Alma

The Alma experience was overall quite challenging. A true fine-​dining experience, the service and presentation and of course the cerebral aspect of the food was intriguing and a joy to partake in. The actual flavor of the food though was at times challenging… the frozen liver with coffee was both quite cold and quite (to my palate) offensive, the frozen liver so pungent that the accompaniments weren’t able to cut that offal aroma. The dessert frozen summer was also verdant and stunning visually, but again the flavors were too cerebral for me to find immediately gratifying. Which is probably to a certain extent the whole point of Alma, to elevate food and dining away from the obvious. And in that, they succeeded. And for that, they will be missed.

There’s no possible way that this restaurant could receive any less than five stars. No way. Whether you’re talking about the space or the service or the food or the wine or…
…there’s just no way. It’s a damn shame that Alma is only open a few more days. One of the finest dining experiences I’m likely to ever have. I eagerly await Ari’s next venture, this town’s a better place with his creativity in it.

We had been meaning to try this restaurant out for a while, so when we heard that Alma is closing on October 24, we quickly reserved a table. We had the tasting menu with wine pairings and spent two and a half hours in culinary heaven. We started with several snacks, including a tofu/​seaweed beignet that was delicious. The standout was a sort of carmelized duck dish with carrots which may be the very best thing I have ever tasted in my life. There are only a few days left to try this place, and I would advise moving heaven and earth to do so. Many thanks to the chefs and staff for giving us one of our best eating experiences in L.A.

Alma=Awesome! The food here is truly innovative. This was a true epicurean experience. I can honestly say that I have never experienced the unique combination of flavors that enjoyed here at Alma. We didn’t get the tasting menu, but tried numerous items from the a la carte menu. I’m a vegetarian, and the there was plenty to choose from and ALL were spectacular. I found the service warm and friendly, as well as efficient. The space is very open, yet intimate, and carefully decorated. It was so tidy that it seemed like something out of a magazine rather than a working space. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is truly seeking creative cuisine. I am looking forward to returning.

Made a reservation for Alma 5 weeks prior via email with the owner .
Spent the afternoon looking around down town in order to avoid the rush hour. Turn up at 6.30pm for our reservation only to be told they were non longer open on Wednesday’s. (They were having what looked like a private wine tasting, otherwise I guess I might have turned up to a locked door)
Totally wasted an afternoon and evening on my vacation.
Something not at all appreciated coming all the way from New Zealand, when there are so many other places I could have chosen to eat.
My advice go somewhere a bit more professional.

I don’t understand why this restaurant has only 3 stars now. When I went there, it had 3.5 stars. I didn’t have high expectation when I made the reservation, but it turned out to be extraordinary. We did the tasting menu, and the price wasn’t too bad. Every course surprised me, especially the frozen duck liver dish and the duck dish! I will definitely go back!

We went for a Saturday night dinner– overall was a very enjoyable meal!
Not sure why people were hating on the service so much… we were treated very well. We were due to arrive on time, but I was counting on valet– which they didn’t have. That was kind of a bummer… options were street (nothing open) or a lot across the way $ 20 flat (eek!). We drove around and found a $ 9 flat rate at the Cal Mart… so with a little bit of a walk, we were like 10 – 15 minutes late. Even though we were running behind– the hostess was very sweet and even got us a table when we said we didn’t prefer the chef’s bar. Normally I would love to see the action, but I wasn’t in the mood to be elbow to elbow with others, or warm from the cooking. So, so far– great service & very accommodating!
Our main server was very sweet and explained the set-​up to us, and helped out in selecting a bottle of wine. The only hiccup was I did mention my gluten allergy (Celiac) to him, however one of the first amuse-​bouche that came out was on a bellini/​biscuit, which I caught & asked about. He was very apologetic and another server even apologized again when they brought back the re-​made dish. Going forward there was no issue (just a note, the menu is not gluten heavy at all! I had the same dishes as my husband except for two amuse-​bouche, one of which was a totally different snack for me– very nice!)
Overall the food was pretty good. a few dishes were just OK and maybe a miss or two, but also some stand-​out dishes! Our favorites were the lamb tartar with sorghum popcorn and the duck liver with carrots & a maple granola. I’m not usually a sweetbreads fan, but their version was really good and I enjoyed it. The misses for me were the hamachi crudo w/​cucumber (too bland, needed some acidity) and the roasted pigeon with fermented cherries & almond (just not a lot of flavor). I thought the desserts were VERY interesting! They weren’t overly sweet, more tart & savory… a nice departure from the norm.
A few people on here complained about the wait time, but we weren’t bothered by it. We were there for about 3 hours, which meant everything was nice & spaced out and we didn’t leave feeling like we just had Thanksgiving dinner. I would recommend doing bottle (s) of wine versus the tasting, because I think that helped with the waiting in-​between– they were on top of re-​pours.
The space was simple & clean– felt a bit European… very cute & not loud!

