For a city its size, Minneapolis is home to an impressive number of great restaurants, with amazing chefs focused on providing seasonal, local, sustainable Minnesota-and-Wisconsin-grown food. Add in St. Paul (which you really should, especially given the existence of Heartland, named St. Paul's best restaurant in the City Pages 2009 poll), and the number becomes almost shocking. Restaurant Alma has been quietly delighting fans of local food since 1999. Restaurant Alma's homepage proudly proclaims that their food is hand crafted with fresh, seasonal, organic and local ingredients. Restaurant Alma's menu changes regularly, reflecting the restaurant's core values in dishes such as:
- Grass Fed Bison Tartar, with radish & herb salad, charred jalepeno, sea salt, and aioli
- Gently Cooked Trout, with braised mushrooms and smoked ham hock, and red wine sauce
- Roast Chicken Two Ways, with roasted potato, grilled asparagus, rosemary pan jus, and saba
Not all of the foods are local (thus the prawn bruschetta and halibut), but many of them are, and everything my wife and I ate last week (3 courses each, plus dessert to share) was perfectly prepared, attractively presented, professionally served, and delicious. Main dishes are in the $25 range, and appetizers and salads generally cost between $10 - $15. Alma is also known for its fixed price option, allowing guests to choose 3 courses for $45.
Here's a bit more information about Restaurant Alma, from the About Us section of their website: Our food is sourced from top quality seasonal ingredients, featuring a high percentage of local and organic products. Our menu changes every six to eight weeks, offering a mix of new and signature dishes. We consider Alma to be a truly “American” restaurant honoring many different cooking traditions and interpreting them with our unique creative vision. Inspired by great artisanal foods of the world. We craft all of our stocks, sauces, breads, pastries and ice creams from scratch on a daily basis. We also strive to support other artisanal producers when purchasing wine, cheese, honey and many other ingredients.
Restaurant Alma is owned and operated by well-known and respected Chef Alex Roberts, who also owns and runs Brasa Premium Rotisserie. Roberts studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York, and cut his teeth at some of New York's finest restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern and the Union Square Cafe.
Restaurant Alma is located at 528 University Ave SE Minneapolis, MN 55414
