alma de cuba

this is for a series of posts for stephen starr restaurants including: alma decuba, 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 at alma decuba. 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 at alma decubaa 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 at alma decubawhen 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 to alma even though it’s been around for well over a decade.

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. alma decubais one of the varied restaurants brought to ph

alma decubahas such an ordinary look to it from the outside. one would never have imagined how caliente this place is.

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

mojito as a starter!. when at alma decubamake 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.

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 to alma decubawas