Award-winning chef Michael Schlow will open his popular Italian restaurant, Alta Strada, in Fairfax’s Mosaic on Monday, February 20. A neighborhood Italian restaurant overseen by Chef Nicole Belverd, Alta Strada Mosaic will have similar dishes to its sister restaurant in downtown Washington, but showcases appetizers and entrees that are unique to the location. Newly appointed Executive Chef of Italian Concepts, Matt Adler, worked alongside Belverd on the final menu. Located at 2911 District Avenue, #150 in Fairfax, the 120-seat restaurant was designed by Edit Lab by streetsense, and features a spacious bar with floor to ceiling front windows that will open in the warmer months.
Chef Belverd, a veteran of Zaytinya and the Inn at Little Washington, oversees the traditional Italian menu with a focus on house made pastas and pizza. Diners can start off with a variety of Italian salumi and cheeses, while the appetizer selection features vegetarian and meat options like Eggplant Parm with spicy tomato sauce and frico ($9) and Alta Strada’s popular Crunchy Meatballs with spicy tomato basil sauce ($11). Familiar pasta dishes like the Tagliatelle Bolognese ($19) appear alongside a Cavatelli with broccoli rabe, speck, and hazelnuts ($18) as well as a Malfade with mushrooms, truffle, and Parmigiano ($21). Pizza lovers can enjoy the simple Bianca with ricotta, mozzarella, fontina, Parmigiano, rosemary, and hot pepper ($16) as well as the spicy ‘Little Stevies’ with fennel sausage, broccoli rabe and pickled peppers ($15). Entrées include seafood and meat options with features like an old fashioned Lemon Chicken with roasted asparagus, prosciutto, and potatoes ($25) and a slow cooked Salmon with white beans, spinach, and pesto vinaigrette ($26). Playful desserts such as the “Mascaporeos,” the restaurant’s Italian riff on deconstructed Oreos®, made with dark chocolate shortbreads, mascarpone with whipped cream, vanilla and cinnamon round out the menu.
The cocktail program, headed by Chris Baliles features classic Italian drinks including Alta Strada’s signature draft Campari-based cocktails, along with unique options to the Mosaic outpost, such as Cranberry’s Bitter Half made with Aviation gin, Aperol, Tuaca, orange and Peychaud’s bitters and house-made cranberry soda, Pearilous Punch made with rum, pear, ginger and prosecco as well as the Venice Mule with vodka, Cynar, sour and ginger beer. A thoughtful and edited all-Italian wine list, with a wide selection of wines by the glass will be available as well as Amaros, Italian liqueurs and Italian craft beers.
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| The Team at Alta Strada Mosaic |
A cheery, yellow stucco storefront at Alta Strada Mosaic draws inspiration from mid-century Italian facades, and rows of windows in the front slide apart in nice weather. The polished concrete floor keeps the space casual while an acoustic spray on the ceiling tames the volume of the room. Brick walls add texture to the space, contrasting against the smooth and colorful blue bar adorned with wine storage and chalkboards. A wall of handmade tiles lines the open kitchen, while a reclaimed wood table acts as a bread station near the pass. Salvaged timber beams span the room and wood chandeliers hang throughout the space, creating a warm ceiling. Quieter booths with oxblood red cushions are tucked along the sides of the dining area. Schlow and his wife Adrienne, a mixed media artist who has provided artwork for many of his restaurants, will create custom pieces for Alta Strada Mosaic.
Initially opening for dinner service only,.......
Alta Strada Mosaic located at
2911 District Avenue, Fairfax
.........plans to debut happy hour, weekday lunch and weekend brunch in the coming weeks. Dinner service begins at 5:00 p.m. on Monday the 20th.
Operating hours will be 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:00 to 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
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