alma de cuba

this is for a series of posts for stephen starr restaurants including:almade cuba , barclay prime, butcher and singer , continental midtown & martini bar , the dandelion , el vez , jones , parc , pizzeria stella , route 6 [1] , route 6 [2] , & square burger . stephen starr is clearly a dominant force in the philly restaurant scene. and so it's not surprising that he brought in chef douglas rodriguez to be one of the pillars of the empire, as ec atalmade cuba . raised in miami to cuban-born parents, chef rodriguez won a slew of awards in the 80's and 90's, with newsweek selecting him as one of 100 americans that would influence the millennium. designated as a super chef who made latin food haute, he also won a james beard award for rising star. but perhaps more prominent to contemporary foodies, he is the chef-mentor who brought eventual iron chef jose garces to philly. i first dined atalmade cuba a year ago, after the weight of a michigan christmas's week of meals. the gf and i decided to do a sampling of some of the smaller tastes from chef rodriguez. it wasn't too packed when we stopped by before an 8pm showing of elf at the walnut street theater. we were on the 3rd floor, which was more of a private space. bread service chimichurri fresh pandebono was on offer, delightfully crisp and sweet on the outside with some yeasty cheesiness within. the cl

since the popular philadelphia israeli restaurant zahav continued to elude me in terms of availability, i ended up making a reservation atalmade cuba when i went home for the fourth of july holiday. although i had eaten at philadelphia’s other popular cuban restaurant (cuba libre) countless times, i had never made it toalmaeven though it’s been around for well over a decade.

one of the best meals i've ever eaten!. my husband and i wandered intoalmablindly one evening while looking for a dinner spot. it was the best dinner decision ever. from the drinks to the appetizers to dinner, this place was top-notch. service was also flawless. our waiter, who has worked there since the restaurant's opening, was amazing. he certainly knew the menu top to bottom and he was just so genuine and kind. we could tell he truly cared about the restaurant and his guests. we will definitely return when we are back in philly.

no starr restaurant has blown me away more thanalmade cuba. i came here for the first time with a group of girlfriends and we all loved the food. some of the dishes we ordered for main courses were the rum cured duck breast, sea scallops, and the cuban shrimp and grits. since we all tried each other’s dishes, i can attest to the fact that all of the meals were incredibly appetizing and left us sated, especially the heavier shrimp and grits dish. if you want to try more than just the main meals offered here, the sweet plantains are delicious and make you feel as though you’re really eating in cuba. as always, when i went, i left room for dessert and so did my friends, so we tried both the chocolate cigar and the coffee and donuts. both were sweet ends to the night and we ended the meal on a high note.

consistently one of the best restaurants in philly bringing together a wonderful crowd with classic and inventive latin drinks and food. the restaurant and bar area are usually lively, entertaining and fun. drinks and appetizers at the bar are the way to go.almade cuba is one of the varied restaurants brought to ph

rich chocolate mousse was rolled in soft chocolate almond cake and finished with analmade cuba paper cigar sticker. the decadent cigar was served with creamy dulce de leche ice cream and cool sugar matches, which were lit by our waiter.

con alma.almay corazon...these folks....have it! soul and heart....from the bread to the water...to the photos on the wall...you will fall in love withalmade cuba!

wow!. we decided to tryalmaafter reading the glowing reviews. let me say, spectactular! from the moment you walk in we were treated like first class. our server was perfect. full of knowledge, timely, and a great dessert recommendation (chocolate cigar). our apps (tuna tartare tacos & empanadas) and entress were flawless( chilean seabass and lechon asado). just truly a great place. it was a pleasure to have eaten here. in fact, if it weren't for the fact we had to leave so early the next day we would have been back again!

fabulous. the best food we had in philly. the atmosphere is intriguing and inviting. the service was superb. but you come for the food, andalmadelivers. every dish we had was unique and memorable. try the date appetizer and the old fashioned with cigar bitters

mojito as a starter!. when atalmade cuba make sure that your start your fine cuban epicurean experience with one of their signature mojitos. actually, i had two before dinner cocktails and i was ever so better because of my action. of course get a designated driver or stay around rittenhouse square for the evening in one of the fine hotels. the the great dinner followed and i was a happy camper.

best cuban/latin food in philly. like ceviche? have it atalmawhere at any given time there are 8 to choose from. the soups are perfect and are served in generous portions. all the food is superb. what is really great about is that those with an adventurous palate can really enjoy some great ingredients while their more traditional dining companions have plenty to choose from as well. everyone raves about the chocolate cigar dessert...and rightfully so -- but the tapioca with a guava bar "hermit" is to die for

senor lanky and i anticipate restaurant week every season, but since the price was raised to $35, i find that its often cheaper, especially for a vegetarian who is not that into dessert, to order straight off the menu. our recent trip toalmade cuba was

we recommendalmade cuba, a modern cuban place west of city hall. great food runs from olde city against the river through center city along chestnut, walnut and sansom. but we can't take ourselves away fromalmade cuba. beautiful, dim atmosphere. delic