Waste of WAY too much money for sub-​par food and truly terrible service.
Felt stupid, signing to pay the bill.

Jonathan Gold is a hack. This restaurant is a hoax.
Everything wrong with modern cuisine: fussy food, absence of enjoyable flavor, many dollars. Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Does the kitchen staff even try their own food? Because I can’t imagine how they’re able to put it in front of their customers if they do: the shame should be crushing.

I would never have known about Alma was it not for the pop-​up smoothie bowls by Lee from America. It was unmarked and difficult to find. Behind it is construction and in front is just a few run-​down spaces before you enter downtown. The location is surprisingly light and airy. They have a bar area and small tables.
I can only comment on the smoothie bowls and service, both which were good. Prices appear to be expensive on their regular menu.

We normally don’t post when we have a negative experience however this is the second time we dined at alma restaurant and it really disappointed, in particularly the service department. And the food was mediocre at best. Granted this was a granolee pop up, it’s still the restaurant running it.
The first time we dined here, we had the tasting menu and the time it took the food to come out between courses was astronomically long (their tasting menu with 9 tiny bites took almost 4 hours) it seemed as though the server completely forgot about us. It was so drawn out that we left super hungry, stopping at Umami burger down the street.
I decided to give it another try when I heard about this pop up event from @happeningindtla’s IG. Needless to say, not much has changed. We had to ask the server to take our order, (the place was half empty) then waited over 30 min to get our granola bowls, after watching one of the employees take our bowls to the window and snap pics of them with her cell phone before bringing them to our table! AND on top of that, they messed up our order!!! (There was only three items on the menu and we ordered two of them. How do you mess that up?!) By the time the food came, we were ready to go. They were completely unapologetic about it.
It’s clear that they don’t put pride or take value in their service or in training their staff, it’s unfortunate because no matter how great the food is (mediocre at best) Bad service will always leave a bad taste in our mouths. Honestly we could’ve went to jamba juice and had better bowls and way better unpretentious service. Never again.

3 star reviews by people who clearly got into this «foodie game» late.
Food is original, innovative and yet very cozy. Same could be said about the entire ambiance. The smells that came from the kitchen between courses added to our tasting experience.
Underrated by a long shot. Go but don’t ACT like you know because, frankly, you don’t. Be surprised.

I was really really excited to try Alma. There was nothing getting in the way of enjoying this meal!
We arrived promptly at 8:30 PM for our reservation. After about 15 minutes I looked around at the 12ish tables and it didn’t look like anyone was leaving anytime soon. 5 – 10 minutes later the hostess said it’ll be «about» 10 more minutes.
A lesson in customer service to Alma: PLEASE be honest when you’re throwing out numbers like that. You don’t have a full bar and we would’ve gladly went across to the Ace, grabbed a cocktail or two and come back if we were simply told that the way was going to be much longer. Seriously. Don’t fucking lie.
Finally we were seated at 9:20 and I was HANGRY, angry and annoyed at this point. We were here for my friend’s birthday which is the only reason I didn’t throw a full on tantrum at the staff.
My friend wanted to try the Market Menu — which I have a confirmed email from Alma saying that they would have it. They didn’t. There were guest chefs from Bucato so they only had the 8 course menu. Strike 2.
The service was very sub-​par. This price level is up there with Son of A Gun, Providence, Bestia, Mozza — the service should be at that level. I felt like I didn’t really know who my server was and one of the food runners was like «Can I put this plate down?» when my friend was trying to finish her oyster. RUDE. You don’t work at Red Robin but maybe you should. Much better service at other places in the area — Preux & Proper, LA Chapter (even though the food isn’t that great), Terroni, The Gorbals, Wood Spoon to name a few.
I didn’t get to write down all the descriptions of the food mostly because I inhaled them immediately and partially because they were mumbled at me, but we had:
oysters
artichoke
uni + english muffin
tofu beignet
some kind of fish
sunchoke soup
pasta
another kind of fish
lamb
fluffy ice cream/​icey/​foamy dessert
My favorites were: oysters, artichoke, sunchoke soup, 2^nd seafood dish. Nothing was that memorable and that’s what I was really hoping for.
It still wasn’t nearly as good as I was hoping seeing as how this is Bön Appetit’s Best Restaurant in America 2013. Absolutely not worth $ 95 and an hour wait.

