Alma de Cuba

[Brad Trent]

OK, so I needed to find a table for four on a Saturday night in Philly, and after attempting to get into about 15 places I settled on a 9:15 rez at Alma de Cuba. After reading what others had said about it it seemed like it would be a fun place but quite honestly I was not expecting haute cuisine from a place whose website crowed over the fact that the chef had memorized L'Escoffer (sic) by the age of 17...do you suppose they meant L'Escoffier??? No matter, what I wasn't expecting was the level of mediocrity I encountered! Our 9:15 rez allowed us to be seated at 9:45, something that always burns my ass. I was on a job in Philly and had to be up very early the next morning so if I wanted to wait for a table I could have picked a bunch of other places to go. We sat at the bar drinking $9.00 Mojitos (why is it that every one of these chi-chi eateries thinks a drink should cost as much as a meal?!!) watching the requisite beautiful people, people who obviously know nothing about food I was to learn later! We were ushered upstairs to a rather nice looking dining room...I won't fault them on the design of the place. The wine list is very average to below average, and highly priced. I settled on two different Rioja's (a '94 Reserve and a '97) that were middling at best and cost me $140!

The menu LOOKS interesting...lotsa nice descriptions and things you don't see often like the assortment of empanadas that tops their list of appetizers...we ordered all three (truffled wild mushroom, tuna and a very interesting sounding fois gras and fig) and all three sucked! I mean, REALLY sucked! The pastry was as heavy as a brick and the only filling that even merits mentioning in a good way was the one our waiter warned us off of, the truffled wild mushroom, since you could at least taste something like mushroom in it even if any evidence of truffles was nowhere to be seen! My tuna thing was so lame I didn't finish it...it swam in some kind of a tomato soup sauce that killed all other flavor in the thing. The fois gras nightmare was completely taste-free except for that heavy as hell dough it was wrapped up in! And I'd be damned if I could find ANY fois gras in it! $15 for possibly the worst appetizer I've tasted in years! The other appetizer we tried was the (also $15) Crab Salpicon which was nothing more than a crab salad, and a rather bland one at that. I just came back from Ireland, not exactly a hotbed of international cuisine, and I was eating crab salad's that kicked the snot outta this thing for a third the price!

On to our parade of equally lame mains...one of my assistants had a Ceviche Sampler, 3 of their ceviche plopped in a bowl and all of which tasted like bad fish "cooked" in lime juice...big deal! They were all so boring that I couldn't differentiate one from the next. I had the Adobo Rub Rack of Lamb, ordered medium rare, came bloody and was nothing more than four rib chops (very SMALL rib chops at that!) thrown, and I mean thrown with no apparent thought of design or order, onto my plate...they had been rubbed with a mildly interesting spice rub but I didn't feel like sending them back to get them re-cooked to the way I wanted them done since after the apps I already knew this place stunk and I just wanted to get back to my hotel! My other assistant got the Chilean Sea Bass Enchilado which did a great impression of a frozen enchilada drowning in cream sauce...again, completely devoid of any interesting flavor, or at least a flavor that might suggest that somewhere under all of the bad preparation there was a fish present! It could have been a tofu enchilada for all we knew! My stylist got the Cilantro Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon and it came cooked to death and again, SWIMMING in a sauce of horseradish...what is it with this place that they have to douse everything with SAUCE?!!

We ignored the dessert menu, something we NEVER do on roadtrips, but I did order a double espresso and got promptly served a single, but charged for the double!

As I said above, lotsa fancy-dressed people-who-must-be-seen fill this place, but they ain't there for the food!

BeeT's

Edited August 25, 2003 by Brad Trent (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Brad:

Sorry you had such a bad experience. I've never had that problem there, however, I also confess I don't go to a place like that on a Saturday night at prime time for exactly that reason.

I wish you'd PM'd or called Striped Bass and asked for me. I could have hooked you guys up. Are you still in town? Let me know if I can assist with a reservation elsewhere.

[Brad Trent]

Katie offered: "...I also confess I don't go to a place like that on a Saturday night at prime time for exactly that reason...."

Ya know what Katie, why should any restaurant take a pass on Saturday nights? I mean, this place was ROCKIN' when we were there! So much so that I had to wait over half an hour to get seated. Does that mean the staff can take a paid vacation and serve up crap?!! I hate rubbing the New York thing in your face, but if an NYC place took a "break" on weekends (if that's the real reason why Alma de Cuba served me four plates of dreck this weekend!) then they wouldn't last a month! I can't believe that my experience was an anomoly...not with everything we had being so bad! And I don't think I'm being too critical...I regularly eat at Tartine, a teeny bistro in the West Village (it's been my go-to spot since it opened), that hasn't really changed it's menu in years, and yet they manage to keep things interesting enough to keep me coming back! And they don't hose me down when the check comes either!

Nah...despite all of the fancy window dressing I think Alma de Cuba is just another example of style over substance.

BeeT's

Tartine

Tartine, AGAIN!

Guess What?!!

