It's good, don't get me wrong, but it really just doesn't compare to some of the other upscale restaurants in the area, such as 131 main. This is a good comparison because both have small menus and pride themselves on all of their ingredients being fresh.
I've been to Alton's a fair amount of times. We didn't opt for an appetizer tonight, but some of the dips looked good. I got the ribs with a twice baked potato. The ribs were good, coleslaw subpar, but the twice baked potato was one of the best I've ever had. Not sure what was different about this potato but it was cooked well and the inside was creamy and delicious. I usually opt for the ribs here. It's a full rack and they're tasty.
The service was good as our waitress knew the menu well and was attentive. We finished with the Oreo ice cream dessert, which is always on the menu and is good. It's similar to an Oreo ice cream sandwich. We also got the strawberry shortcake, which was the dessert special and this was not good. The "cake" was far too salty. It was hard to eat.
Altons is one of the nicer options in the Cornelius area, but hasn't quite made its way into the upper echelon of upscale restaurants in the Lake Norman area. 131 main and Epic Chophouse are some tastier options.