First thing’s first: I’m a huge foodie. I love trying new things, and when I heard that there was a new restaurant in LaGrange, I knew I had to go check it out. Altiro Latin Fusion took the old Back Alley Burger venue at 1 S. LaGrange Road.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Altiro, mainly because I didn’t know what “Latin fusion” would entail.  Let’s just say I was more than pleasantly surprised. I walked inside and the ambiance immediately relaxed me. Only about three tables had people sitting at them, but it was dinner time on a Tuesday, so a huge crowd was not to be expected.

The walls and floors were gray, with a variety of artwork on the walls. The furniture was modern– some chairs were transparent, some were patchwork. The tables were circular, with succulents and candles atop. It created a relaxed and trendy ambiance, which was also reflected in the food.

The menu is an easy read: divided up into an appetizer section, tacos, tapas, and sides. I came with two friends, and we decided to start with the guacamole trio that cost $10.50. It had a small portion of fig, jicama, and regular guacamole and came with a side of homemade tortilla chips, which were still warm.

The presentation was incredibly artistic. All three guacamoles tasted very fresh and we ended up finishing them with a spoon when we ran out of chips. The next course was the “Altiro” tacos: tilapia with mango salsa, arugula, chipotle aioli, and Altiro vinaigrette, all in a gluten-free tortilla. Our waiter told us that they were running a taco special that night, where each taco really only cost $1.50 instead of the original price of about $3.12 per taco.

Next came the ravioli, which was a surprise to see on the menu. Three large raviolis came with serrano pesto, topped with jumbo shrimp, and cost $11.50. Again, we finished off the sauce with our spoons. Because the plates were so small, we ordered another round of tacos. We ordered them “al camaleon” which came with shrimp, avocado, bacon, and garlic aioli. These turned out to be pretty spicy, so beware if you prefer milder flavors. But yet again, they were delicious.

To finish up our meal, we ordered a key lime pie which was $5.99. It had unnecessary sprinkles on top, making for an odd texture, but otherwise was very tart and smooth. One point that the key-lime pie made very evident was that you should make sure you are comfortable with the people you come here with. The tables are quite intimate and some people aren’t into sharing food; definitely not ideal for a first date, but it’s an awesome place for close friends to catch up.

The grand total for our five-course tapas meal was just over $56 for three people, so it doesn’t break the bank either. All in all, the service was quick and accommodating and the food was amazing. I would return to Altiro Latin Fusion in a heartbeat.

Paws: 5/5