Altura

Modern Italian

Both Nathan and Rebecca Lockwood had a desire to live in Seattle. A transitional moment triggered their move here and the opening of their own restaurant, Altura, in October 2011.

Altura's menu changes each Friday and includes whatever Chef Nathan likes, sees, and meets his standards. He offers 3-, 4-, and 5-course options (you can go a la carte if you must), and there are wine pairing options as well. "I love this menu format," says Nathan. "I've used it twice before, at Acquerello and Fork, and the results are good. It controls the flow of service and gives a structure to everything. It organizes the meal without burdening the guest." The 3-4-5 format was new to Seattle, which could have gone either way. "People said, no, it won't work, don't do it," laughs Rebecca. Clearly, Seattle diners have embraced it, as Altura has received rave reviews from reviewers, and their customer base is a repeating one. "We offer a bridge between fine dining and informality," explains Nathan. "People are comfortable here, but they are well taken care of. My cooking style is a little different, plus it has evolved since we've opened, as it always does. I've always been an adventurous eater--offal, tripe, lamb neck--and have played with these elsewhere. They're really popular here, more so than in San Francisco. Our concept comes from our space: a modern Italian take and French cooking technique."

Altura 617 Broadway E Seattle, WA 98102 206-402-6749 www.alturarestaurant.com www.alturarestaurant.com Altura's scallop

"Restaurants evolve and take on a life of their own. You put the elements in place, get the best people to work with and see what happens," says Nathan. "We interviewed early on for the front of the house staff and a sommelier, and found Guy Kugel." Guy worked in his family's Italian restaurant in Colorado, and spent ten years at Flying Fish in Seattle.

Nathan started washing dishes at a scratch-kitchen brewhouse in college. He stayed nearly three years, eventually becoming night chef. "I loved it right away, and started looking at the CIA in Hyde Park. They required three years of work experience. I was just under that, so I moved to Coeur d'Alene and worked at Beverly's during the holiday season, then got accepted early in November 1999. My externship was spent at One Market in San Francisco. I stayed six months. At the time, I felt I could have learned as much working with Chef Adrian Hoffman, but in the long run, I soaked up knowledge at school that has come in handy down the road, like pastry skills, baking, front of the house. I would never have done that on my own. 

He went to Europe for 2-1/2 months, flying in the day before 9/11. "It was a strange time to be there. I had great times in Spain, Germany, Italy and Amsterdam. It was hard in France to sample the foods I wanted on a limited budget. I'd trained in French technique, but that trip moved me away from French food and more toward Spanish and Italian." He planned to return to Beverly's, but the job was gone. He drove to San Francisco and staged at Jardiniere and Fifth Floor. They both offered him jobs; he chose Fifth Floor. He moved to Acquerello where he was a pasta cook, and worked a second job at Fleur de Lys with Hubert Keller for two years, eventually leaving Acquerello.

Altura's mussels

Rebecca and Nathan met, ironically, at Dick's on Capitol Hill in 2004. She was studying law at the UW and he was staging at Seattle restaurants. Eventually she moved to San Francisco, finishing school while there. She spent so much time at Acquerello waiting for Nathan, they offered her a job as a hostess on weekends "It was so much fun, I fell in love with it," she says. "I worked there two years while finishing school and studying for the bar." In 2007, they moved to Marin where Nathan was the chef at Fork, staying until 2009. "I studied and passed the bar, got my licenses and a job in civil litigation." In March 2009, they married. They moved to the Willamette Valley where Nathan was executive chef at Jory, then headed to Seattle where he was head chef at The Ruins while they looked for a restaurant space.

Although Altura is small, they are planning no changes. I'd like it to be bigger, but we don't want to change it. We're not looking to open satellite restaurants. I want a place where I can work five nights a week, have two days off, and cook like I want to cook. It's always fun here. We just want people to eat, drink, and have a good time."

Connie Adams/April 2013