Ahhh...now this is just gettin' SILLY!!!

PS: By the way, I tried to get a rez at Striped Bass but was told they were full up! Thanx for the offer though!

[herbacidal]

Katie offered: "...I also confess I don't go to a place like that on a Saturday night at prime time for exactly that reason...."

Ya know what Katie, why should any restaurant take a pass on Saturday nights? I mean, this place was ROCKIN' when we were there! So much so that I had to wait over half an hour to get seated. Does that mean the staff can take a paid vacation and serve up crap?!! I hate rubbing the New York thing in your face, but if an NYC place took a "break" on weekends (if that's the real reason why Alma de Cuba served me four plates of dreck this weekend!) then they wouldn't last a month!

no, that's not what katie was saying, i don't believe.

what she was saying, i think, was something along the lines of

it's not that any place should take a pass on saturday nights.

it's more that a saturday night is a better chance to get a bad experience, b/c of the increased crowds.

now combined with the fact that everything was horrible, think about that as along the bell curve. that is one extreme that brings down their particular average user experience. i'm sure others have had experiences on the other side with relation to alma. no different than any other place.

[Brad Trent]

Herbacidal chimed in with: "...it's more that a saturday night is a better chance to get a bad experience, b/c of the increased crowds..."

The fact that the joint was jumpin' on a Saturday night wasn't the reason for my bad evening at Alma de Cuba. I'm not willing to make the extreme leap to say that our experience was just bad luck and poor timing. The preparation was flawed from the get-go...the recipes are simply bad...the presentation sucked...the wine list was pedestrian and the service only so-so! These are hardly things that are related to the number of heads that pass through the door. If somebody else can claim to have had a good experience at this place with the same food we ate then all I can think is either they haven't eaten too many truly good meals or else my standards are WAY too high!

BeeT's (Mr. Brutal)

[dannyboy]

I had dinner there on a Saturday night a while back. 4 of us had early reservtions, so I didn't experience the "hot crowd", but our food had touches of Brad's experience. I was appaled at the portion size and lackluster flavor of the $24 ceviche sampler platter. I have never been served a more comical portion of food for that price before. The Mojitos were so savory, but again, with the appaling $9 price tag. Wife had empanada appetizer that was exactly how Brad described. On the other hand, each and every one of our entrees was more than satisfactory. The portions were plentiful, everything cooked, flavored and presented well. After our entrees, things started to go south. Our waitress took a snobbish tone when we didn't order anymore alcohol. She continued the attitude when we decided we weren't going to partake in the pricey dessert and coffe combo. By the time we whipped out our partial payment of $50 Steven Starr gift certificate, she was barely able to thank us and bade us a goodnight before finally abandoning us in derogatory glances and huff.

Overall, I did have a good experience minus the few problems. If I found myself there again, I'd skip the ceviche and the drinks. Brad's right about a place like this not lasting a heartbeat in NYC. And I also have a hunch that things at Alma don't get better on any other night.

[robert40]

Anytime a good chef design's a menu the food should be no less on Saturday then Monday.

If the line cook's can't manage to get the food out in a consistent manner and is sub-par it is a design flaw in the menu.

This is the general rule in most case's.

RR

[Julietly]

Hmmmn, I had dinner there this spring, and had a delicious meal, start to finish. However, it was definitely overpriced for what it was. Also I completely agree with you about the mediocre and also very overpriced wine list. And yes, the majority of the diners ( and also much of the staff ) were oozing major juvenile poseur-type attitude! (It was a friday night, by the way.) The next night we had a fantastic experience at a little restaurant in the South st. area, I think it was called Fez. The food was awesome, although I could've done without the belly dancer's navel being shook in my face while I was eating. (Although it was amusing watching the drunk college girls trying to belly dance!)

[herbacidal]

man you guys are not helping!!

i am trying so hard to respect starr, the organization and his clientele,

but this is falling in line with what i've heard about most of his restaurants.

[davidbdesilva]

We almost cancelled our reservations for Alma de Cuba Thursday night, expecting the city to be half blown away by Isabel. Boy am I glad we didn't. First of all the evening wasn't that bad, mostly windy but getting cranked up by the time we drove home at 11:00 pm.

When we arrived at Alma at 6:45 expecting the place to be empty, it was in full swing and crowded. The 3 course $30pp dinner was excellent and an excellent value. We started off with the mushroom empanadas (very good) and the shrimp ceviche in a tomato based sauce with cilantro, red pepper and avocado slices, excellent! Entrees were salmon with a honey glaze, banana slices and a hint of horseradish, excellent, and vaca frita, a huge plate of fork tender skirt steak with rice, black beans, cherry tomaotes and avocado slices, excellent (and too much to finish). Desserts were lemon custard flan, excellent, and coconut chocolate cake (good but not great). I was a bit surprised at how steep their limited wine menu was. We chose the cheapest red available and got a nice Chilean Syrah from Calitera (steep at $40 for probably a $10 bottle of wine). The place is still as sexy and chic as ever and all in all we had a great time. To be honest, the food tasted as good to us as when we first went when it just opened and Rodriguez was doing the cooking.

