BY ZACHARY FAGENSON

AT ALTER, BRAD KILGORE COOKS MIAMI'S

MOST EXCITING FOOD

TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015 | 26 DAYS AGO

Cape Canaveral prawns

Bradley Kilgore, the 29-year-old chef of Wynwood's two-month-old Alter, sports a glistening,

slicked-back Chicago gangster hairdo as he grabs a young Lake Meadow chicken. He debones

it and removes the thigh meat, which he grinds up with a pungent combination of garam

masala, North African spices, mushrooms, and foie gras. Then he inserts the velvety, savory

filling into rolled breasts that are steamed, dried, and crisped. Finally, he rests the cooked bird

atop sweet roasted golden beets and a sugary charred peach.

The flavor combinations are exquisite, but it's the chicken's supple juiciness that signals

potential greatness.

Cape Canaveral prawnsstar in a delightful version

of shrimp 'n' grits.

This is what you'd expect of Kilgore. The Kansas Citynative first tasted kitchen life at age ten while washingdishes in a hometown egg-and-bacon spot. Soon he wascutting biscuits, squeezing oranges, and surreptitiouslycooking omelets while line cooks were on break. Afterattending Johnson & Wales University in Denver, heembarked on a four-month stint in the Italian countryside

near Milan. Upon returning to the States, he worked in legendary Chicago kitchens at GrantAchatz's Alinea and Laurent Gras' now-closed L2O.

Chef-owner Brad Kilgore

In 2011, he moved to Miami and joined Azul in Brickell Key's Mandarin Oriental, where hequickly garnered attention as Joel Huff's sous-chef.

What came next was disastrous. In 2012, he and his wife Soraya partnered with Jeremy andPaola Goldberg, who until 2014 owned Coral Gables' Route 9. A review of theirrestaurant, Key Biscayne's Exit 1, found dirty plates, a dead bug, and a curly dark hair restingatop roasted parsnips.

Yet Kilgore bounced back brilliantly, donning the executive chef's coat at Jean-GeorgesVongerichten's J&G Grill at the St. Regis Bal Harbour in summer 2013. It wasn't long beforehis cooking took flight with ingenious, technique-driven spins on simple proteins and rootvegetables. "I was their only chef to have any real estate on the menu," he says. "Still, I alwayshad handcuffs on as far as the way I like to cook. Why can't you have a technique from Japanwith a flavor from Thailand and a chili from Peru all on the same plate?"

with a flavor from Thailand and a chili from Peru all on the same plate?"

Okeechobee mushroom

Thus, Alter was born. Longtime friends Leopoldo Monterrey and Javier Ramirez had beenpondering a restaurant for at least three years but swiftly decided who would run the kitchen."Brad had a very clear idea of what he wanted to do," says Ramirez, a 42-year-old hedge-fundrisk manager. "Casual, upscale, progressive American."

The walls in the finished space are sparse, lined with industrial-looking concrete. Chocolate-colored wooden tables are just a touch distressed to show off the grain. The lone bit ofdecoration is a twisting neon sculpture that burns a sinister red above a bar separating the38-seat dining room from the open kitchen.

There's little to focus on other than the food, which is offered on an ever-changing menuthat's as adventurous and exotic as Miami's international reputation. A soft-cooked egg is theperfect example. Miami's Spanish influences have shaped and molded this dish into acombination mandating some type of Spanish ham, potatoes, and perhaps a dribble of oliveoil. But Kilgore will have none of this. He cloaks the runny ovum in Gruyère cheese espumainfused with a sea scallop's briny punch. Minuscule truffle pearls add luxurious complexity,while a wafer-thin Gruyère crisp provides some crunch. Be sure to order bread and butter

while a wafer-thin Gruyère crisp provides some crunch. Be sure to order bread and butter($8) to mop up the bowl. Yes, just the egg is $13, but the torn hunks of fluffy, eggy loaves —topped with sumac and dill seeds and smeared with soy-infused butter — are worth the extraexpense.

Poussin

Cocktails, overseen by general manager Antoine Lecas, previously of South Beach'sMorimoto, provide a sharp, clean complexity that pairs well with the nuanced plates. A rumpunch cleverly blends pineapple and orange juice with a splash of vermouth. The DarkGinger is a play on a Moscow mule — it replaces vodka with whiskey and brightens the drinkwith a few bright, minty basil leaves.

Later, Kilgore shows off a deft hand with oyster mushrooms from Central Florida. They'rebriefly cured in a blend of salt and smoked soy and then steamed, smoked over alder wood,and pan-roasted. The combination of aged Beemster Gouda purée, brittle tofu skin, and tartchili threads works. And the execution creates something special, providing the full spectrumof textures a mushroom can offer. The dish is supple, meaty, and crisp at the same time.

Kilgore clearly capitalizes on vegetables' moment in the spotlight with dishes such as leek"chorizo." Spears are braised until their interiors become sweet and tender. They're doused ina paprika oil that offers the sausage's unmistakable smokiness and are rich from contact witha pool of coconut milk.

Contact: Zachary Fagenson Follow: Miami New Times Food & Drink

Miami New Times Food & Drink

Guitara noodles

Cape Canaveral prawns, crusted with a combination of toasted corn nuts, ground Koreanchilies, and citric acid, star in a delightful version of shrimp 'n' grits. The accompanying poolof velvety hominy is lined with a Sterling Ruby-like striping of huitlacoche purée, mole verde,and vegan chorizo oil. The best part, though, are the heads filled with succulent, saltygoodness. These are equally good solo or squeezed onto the plate.

But a miss here and there is inevitable. A milky burrata purée adds nothing to a dish featuringa stark-white ceramic cone bearing emerald-green guitara noodles enveloped in a velvety,herbaceous sauce. The plate calls out for some kind of spice or tang to snap your palate tolife. And a dessert of peaches is haphazardly presented with overly dense banana bread andpretzel ice cream that's little more than very sweet vanilla.

Alter is a place to visit every couple of months. In its current form, the menu relies on modestingredients. There is none of the dry-aged beef, quail, or thick slices of Perigord truffles youwould expect. As the seasons change, Kilgore plans to offer a 12-to-15-course tasting menu.You'll want to be there for the chance to taste the greatness.

Sponsor Content

©2015 Miami New Times, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Secret To Ultimate TailgatingSponsor Content: Publix®