Unfortunately I agree with most here. There’s potential but the meal is simply not memorable. I expect a restaurant of this caliber to deliver more than just a tasting menu of just seasonal and uninspired dishes.
It takes guts to open a restaurant like this in LA but at the end of the day the food needs to speak for itself.
Flavors are bland and toned down on purpose? Hopefully the hype has not gotten to them but I do want to believe their food was amazing before and can still be.

Scheduled a last minute dinner at Alma last night on my quest to finish off the Jonathan Gold 101 v.2014 and I was not disappointed. Alma answers the question «Can a menu be avant-​garde, trendy and still delicious and filling?» with a resounding yes.
The $ 95 tasting menu may be on the expensive side but think about it this way: It relieves you of the burden of making difficult decisions (the seaweed tofu beignet or the smoked cod? Both!). Too many decisions plague our society as it is (if you don’t believe me, visit your local cereal aisle.) Not a problem here!
And you will not regret putting your culinary future in the hands of Chef Ari. Subtlety of flavor, unique juxtapositions of ingredients and high quality will ensure that you get your money’s worth and are completely satiated.
Starting with an extremely fresh oyster with fermented radish, continuing on to smoked cod, seared scallops, chicken with chicory and squash, passion fruit yogurt, and the delicious Frozen Summer dessert (sorrel, licorice and chamomile, anyone?), there was not one dish that fell short.
My particular favorite was the egg yolk/​date surrounded with sunchoke/​apple broth and served with rye bread and cultured butter. If you like beer, Welsh rarebit and Marmite, you will love this dish. I could eat this dish every day for lunch if only they would be so kind as to deliver it to my office. (Bicycle lunch delivery? Just thinking out loud…)
In the running for Most Unusual Juxtaposition that Actually Works Award was the Frozen Duck Liver with Coffee Cream, Granola and Carrots. Don’t ask. Just eat.
Street parking is not good around here, maybe because of the rent-​a-​girl-​for-​a-​dance place next door. I got lucky (no, not like THAT) and parked in a lot where the attendant was AWOL. Free is good!

Alma is definitely something more San Francisco and Copenhagen than it is Los Angeles. Given Chef Traymor hails from closer to where I live than where his restaurant is, and the ethos to showcase things they grow themselves or the select few farms they work with. Also he’s worked in NorCal extensively as has his partner Ashleigh at Camino in Oakland, it’s no surprise those experiences have crept in.
As you walk along mostly quiet closed streets of downtown, you come to a subtle door with the Alma logo on glass. Walking through the door, the space is very dimly lit. A counter where folks wait for tables is along the glass window on the left side, next to a group of open tables. On the right are a number of banquettes that run all the way to the back. Finally there is kitchen counter seating along the small open kitchen where much of the grilling and plating happens.
I was seated near the front along the banquette where I got a good view of the whole restaurant. Being able to observe service, the counter, the entry and the far side of the dining room. You really dont have a menu as it’s set, as is the wine pairing. It’s a place where you submit to what the chefs and restaurant believe are what are the best for the night. An Omakase if you will. If you look on the website you’ll see a listing of ingredients, some of which we encountered and some we did not.
new zealand spinach
aged beef
sweet potatoes
cloth bound cheddar
sunchokes
sturgeon
pine
oxalis
purslane
pigeon
farm eggs
butternut squash
alliums
chicories
A flurry of snacks, and then a light progression of entrees. As the meal went on we got heavier proteins. It felt almost Noma like. Lots of interesting flavor combinations and techniques. So many thing going on I wish I had written them down. Unfortunately my pictures were really dark but Ill upload what I can. Needless to say it was all delicious. Service was very comfortable and friendly, so we felt well taken care of. The patrons ranged from industry folks, hipsters, and club types. it really was all over the place. I guess that’s what makes this place unique in both what they offer to the consumer all the way to the ambiance. For downtown LA, it definitely is a gem in the rough.