The evening was topped off with a fine cigar and scotch at Mohogony just down the block. I'm glad we didn't let Isabel ruin our plans. BTW Katie, that deal at Striped Bass sounds excellent and if I had known previously I would have been tempted to switch, having never dined there.

[KatieLoeb]

David:

The deal at Striped Bass turned into more of a tug-of-war between Dining Room Management and Kitchen Management. We cancelled it for tonight (Friday) because the only people signing up for it were the employees . That's pretty sad. Actually the idea that the employees can only afford to eat here if it's such a deal is even scarier.

Next year I'm going to make certain we're either IN or OUT of Restaurant Week and stick with the original decision. Trying to please everyone makes for bad relations between the various factions in the restaurant.

Glad you had a nice experience at Alma de Cuba. I have always enjoyed myself there.

On a separate note, as soon as I get more of my own selections on the wine list here, I'll let you know so you can come in and check out the "Katie Selections by-the-glass". Found a ton of terrific products at the Winebow tasting in NYC yesterday. Lots of off-the-wall blends (a 50/50 Gavi-Fiano de Avellino that I know you'd love) and interesting, little known Italian varietals in particular. Looking forward to having a unique and interesting wine list here for a change. Too much predictability leads to bored guests and bored staff, I think.

[davidbdesilva]

Your wine selections sound awesome (a Gavi-Fiano blend, now that sounds absolutely delicious!). Next time we are in town for dinner we'll have to stop in for some of your "Katie-selections"! Sounds like you are whipping their wine list into great shape. Too bad the restaurant week thing didn't pan out. I agree, either do it and do it right and plan way ahead or just skip it. Hopefully next year they'll be in and I'll be there!

[mrbigjas]

Actually the idea that the employees can only afford to eat here if it's such a deal is even scarier.

Do you guys no longer have the prix fixe lunch menu? I always thought that was a damn good deal--what was it, like $35 for three courses or something? I did that a few times, while I've only had dinner at SB once.

[philadining]

Wandering through the steamy city on sunday was wilting us pretty effectively, until we passed Alma de Cuba, and mojitos suddenly sounded crucial.

Their "classico" is one of my favorite renditions of that drink, with some bitters to back-off the sweetness. Hit the spot. DDP tried both of their sangrias, and while they were good, neither held a candle to Amada's.

And as so often happens while sitting at the bar, we could resist getting a few appetizers...

Cockles were steamed in a vibrant, garlicky rum sauce, sweet with roasted corn, balances with tangy roasted tomatoes. DDP found it a bit too intense, but I loved it.

Oxtail empanadas had a very tasty filling of flavorful beef mixed with cabrales, inside an OK pastry. The whole package worked pretty well, despite the blah dough.

Ham croquettes were really good, with a creamy, cheesy, salty filling inside a fresh, crunchy crust. I have to give the edge to the version at Amada, but these were enjoyable nonetheless.

Oysters Rodriguez were outrageously good. Light, tender fried oysters were set atop a combination of spinach and cheese, and returned to their shells. These had great texture and flavor.

All in all, we liked all the food, enjoyed the drinks, made for a nice stop on a summer afternoon.

Oh, then the check came. We knew what everything cost, so we were aware of what were were getting into, but it was still somehow a little surprising to see a bill for a bit over $80 before tip! That was three drinks, and 4 generous appetizers (4 large oysters, 6 croquettes, one big empanada, countless tiny cockles - maybe 30?)

Everything was quite tasty, and we'll probably do it again (our best meals there have been assembled from piles of apps at the bar) but, ouch!

[Chris Hennes]

My wife and I had a pretty good meal at Alma de Cuba this past Thursday. We were going to a show that evening, so our reservations were early (5:30) and there were only a few other tables filled when we arrived. I like the aesthetic of the dining room, it has a great feel to it. I was disappointed that their baseline Mojito is made with Bacardi, but a few more dollars and you can get it made with 10 Cane, a distinct improvement. We started with a Japanese Red Snapper ceviche that was good, but not mind-blowing (though the sweet potato is a nice touch). I then had the Oysters Rodriguez, a riff on Oysters Rockefeller that is very nice. The oysters were perfectly cooked and all the ingredients were well-balanced. For my main course I had the Lechon Asado, a crispy pork dish. The portion size was a bit on the large side, but I suppose that's not much of a complaint. The mojo had great, vibrant flavor, as did the rice/bean side dish it came with. The pork was a little dry, but I'm not sure that was such a bad thing: the outside was super crisp and there was plenty of sauce. We did not have any dessert, and only had cocktails with dinner, so I can't comment on the wine list or their desserts. All told, though, a very good meal, and we didn't have any problems with the service. It's hard for me to judge the price: I was on vacation, and we had spent the previous two evenings in Manhattan, so everything in Philly seemed very reasonably priced by comparison.