Three years ago Keith Corbin was a newly hired manager at Locol, the community-focused fast-food concept from chefs Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi. Corbin never cooked professionally but was noticed for his skills and ability in the kitchen. Locol ended up closing its doors in 2018. Fortunately, Patterson gave Corbin an opportunity to run the kitchen at a new restaurant named Alta Adams.
My wife and I recently dined there during weekend brunch. The restaurant resides on the corner of West Adams and West Burnside just south of the Santa Monica freeway. They have valet parking because finding a place to park on the street is extremely challenging. Even if you managed to find a slot, it would likely be limited to one hour.
Alta Adams benefits from an abundance of natural light. The dining room appears to be cozy until you find out that they have another dining room and outdoor seating in the back. Many of the seats on the wall had colorful cushions and I enjoyed having a partial view of the open kitchen.
Good restaurants place emphasis on the bread they serve. Consequently, we started with their cornbread. I was delighted to receive a full loaf of hot cornbread with a generous smear of salted whipped butter. The cornbread was warm and moist and the salted whipped butter nicely added to the experience. I appreciated that the cornbread wasn’t gritty.
Corbin created a menu that is meant to be shared with others. While some of the dishes may be enjoyed by a single diner, many are meant to be shared. An example of this is their shrimp and grits, sausage and biscuits and their cornmeal pancakes. The servings are large enough to share.
Collard greens were served as a salad instead of a side dish, which is usually braised with ham hocks or bacon. The uncooked greens were chopped and served with a delicious vinaigrette with shallots and peanuts. This salad was an unexpected surprise, full of flavor and a lot healthier.
Two biscuits topped with bits of sausage and diced green chiles were topped with two fried eggs. The gravy was rich and delicious and this is definitely a dish to share.
The grits in the Shrimp and Grits were extremely creamy. Seasoned grilled shrimp and okra were placed on top of the grits and added both great flavor and a nice contrast in texture.
Alta Adams has a full bar. While the bottomless mimosa was tempting, we selected two cocktails, the Kentucky Buck and the Jalisco Flower. The Kentucky Buck has a base of bourbon yet it was smooth and didn’t make you wonder why you ordered this during brunch. The Jalisco Flower has a tequila base and is similar to a paloma.
While brunch was fun and delicious, I would rather visit them during dinner. The oxtails with rice looks like a dish that I would enjoy. Another dish that caught my eye is the smothered hanger steak. Our server told us that the grilled fish of the day is also worth ordering.
Since Locol has closed, I am thrilled that chef Corbin has found a new home. I look forward to my next visit to Alta Adams
Alta Adams, 5359 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016; 323.571.4999
altaadams.com