Hey Friends , hope you had a wonderful weekend, I know I did. I had a amazing dinner this weekend a Restaurant Alma in Minneapolis, MN. I was invited by Chef Alex Roberts the owner and executive chef and also happens to be a James Beard nominee this year for "Best Chef Midwest" and let me tell you I got the chance to see why. One of my best friends joined me and once we arrive we were showed to our table and the 
excitement began. The restaurant was buzzing with people and soft music was playing in the background. The menu was simple because it was one page and printed on recycled paper....awesome right...
The place setting was what you would expect at a fine dining restaurant except there was a clay stone that the utensils heads were placed on which was made by a local potter. Fresh flowers in the old glass milk jars brought a since of rustic charm to the dining room. The small and very efficient open kitchen was the center piece of it all. The chefs were busy creating wonderful mouthwatering fare from local farm and markets.
Chef Alex came out to greet us and to let us know a little of what he had in store , an extensive tasting and wine pairing which started with the house made Ricotta cheese with honey, thyme, rosemary and sea salt accompanied by crispy flat bread. It was simple but the flavors married together magically and paired with a California sparkling white wine, it was perfect.
Next up was a grass fed bison tar tar with a radish and herb salad, charred jalapeno, sea salt and aioli. The bison was so very delicate and the hint of the jalapeno lent just the perfect hint of heat to the dish which melted away almost instantly from the cool light aioli.
My friend enjoyed a cool and crispy bibb lettuce salad with lemon dressing, honey, pine nut and ricotta salada. He said it was awesome the way the lemon dressing and the cheese married together and just a bit of crunch from the fresh pine nuts. A glass of Pinot Grigio paired wonderfully with the next course, a caramelized onion and buckwheat crepe with smoked portobello mushrooms, brie fondue and dried fruit preserves. This was great, imagine the light delicate crepe with perfectly smoked portobello and the creamy warm brie fondue and just a touch of sweet from the preserves it went together like those few ingredients where meant to be grown and raised together and it was only natural that they stayed together.
The highlight of the night for me, after the chef presented us with a few more magnificent dishes, was the ever so slowly roasted short ribs that he paired with a spicy carrot puree, braised Swiss chard and crispy shallot. I have eaten and work at a lot of award winning restaurant that prepared short ribs and I have to say honestly that this was one of the most amazing preparation of it I have had. It was awesome, perfectly cook, just melted away on the tongue. The carrot puree was sweet naturally and just a little spice which complimented the exotic spices of the short rib. Then the perfect sweet crunch of the shallot was just the extra texture the dish needed.
I can't say enough about the evening it was great. Good friend, great food, perfect wine selections is a recipe for an award winning night. My friend who joined me said it changed his thinking of what great food is, which is the perfect compliment to any chef! Thanks Alex!
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