I think this Chefs brother must be the editor of Bön Appetit magazine.
When you walk out $ 300 lighter yet hungry, noting how you enjoyed the ‘amuse bouche’ more than the actual dinner they served, you know there is a problem.
Cod with an inedible, bitter green sauce. Lamb so rare a good vet could have the thing back on its feet in no time. Portions beyond small. Melodramatic on approach yet physically absent waitress, and a wine list I suspect they sourced from a former Soviet Union army barracks.
Tip: Eastern european wines are like Eastern european cars. They exist, but they are not very good when compared to alternatives. They simply provide Alma fantastic margins when billing $ 20+ a glass for something they obviously sourced at $ 10 a bottle.
This is a pass. For me a definite ‘never again’.
With so many options in LA for high end, foodie food… this wasn’t just a waste of $ 300+ for two people, but more a complete waste of a saturday night we could have eaten elsewhere.
Again. Utterly dreadful.

I went back to Alma last night to try the new 9-​course tasting menu, which is actually made up of many of the same components from other menus. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? Chef Ari was a little bit more bold with flavors this time around, which I appreciated. The favorites from my visit last year were also featured again. I was served:
Smoked ocean trout with its own roe, daikon radish
You don’t see fish as an amuse very often. I liked the simplicity of this. ⁴⁄₅
English muffin with uni, burrata, caviar, licorice herbs
Yum! The licorice gave the fresh uni a soulful depth. The burrata was mild and the base was perfectly bready and warm! ⁵⁄₅
Seaweed & tofu beignet, yuzu kosho sauce — Like last time, very light in taste. The yuzu kosho really carries it. ³⁄₅
«Central coast»: dungeness crab, caviar, torn bread, spinach purée, smoked sturgeon
this was great except that the almond foam tasted flour-​y, like something needed dissolving. But otherwise it tasted like the Santa Cruz beaches I grew up on. ⁴⁄₅
Beer & rye bread, cultured butter — A solid bread with very creamy, «alive-​tasting» butter 3.5÷5
Peas, morels, garden snails
This was very subtle all around but had a nice dewy aroma to it. The peas definitely needed more steaming. ²⁄₅
Gently-​cured mackerel, licorice, spinach purée, sauce from mackerel bone, blood orange
Wow! What an interesting flavor combination. The blood orange actually brought out natural ocean flavor of fish. 3.5÷5
Frozen duck liver, coffee granola, maple purée, carrots
It starts off dessert-​like since you taste the maple and coffee first, but then it works its way into the saltiness of the liver, which is impressively creamy. A really good dish. ⁴⁄₅
Shiitake mushrooms, turnip, slow-​cooked egg yolk, ginger broth
This is a very Asian creation and very similar to the congee I had for breakfast the other day. The egg yolk is unbelievably creamy yet you can cut into it. I’d love another helping of this. ⁵⁄₅
Pacific halibut, nasturtium, capers
Oh my. Nasturtium is the only herb I can think of that I dislike, and it was REALLY strong in the sauce, with the capers giving it an additional peppery bitterness. Barely touched it. ¹⁄₅
Saddle of lamb, potato, wild nettle, almond
Yup, the lamb was seared for 2 seconds on just one side. It didn’t have any rub or marinade and was lacking in the general lamby flavor. In fact, it recalled maguro in taste and texture. ²⁄₅
Sake lees ice cream
Wow, the sake flavor was very strong, with a sweet and funky aroma. The puffed rice on top was an interesting addition. ⁴⁄₅
Grapefruit, white chocolate, hops, spruce — An odd combination but it works, with salty-​sweetness of spruce, subtle white chocolate flavor, tarty grapefruit and bitterness in hops. Great idea, chef! ⁴⁄₅
Donut with lemon curd
just the right amount of lemon curd, good dusting of powdered sugar ⁴⁄₅
All in all the food was good, but definitely not for everybody. The cuisine is not rich in the least (Ari rarely uses butter or other fats) and spare in seasoning (besides herbs and flowers). And as other people have mentioned, the raw lamb is going to be a turn-​off for most people. But I can definitely understand why this is a restaurant chefs come to to get inspiration.
The pacing was unfortunately sleepy, which I forgot about from last time. The dinner took 3 ½ hours. By the time I got the lamb dish I was ready to be out of there. Bring really interesting company or bring something to entertain yourself with.

