Restaurant Alma – Minneapolis, MN

Got out of my Open Table rut and made a reservation at Restaurant Alma the traditional way…by phone. Under the radar in a lot of ways, I think Restaurant Alma represents one of the best fine dining values Minneapolis has to offer.

http://www.restaurantalma.com/

I really like the fact that they offer a 3 course fixed price menu that allows you to choose from a selection of dishes ($42). I think they describe themselves very accurately on their web site by saying

“Our food at Alma is selected from the best fresh, seasonal, organic ingredients available. We are committed to supporting local farms, producers and conservation efforts. The menu is distinctly “New American” style, offering a diverse range of flavors of both old world and new.”

It is clear to me that the ingredients are the best anyone can find around here. I also liked the fact that they were nice people to deal with. Our experience there was genuine, not too trendy and I felt that they were really passionate about the food.

We sampled 7 different courses from the menu that included:

First Courses
Smoked Chicken & Watercress Salad
roasted beets, tarragon mayo, fresh horseradish

Marinated Yellowtail Tuna
scallion oil, pickled vidalia, baby cilantro

Middle Courses
Heirloom Yellow Corn Grits
sauce of wild mushrooms & leeks, poached quail egg

Braised Lamb & Sticky Rice
“rendang” sauce, braised greens, fried shallot

Main Courses
Grilled Hawaiian Blue Marlin
arugula, baby artichokes, orange, bagna cauda

Gently Cooked Wild King Salmon
potato butter, asparagus, toasted sesame, dashi broth

Dessert
Almond Lavender Panna Cotta

blueberries, candied almonds

There was not a course on the list that I did not enjoy. Though to be honest I did not try the salmon due to the fact that I am allergic to it. The stand out dishes in my opinion were the marinated yellow tail. This was exceptionally fresh and a great way to open. The fish was not cooked but marinated. I found the pickled vidlia a nice complement.

The Heirloom Yellow corn grits were a huge surprise to me. This is not something that I would usually order. It was light and flavorful. The grits had a great texture that worked well with the wild mushrooms. The perfectly poached quail egg was a very nice added bonus.

The most delicate dish we had was the Almond Lavender Panna Cotta. It was beautifully balanced floral/nutty/creamy flavor. If they have this on the menu and you want something besides chocolate…it is a must have item. Coffee was outstanding as well.

Apparently chef Alexander Roberts’ new rotisserie, Brasa, is now open at 600 East Hennepin. The phone number is 612-379-4909 and the hours of operation are 11a.m.-11p.m. Mon-Sat.

I would be interested to know if anyone has dined there and what their experience was.