Escape the Quincy Norm on Alba's Roof Deck

A nice roof deck or patio is so much more than a place to sit outside and eat.  When it's really done right, outdoor seating is an escape from the ordinary, and can make you feel like you left the neighborhood you're in and went somewhere totally new.  It's like a mini vacation, and it can elevate an average restaurant to a great one.  In the case of Alba, the roof deck takes a great restaurant and makes it fantastic.Now, there are a couple of points that need to be made to clarify that "fantastic" statement.  I love Italian food, and I'm a sucker for outdoor seating.  We also caught Alba's roof deck when it was almost 100% empty, so we had it to ourselves.  So we got that that out of the way.The atmosphere in Alba is definitely a departure from most of the bars in Quincy Center.  The standard in Quincy is sports bar, dive bar, or some combination of the two.  Lucky for me, I love both of those things, but it's still nice to class it up a bit once in a while. There aren't a ton of places to eat outside in Quincy (at least not ones that we've discovered), so finding Alba was huge.Alba's clean, modern and well-maintained roof deck is a welcome getaway on a nice day.  The deck is wide open, has tons of comfortable seating including a few cushioned benches to stretch out on.As good as the atmosphere is, the food is even better.  Cait's already told you all about the revelation that is Alba's Sacchetti, so I won't go on about that, but the reality is that everything we've had at Alba has been great.  We've worked our way through every appetizer on the menu, and haven't been disappointed by a single one.  They seem to take great care with each dish they prepare, and they have amazed me with some of the flavor combinations they come up with.My personal favorite is the Beef Carpaccio.  You know how sometimes when you're cooking raw beef you just want to take a huge bite out of it?  This dish sort of lets you do that.  It's prepared with shaved parmesan, arugula, white truffle and grilled crostini.  It's not for everyone, but my god it is for me.What's the catch?  Well for one, you do pay for the food and the experience.  It's not absurd by any stretch, but it's certainly priced above the average for Quincy Center.  If you're looking for a cheap night out, this probably isn't your spot.  That being said, our servers have always been exceedingly friendly and have never minded that we live on the left side of the menu.  Each of the three times we've gone, we've only sampled appetizers and drinks.  We've always left full and satisfied, and we've never gotten a hard time from the wait staff for keeping our tab under $100.Beyond that, I can't vouch for the vibe once the deck gets crowded.  It was great when we had it to ourselves, but I'm not sure whether they cap the number of people upstairs to keep it feeling wide open.Alba's definitely worth a try if you're in the Quincy area and you like Italian food (are there people that don't like Italian food?).  If you go, give us a call because we'll pretty much always be down to go back.Alba Restaurant617-376-25221486 Hancock Street Quincy, MA 02169