Alma — Restaurant in Portland

Came here with my partner, and was very very excited to try some Balkan food, a cuisine I'm fascinated by but haven't had much opportunity to try. I was NOT disappointed! I have furnished my tale below;

We started off being given some complimentary Turkish black tea, which is a delightful way to begin any meal!

We then ordered the Rakija flight with pickled peppers and cheese - all phenomenal, the cheese was salty and savory with a pleasant bounce, the red roasted peppers were sweet and smoky, and the green pickled peppers were juicy and sour and briny, perfect accompaniments to the three rakija, (one plum, one made with the skin of the grapes, and one made with leaves and stems and all) each of which was different but delightful (my favorite was the slightly fruity plum, while my partner loved the peppery pomace).

We moved onto some wonderful octopus salad and imam bayildi, of which my only criticism is a lack of salt, which certainly could be a fluke! It's hard to salt dishes to everyone's preference, and I tend to like things on the salty side. Both were clearly prepared with incredible skill and care, and smelled and tasted complex and delicious.

We also got some "Alma style" tabbouleh as a side, which I would HIGHLY recommend - only $6 and a fair portion of delicious tabbouleh, seemingly with some caramelized onions and perhaps some roasted peppers adding some smoky and sweet notes where you'd usually find more citrusy and herbaceous ones, very interesting and delicious!

The undeniable star of the meal, however, was the Balkan-style fish and chips. I cannot be sure to what degree this represents traditional Balkan cuisine, or to what degree it is the opus of a culinary genius working from divine inspiration, but I will say this: Never before have I been so starkly reminded of the setbacks we as a species have suffered at the hands of the British and their damnable cuisine.

This whole time, we could have been replacing thick unseasoned chunks of mild-tasting fish battered and fried within an inch of their life with beautiful, flavorful, crisp fried whole salted smelt, not leaking grease or steaming the fries beneath but nestled within as comrades, arm in golden brown arm with their crunchy, perfect companions, marrying the flavors of earth and sea in perfect harmony, AND we could have TOUM to dip them in?

Guard thy shores, Britain, for your match has been made and already you are far surpassed. I hope when I'm a ghost in the year 2300 this is the new blueprint for what fish and chips should be.

Also the granita dessert was absolutely perfect and fresh and tart...

We came here for a date night very last minute and we were blown away by the atmosphere the service and the food! We got seated and were served black tea, which instantly took me back to memories of Eastern Europe. We started off with a very yummy soup (tomato cobra) which was similar to a tomato bisque, but at the same time completely different! We had a side of lavash bread with some kind of creamy cheese, which was also delicious. We use that lavash bread to pretty much wipe off every dish that we ordered because it was just THAT good ! So make sure you get a side of that for your meal! We also had the braised lamb which just melted in your mouth. The eggplant dish was soft and the herb mixture on top with mushrooms was amazing. The octopus dish was refreshing and savory. Perfectly cooked. We ended with the squid salata which was equally excellent! All the dishes had Mediterranean, yet middle eastern with a slavic flare (hints of dill and leek) with a blend of PNW flavor! It was all so well cooked and balanced and SO flavorful! We tried both desserts, the sherbet was intriguing almost more savory than sweet yet you couldn’t stop eating it. The mint and strawberry balance it out well. The lemon cake was fluffy and light. Both accompanied by chilled briar rose tea (haven’t had it in years! Used to drink it as a kid.) To finish off dinner we got served little soft powdered Turkish delights. All the plating was beautiful! Noise level was okay and we loved the music. Very satisfied and compliments on the chef on all! Will be coming back and wishing this restaurant...

Very likely has become our new favorite restaurant. This place is incredible and a MUST TRY.

We were looking for a good new dinner spot and this popped up on Eater as the "new kid on the block" and from the same chef who created Gado Gado and Oma's Hideaway. That being said we had to try it out!

Located on MLK, there's no shortage of options to choose from, but Alma stands above the rest.

We were warmly greeted and sat. The interior is beautifully decorated with warm colors and huge windows. Like the chef's other concepts, it is best to order a number of different plates and share. Hard to choose from because everything looks so delicious.

We started with the Chicken Wings. Amazingly crispy with delicious sauce. Went onto the Lamb Kabop. I dont think I've had lamb that perfectly cooked... wow. Then mixed it up with a deliciously fresh salad, followed by the Lamb Shank Baba Ganoush and Clams. Hands down some of the most amazing dishes we've ever had. Every bite had you coming back for more. Flavors were truly insane!! Given how incredible everything else was, we couldn't say no to dessert which was still very good. Cocktails and the tea were amazing.

The service was another standout. Super kind, attentive and incredibly knowledgeable.

We will ABSOLUTELY be...