Suzie Q’s Fun Facts:
HYPE, verb (used with object), hyped, hyp·ing. Definition: A fad. A clever marketing strategy in which a product is advertized as the thing everyone must have, to the point where people begin to feel they need to consume it.
=≅≅≅≅≅≅≅≅~
I wonder whose sister slept with which editor at Bön Appetit Magazine? How, otherwise, to explain its selection of Alma as the best new restaurant in the country in 2013?
I almost feel sorry for the folks at Alma, because they put out good and creative seasonal fare. It’s not THEIR fault that some moron voted them best restaurant in the known universe or whatever. Talk about elevated expectations.
Making things even worse for poor Alma: I happened to dine at Ludo Lefebvre’s vastly cooler Trois Mec literally two days before trying Alma. And man did Alma suffer — deeply, painfully — from the comparison.
And now for the inevitable Alma vs. Trois Mec smackdown:
*THE RESERVATION EXPERIENCE*
Much easier at Alma. I called and made a reservation. No insane online queues to deal with, as at Trois Mec.
*THE AMBIANCE*
As many know, Trois Mec is located incognito-​style in a converted, garishly-​lit pizza place in a strip mall. The interior, of course, looks sleek and contemporary. This tongue-​in-​cheek whimsy actually makes me like Trois Mec even more.
In contrast, Alma’s location in a seedy storefront in downtown LA isn’t tongue-​in-​cheek at all. I’m not sure exactly WHAT they’re trying to convey. All I know is, when I spend $ 65 plus tip and tax for a five-​course tasting menu, I expect more.
«‘SNACKS»
The «snacks» at Alma were perfectly fine. But unlike at Trois Mec, where every single «snack» was emblazoned on my brain and stomach for eternity, I forgot about Alma’s the moment after I swallowed them. That doesn’t make them bad — just unmemorable (the cardinal sin of a top restaurant).
Alma’s snacks were:
— Ocean trout, roe and parsnip
— Mini english muffin with uni, burrata, fennel and roe
— Tofu and yuzu fritters
*DRINKS*
At Trois Mec, I’d ordered the optional non-​alcoholic beverage pairings, each made of interesting local botanical ingredients (many of which I’d never heard of before) and paired sublimely with its respective dish.
In fairness, Alma didn’t offer that option. But I did order a non-​alcoholic house-​made «Hawaiian punch» drink, which was tangy and fruity and while not tasting precisely like that childhood mainstay, I did enjoy.
*THE TASTING MENU*
The first course was «Smoked cod, alliums, asparagus & cured egg.»
This evoked our first course at Trois Mec two days prior. But TM’s variant was assembled far more artfully and tasted much more lively, interesting and fresh.
What the dishes had in common were edible flowers (an apparent LA of-​the-​moment foodie trend) and cured fish. But Alma’s just didn’t taste that special.
Second course: «Broth of young roots, shiitake, egg yolk & seaweed.»
Before the second course had emerged, a server brought out a big wedge of rustic rye bread and salty whipped butter. She explained that the bread was meant to accompany the soup. However, since the soup took several minutes more to come out, we had inhaled the bread in the meantime. (Perhaps serve them simultaneously next time, folks, if they’re meant to be eaten together?)
The soup tasted unexpectedly pungent and tangy (possibly attributable to the pickled vegetables they’d placed in the middle of the bowl). I normally love pickled vegetables, but in combination with the soup, the balance of the dish shifted off-​kilter.
Third course: Pacific swordfish with artichokes, bordelaise and coastal herbs.
By this point, I must admit, I was getting tired of eating fish course after fish course. Don’t get me wrong, I like fish very much… but couldn’t they have done something a little different here?
Fourth course: Grilled lamb saddle, spring garlic, wild nettles & almond
Either I blocked out this course because it was terrible, or Alma forgot to serve it to us. (No photographic evidence, either). I can’t for the life of me remember eating lamb that evening. I wish I had, as this description sounds pretty good.
Final course: Spruce & white chocolate with grapefruit and hops
Here’s the only area where I think Alma beats Trois Mec (whose desserts left me a bit unimpressed). I thought the burst of beads of bitter hops, contrasted with the different bitterness of the grapefruit and the sweetness of white chocolate, was a really interesting and daring combination.
Nevertheless, I can’t say I’m eager to return to Alma. The food didn’t smack me with creativity, nor did I feel lucky to be eating there. More like, «what’s the big deal?» In fairness, though, I might have enjoyed our meal more had we not eaten at Trois Mec first.

