Pop-ups- like start-ups- are on trend in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where young chefs can make their mark with greater ease than their predecessors could back in the day. The concept is to stake out an empty space at a location where they can easily pop out in just a few months- all the better to build their audience, test new dishes, or simply discover their style- in a cost effective way.
The most impressive to date is Alma, Ari Taymor’s modern American restaurant in Los Angeles- where he created this ingredient driven menu after stints at Flour + Water and Tartine, two of San Francisco’s foodie faves. The nephew of theater visionary Julie Taymor- think Lion King- Ari had studied international affairs before having an epiphany while dining at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse… and it was there that he decided to change course- delving into the culinary world which would eventually lead him to Alma, seven years later. At his understated and cozy space- which has now settled, at least for a while, downtown after holding court in Venice, and then Silverlake- he even pays homage to Waters, as a poster of Chez Panisse hangs… shrine-like.
The menu changes daily- presenting modernist, seasonal dishes- where the focus is refreshingly on the food, and not on the million-dollar decor- which is pretty standard in Los Angeles these days. Using complex textures from local farmers markets, Taymor also uses a forager to source rare ingredients, and offers a reasonably-priced multi-course tasting menu, in addition to an a la carte menu. Distinguished as one of the top 10 restaurants of 2012 by LA Magazine, don’t let the slightly sketchy location fool you- or the strip club next door…this is LA after all- as Alma serves up creative and exciting food in a low-key way that our neighbors up north do so well. www.alma-la.com
