Alma Review: This Downtown Restaurant May Be the One You've Been Waiting For

Comments (0) By Besha Rodell Thursday, Mar 7 2013

After Alma's original pastry chef, San Song, left in September, Taymor took over desserts himself, with much success. A buttermilk cake, torn and strewn across a plate, accompanied by candied fennel and blood orange, is a dish of simple pleasure despite its tundra-like presentation.

Alma only recently got a liquor license and now is serving a small selection of beer and wine, alongside the fantastic house-made sodas dreamed up by beverage director Chris Yamashiro. The wines, beers and ciders are geared to the food, with lighter and more herbaceous reds and idiosyncratic whites. There's beer from Spain and Norway and nowhere expected, and rustic cider that feels exactly right with this food.

PHOTO BY ANNE FISHBEIN

Beignets at Alma are made with seaweed and tofu.

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Alma

952 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Category: Restaurant > Beignet

Region: Downtown

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Taymor is young, he is extremely talented, and he's still figuring out what works and what doesn't. Which is why we're able to eat this food right now in this location, at this price. It's the beginning of something new, a gem for L.A. to stumble upon. What fun to watch and taste as Taymor refines his shine and becomes invaluable.

Reach the writer at brodell@laweekly.com.

See more of Anne Fishbein's photos of the Alma.