***Alma with its tasting menu only format and high-​end, creative cuisine is similar to Bay Area restaurants; while Alma is not as good as the Bay Area’s best restaurants, LA does need more restaurants like Alma***
Alma has recently changed its menu to a tasting menu only format. It is a very Bay Area approach. The kitchen and menu feels very Bay Area too. Like Commis and Saison, the kitchen is open where you get to see the chefs use fresh herbs to add final fragrant or decorative touches to complete each course.
The food is similar to Bay Area restaurants too. Their snacks are tiny bites and you enjoy many of them with your hands like Restaurant at Meadowood. These bites also feature caviar, which you will see at Baume and Quince. The courses are also light and showcase fresh ingredients as well as molecular gastronomy touches.
Alma tastes like a Bay Area restaurant too. Some of their courses fell short and the menu did not feel as seasonal as what I’ve experienced in the Bay Area, but there were still many great things about the food and I really appreciated the creativity, ambition and the courage to offer such a limited menu. LA has great food, but it needs more restaurants like Alma and hopefully Alma will create a desire for this style of cuisine.
The menu started with snacks and the best bite was the uni, caviar and burrata on top of a warm and toasted English muffin – great taste of the ocean and a creamy texture. There was also cured sturgeon with caviar – a good bite but it should have been on a crisp. The tofu and seafood beignet was hearty and I liked the yuzu aioli, but I feel the kale beignets at Manresa deliver a far more enjoyable exterior, interior and flavor.
The first course was a very Saison-​esque course of ember roasted chicken consommé, shallots, trout roe, and crème fraîche. It had a great flavor and was creamy and juicy with the explosion of the roe.
The second course was broken beets, apple, hazelnuts, and malted cream. It was a messy presentation, but the beets were juicy, the hazelnuts were crunchy and I loved the pronounced malt flavor of the malted cream.
Next came a warm salad of chicories, Dungeness crab, grapefruit, and breadcrumbs. With the cooked chicories, use of Dungeness crab and the addition of a contrasting texture (breadcrumbs), this was a very Bay Area-​like course. Overall, it was good though the breadcrumbs didn’t provide the crispy crunch I was expecting.
Liquid nitrogen frozen duck liver followed and it was served with maple cream, carrots and coffee granola. It was easily my favorite course of the night. The frozen duck liver had a great meaty and savory flavor and it was a true melt-​in-​your-​mouth experience. It combined with the sweet maple cream and the great hearty crunch of the granola to deliver a very delicious and creative combination.
The next course was a warm and creamy sunchoke soup with very sweet date jam and a slow cooked egg yolk. It was similar to a soup with egg yolk at Commis though Commis tops Alma with its addition of crunchy granola.
The fish course was roasted sturgeon with mashed potatoes and warm cabbages. While I did not love the garnishes, the fish was very nicely done – lighter, flakier, juicier, and softer than most sturgeon I’ve had.
The meat course showcased slowly roasted Mishima Ranch beef, turnips, truffle, and walnut. Like the sturgeon, the protein was very nicely done while the sides underwhelmed. The beef had a good outside char to contrast the very juicy and soft center. The turnips were too bitter and the dressing added to the bitterness. The truffle was good, but it was really too small of a portion to make an impact.
The desserts lacked a real pastry element, but they were good. The first dessert (kind of a palate cleanser) was a geranium and Meyer lemon sorbet, which was very refreshing, fragrant and not overly icy and was topped with a light, sweet and slightly sticky meringue. The next dessert consisted of hearty and crunchy toasted oats, very good and juicy compressed apple, good caramel, and smooth ice cream.
The final bites were very fragrant and delicious apple and bourbon gelee and buttery, crunchy, sweet, and even black sesame nutty-​esque sunflower seed brittle.
Service was very good. The servers were very professional, polite and personable and the kitchen did a good job at delivering the courses at a quick and even pace.
The restaurant looks nice (good looking wood and nice decoration), but it lacks the mix of intimacy and subtle elegance you get with similar restaurants with more financial backing.
Alma doesn’t measure up to the great Bay Area restaurants it is similar to, but it shows a lot of potential and serves creative and delicious food; hopefully, it will start a trend in LA.
Pay lots are nearby.