alma - Los Angeles, CA

Dinner - Saturday, February 22, 2013

Since our first meal at alma last year, Ari Taymor and team have been building a steady stream of recognition. Bon Appetit, GQ and the James Beard Foundation have all come knocking on their door. The restaurant has changed as well, streamlining itself in the kitchen. Gone is the a la carte menu, replaced by two prix fixe options - one simply an abbreviated version of the other.

I had briefly corresponded with Ari after our dinner in June, but was quite surprised to receive an invitation from him earlier this month to revisit the restaurant, as he felt that the restaurant had "grown by leaps and bounds". With no plans in place for my birthday, we decided that celebrating at alma would be perfect.

NB: at the end of the night, we were refused a bill due to a kitchen oversight (see the end for further details). Ari, unfortunately, was away in NYC doing a collaboration dinner at Contra.