Minneapolie: Restaurant Alma

Last night I ate at Restaurant Alma, a nondiscript neighborhood place that is easy to miss when driving by ... watch carefully. The space is sleek, yet warm and the staff an equal mix of urban hipster and welcoming charm. I was, in fact, blown away by the entire evening and can highly recommend a visit to this gem of a spot. The menu changes regularly, so what I'm describing here may not be available when you visit, but I have confidence that what you order will be equally wonderful. The tasting menu is a reasonable $48 and includes three selections, one from each section of the menu. The choices were varied and would, to my mind, accommodate a variety of preferences. For my dinner I had:

First Course: salmon tartar with avocado, baby basil and cavier creme fraiche. The dish was beautifully presented and went well with the cava that the bartender recommended. The salmon was clean tasting and the creme and basil offered nice counterpoints to its texture and flavor. The only down side to this dish was a not mentioned on the menu parmesean tuile, crushed and added as a layer on top of the tartar. I found it to be overpowering in flavor and distracting in texture, an addition that subtracted rather than enhanced the whole. Scrap it off and enjoy everything else.

Second Course: white corn polenta with mushroom stew and spring vegetables can only be described as PERFECT. The polenta was puffy and creamy, the mushrooms deeply flavored and the shower of al dente spring vegetables a perfect compliment. I could have eaten two or three portions of this dish, it was truly amazing and maybe the best polenta I've ever eaten. I want more!

Third Course: gently cooked trout with crispy artichokes, orange, and rosemay butter was also close to perfection. The fileted trout was beautifully cooked and the crispy artichokes were amazing, deep fried and crisp without being battered. The citrus balanced the plate well and cut the richness of the rosemary butter nicely. Wonderful.

Dessert: I wasn't going to, but there was a lemon souffle cake that sounded to good to miss, and I made the right choice. The chilled souffle was light and etheral, with some excellent lemon curd too boot. It was a perfect ending to an unexpectedly wonderful meal.

Now, about the staff, they were as good as the food. Charming, engaging and clearly proud of the food and the restaurant. Ready to offer suggestions, pair wine and generally make things happen. On this particular evening there was a big storm that droppend marble sized hail stones on the street and a funnel cloud threatened to form on the horizon ... the bartender poured me more wine and told me not to worry. And I didn't.

EatHereOrNot: EAT HERE