So, its been a while since the last post (as this guy reminds me on a daily basis). I’m sure I could give you a myriad of excuses, but that would not interest you at all. So, this post will be a restaurant review! I decided to take Megs out for the Hallmark holiday know to the world as Valentine’s day. The restaurant of choice was was Alma de Cuba, the Steven Starr haute spot in Philly. Now, this also happens to be one of Meg’s favorite places, so I was trying to throw her off the scent all week. I suceeded in this, even as we were walking past, she was saying how much she would have liked to go there, as we turned in, a big smile went across her face. Onto the review… We sat down, and after a bit of a wait for the server, were given menus. We both started with the Mojitos, which were excellent as always. Wonderfully sweet and refreshing. The menu has a great diversity of proteins and veg alike. The ceviche is one of the dishes they are known for and they don’t dissapoint in variety. I started my meal with a special of Blue Fin Tuna, sliced thin, and place on Grapefruit slices, with a grapefruit foam. The tuna was almost the same color as the fruit, so it was as if you had one bite sized, homogeneous pink slice that was both acidic and fatty at the same time. It was fantastic to say the lease, very light on the palet and a wonderful starter. Megs went with an arugula salad, with a peanut dressing, also very good. I moved on to a nice Malbec, that I thought would go well with my Tenderloin that was coated in coco. This was an interesting combination, and went it came out sliced and cooked to a perfect medium rare, it looked like a great contrast of black and red. The coco was not sweet at all, but provided that subtle hint of flavor that made you wonder what it was. It was served on some braised fennel (which I love and eat weekly) and a very light and foamy whip of baby potatos, all served with a white chocolate demi. A great meal to say the least. Meg went with a maple glazed chicken breast on the bone, served with a pomagranet sauce. This was also fantsastic, the sweet flavors of the maple and fruit went great together, and the meat was so moist and flavorful, you would have thought you were eating a thigh. Dinner concluded for me with a Cubano coffee and some crepes filled with a sweet cream, wonderfully light yet rich. Megs had a chocolate peanut butter tart. Its hard to go wrong with that combination of flavors. All in all, the meal was superb and the service equally so. Say what you want about Starr, his restaurants have always treated us well (save for a poor experience during Restaurant week at Tangerine but we don’t count that) and we would recommend them to all. From Alma de Cuba to the great tapas at The Continental (we prefer mid town because of the great swinging chairs!). Sorry for the lack of photos, I forgot my camera! Until this weekend, when I make yet another set of Ravioli, this time with beets and marscapone!
