Alma team Monday Family Dinner resulted in us all loving this cover. 

modernramen:

Creep (Radiohead) - Carrie Manolakos (by CarrieManolakosMusic)

Chef de Cuisine Derrick de Jesus uses this as inspiration when he gets up in the morning. He also has a one eyed dog name Haji.

Final touches on the breast of the duck. ;) 

Vagabonds outside their nomadic restaurant 

Raw milk curd, gaviota strawberry, pistachio, lime, anise hyssop

Crudite, urchin bottarga, seaweed

Are pop-ups passé? Many would argue yes, and even the “pop-up king” himself Ludovic Lefebvre has shunned the term. Alma (Spanish for “soul”), however, is breathing new life into the concept. The series is the brainchild of Chef Ari Taymor, who aims to present his brand of “nostalgic modern American cuisine” in a prix fixe setting, serving roughly seven courses at a very reasonable $55 per head. Alma kicked off in February, housed at Flake in Venice. It then moved to The Brick House in March (also in Venice), while this current iteration runs through May 27th at Millie’s Cafe in Silver Lake. 

About the Chef: The nephew of noted Broadway director Julie Taymor, the NorCal native began cooking due to an interest in local and sustainable agriculture. He cut his teeth here in LA, but really started making a name for himself back up in the Bay Area starting in 2007. Taymor worked under Steve Jaramillo at Lalime’s in Berkeley, then helped Tom McNaughton open Flour + Water in 2009. After a year there, he left and spent several months at Bi-Rite Market, learning the art of butchery with meat master Morgan Maki. This was followed by a stage at Armand Arnal’s La Chassagnette in Arles, France, a completely self-sustaining restaurant situated on a farm. Upon returning to the US, he cooked for Chris Kronner at Bar Tartine, then relocated to Sausalito in 2011 to assist mentor Kimberly Alter in the opening of Plate Shop. After Alter departed the restaurant in May last year, Taymor became Executive Chef at Paul Cocking’s longstanding Gabriella Cafe in Santa Cruz. From there, he moved down to Southern California, landing at Santa Monica’s Salute in October. The Chef’s tenure there was short, however, as he quickly left the place after an ownership change this February (the restaurant has since been relaunched as Brick + Mortar). 

With his future in flux, Taymor contacted Dinelle Lucchesi (head of underground social club Anthrob Dimurtica) and the two decided to start a restaurant in LA, almost on a whim. They had actually met on a flight when the Chef was still at Saluté, and had collaborated before on a dinner party for Anthrob. Lucchesi, for her part, runs the front-of-the-house for Alma, and previously worked in public relations and journalism in New York. The two are joined by Chef de Cuisine Derrick de Jesus, an alum of Patina and The Ritz-Carlton who also staged at Mexico City’s famed Restaurante Pujol and competed in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie in Lyon, France. Meanwhile, Ramen California alumnus Chris Yamashiro (who I actually met at Wolvesmouth event earlier in the year) heads up the beverage program. ….

…..Read Full Review

I didn’t know quite what to expect when I walked in to Alma, but what I experienced was impressive to say the least. Taymor’s food, perhaps not surprisingly, shows a strong Bay Area aesthetic, which is a breath of fresh air to LA’s current culinary landscape. His flavors are laser-focused, yet uncompromisingly inspired and evocative, joined by thoughtfully composed, organic plating and presentation. Though the Chef is young in years, he’s demonstrated a certain maturity and point of view that I can’t help but appreciate, and I expect some great things from him—he’s one to watch for sure. Alma pop-ups will continue until the team has enough money to start a permanent project in the Hollywood/Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Echo Park area. I suggest you give them a try.