchy, with a nice zing in the sauce accompanied well by a squeeze of lemon. The beet salad was great, though lean on the beets. The bruschetta I could've done without. Not bad, just boring. We were also given thick slices of crusty bread with something green - mint-infused olive oil from the taste of it. Our server kind of poured it onto a plate without explanation. Not generally the way to go with anything green and liquid, but sure. It was pretty tasty and definitely interesting.
For my entree I tried to order the halibut, but they were sold out. We were seated at 9, so I don't hold that against them. I might have, but the yellowfin tuna they suggested in its place was delicious. It came seared and pepper-crusted on a bed of grilled eggplant, artichoke, caramelized onions and roasted peppers, with a wedge of candied tangerine. That is a bed I would like to sleep on every night. There were lots of flavors on that plate, and they all fused together for a bright zesty dish. It didn't hurt that the tuna was cooked perfectly, which is to say, not very cooked at all.
We ordered two desserts, a strawberry rhubarb crostata and a coconut cheesecake, and were comped one...boconnotto? A big ol' cream puff. The free dessert was the weakest, but we didn't complain. The crostata, which is fancy-pants for tart, was decent, but the real prize was the cheesecake, which had just the right amount of coconut and a tiny dab of chocolate. Creamy, rich, and wonderful. My tea came from a bag, but I suppose if it's going to do that it might as well be Mighty Leaf presented in a pimped-out velvet tea box right?
Service, despite the mysterious pouring of green flavoring fluid, was fantastic. Our waitress was adorable with these a quirky little hairstyle like pigtails tied in loops. She was attentive and pleasant all throughout. Bread was refilled on demand and our plates and place settings were cleared with marvelous thorough efficiency.
I have a feeling Foxwoods and I will be seeing a lot of each other as long as I live out east. I'm happy to have found a decent place to swallow a meal. -
Review from T. m D.
Hartford, CT
3/8/2011
A friend had a 40th birthday dinner here on a Saturday night. It was our first time, we had drinks at the bar first. The waitress was great, she kept offering samples of wine to find the one I wanted. Others all got martinis and beers. We had a party of 10 for dinner. We ordered a lot of apps and pastas to start and everyone got an entree. I had the veal saltimboca - it was small medallions of veal, not a cutlet. Everything was tasty but not outstanding. The white beans app needed more flavor, the veal meatballs were excellent. One martini ordered came out wrong three times and they finally admitted the bartender left who made the original... on a Saturday night? Anyways it was OK but we would def try one of the other restaurants if we ever went back for dinner. Def not on a saturday night though as the crowd at shrine is not my style, there must have been over a hundred kids waiting in line to get in and state troopers were everywhere.
