A couple of days after we returned from California at the end of June, I received a WhatsApp call from my mother in the morning, and that is how the missus and I learned that it was our wedding anniversary. This is an annual event: the next time we remember on the day of—or even a week prior—that it is our wedding anniversary will probably be the first time. But as it was a signifcant’ish number (21), we decide to try to go out and mark it with a nice meal, even though we’d been eating out pretty much every day for the previous two-and-a-half weeks. Our first choice, of course, was Alma. We couldn’t do that evening but I was able to grab the last table for two in the dining room for the day after (a Saturday). We arrived happy to eat their still new summer menu. And it did not let the occasion down.

Now before I go on to praise this meal—which I will be doing in a fulsome manner—I want to remind you that we are not random diners at Alma. We’ve been eating there for years now and early last year I did a pop-up Indian dinner with them (and may possibly do another in the future). Now, we don’t receive special treatment when we eat there—beyond small pours of welcome prosecco, which I think go to all regulars; we don’t get special courses and nothing is ever comped on the bill. But at this point, we are friends of the house. I would like to believe that I manage to remain objective anyway but caveat lector.

Alright, to our meal.

Our reservation was for 8.30 pm. It was still light out when we arrived and sat down at one of the tables by the large windows in the main dining room; it got gradually darker outside and in as we ate. First up was those small pours of prosecco as we sat down—these came out with the spiced almonds and marinated olives that are part of their antipasti course. We then got a cocktail each. The missus tried the Girly Pop—a concoction of Menaud Camerise, rose brut and Cocchi Rosa that she liked very much; I once again got the La Opuntia, a mezcal cocktail that is currently my favourite drink in Minnesota. And then the food.

As always, Alma serves a set tasting menu. You’re handed a sheet with a lot of courses listed on it when you sit down and then you get everything on it; you don’t need to make any choices. A good thing to when a menu is as excellent from top to bottom as the current summer menu is: it would be a shame to miss any of it. We did not miss any of it. And we left nothing behind.

ANTIPASTI

Marinated olives with orange zest and thyme / Spiced almonds with brown sugar and pimenton / Hearth breads with Hope butter and fleur de sel / O’Banon Fresh Goat Cheese from Capriole Creamery with a cherry-bourbon compote / Savory Egg Custard with King crab, brown butter dashi, scallion /Asparagus & Garlic Chive Fritter with lime, black truffle, summer greens

The almonds and olives and especially the bread and butter were as excellent as always. I always look forward to the cheese they select and the fresh goat cheese from an Indiana creamery (matured while wrapped in bourbon-soaked chestnut leaves) was a delight with the perfectly matched bourbon-cherry compote over and under it. What is billed as “Asparagus and Garlic Chive Fritter” is actually the world’s best pakora. I would have been happy if this was the best dish in this round but the savory egg custard with king crab and brown butter dashi (giving heavy chawanmushi vibes) was just outstanding. We agreed we would have been happy just eating a large bowl of it each for our dinner.

But there was more.

FIRST COURSE

• Charred Snap Peas & Arugula, Avocado salsa verde, badger flame beet, feta cheese
• Buckwheat-Parmigiano Crepe, Fresh ricotta, glazed radishes, za’atar spice

Alma’s composed salads are always top-notch and this one did not break the rule. Every component worked but it was the avocado salsa verde (reminiscent of Green Goddess dressing) that put it over the top. The crepe—structured like a pavé—was even better.

We were already beginning to feel a little full at this point but the large savoury course was yet to come. At this point I got a glass of a Cretan red (it was rather nice).

MAIN COURSE

• Pan Roasted New York Strip, Smoked wild mushroom, bone marrow, mixed peppercorn
• Gently Cooked Arctic Char, Saffron-white wine creme, littleneck clams, zucchini
• Meyer Lemon Orzo Pasta, Fennel nage, mascarpone, fava beans

The steak was cooked to perfection and it was just a wonderfully composed dish with the wild mushrooms adding both smoke and textural contrast and the bone marrow and chard making it even more decadent. The Arctic Char was as well-cooked as fish at Alma always is—which is to say it was done perfectly. With the clams and zucchini the saffron-white wine creme was both a lovely sauce for the fish and something I would have happily spooned out of a bucket. The orzo added delicate acid on the side. Just a wonderful trio of dishes: each excellent in their own right, the whole somehow greater than the sum of the parts.

Dessert

• Rhubarb & Strawberry Parfait, Creme fraiche ice cream, white chocolate cremeux, basil custard
• Warm Cookies, “From our bakery”

Service was warmly professional as always. Dishes were described well and our server was never absent when water needed refilling etc. Price? The set menu cost remains $95/head (the vegetarian version is a little cheaper). With two cocktails, a glass of wine, tax and included 21% surcharge, the total was $314 or $157/head. This is by no means a cheap meal. But if you’re able to swing it, it is a better “value” than many meals in its genre in town that are at comparable or even higher cost. It remains, hands down, our favourite high-end meal in Minnesota. Certainly, if you’re looking for a special occasion meal/splurge in the next few weeks, I would strongly recommend eating this menu before it turns over later in the summer.

Alright, what’s next on the food front this week? Another California report and another Seoul report. If lightning strikes I might jam the last report from my New York trip in there too. Let’s see how it goes. Next week’s Twin Cities report will be of our second visit to Oro.