"Layman's Food Review: Mondays Made Better with Meat"
Downtown St. Pete Page
04.28.2011
by Burg business

Let's face it, the only good thing about Monday is when it's over. But now, that ending just got a little sweeter.

"Bloody good fun: A guide to Tampa Bay's bloody mary bars"
St. Petersburg Times
03.04.2011
by Susan Thurston business

One thing makes this Bloody Mary bar extra special: tomato-flavored vodka. This St. Pete cafe serves Three Olives tomato vodka as a gift to anyone...

"Saturday Early Dinner Review"
Epicurean Perils of Sweet Polly
10.09.2010 business

We arrived at Cafe Alma at around 4:30, fully intending to take advantage of their half-price tapas offer from 4:30 to 6:30. The patio was extremely charming...a little oasis surrounded by lush vegetation and twinkling mini-light strands...

"THE NO-MEAT BEAT"
St. Petersburg Times
10.11.2007
by Laura Reily business

One day not long after that we checked into Cafe Alma in downtown St. Petersburg for lunch. It wasn't the pasta that caught our fancy (although their carbonara would fit the bill minus the bacon), but a trio of hummuses ($9.50) served with soft wedges of Middle Eastern bread, greens and cuke rounds. A plain chickpea-and-tahini version, one souped up with roasted peppers and one swirled with pesto all make a delicious starter and boost of protein. From there, numerous options lay before us. One was the roasted portobello croissant ($8), a soft, buttery pastry stacked with grilled mushroom and eggplant, roasted peppers and sweet caramelized onion, all dotted with feta. A party of a sandwich, it proved easiest eaten with a fork.

The real star at Alma, though, was the stuffed eggplant ($10), exemplifying what every vegetarian entree should be. There was the firm, meaty texture of stacked eggplant, crisply breaded and fried, the luxurious feel of molten mozzarella, a sweet-tangy tomato sauce, thin stalks of asparagus, artichoke hearts peeking out. The salty flavor of Parmesan drawing the elements together. There was a "there" there, a main thing, elegantly balanced by other veggies that contrasted and supported the star.

"Food for the Soul"
St. Petersburg Times
01.15.2007
by Chris Sherman business

"...I cannot withhold my cheers. Cafe Alma rides the worthy trend to explore International cooking in its true breadth, to Morocco, Greece and the Near East as well as St. Petersburg's downtown boom. Yet it's not disposably trendy. Beans, root vegetables, bread salads, quinoa, kebabs and such, seasoned with almonds, dried fruits and preserved lemons, are ancient, often biblical, foods, although Alma can give them the most imaginative modern translation."

"Cafe Offers Feast for the Senses"
The Tampa Tribune
02.18.2007
by Kurt Loft business

"One of the newer dishes on the block is Cafe Alma, an unassuming little haunt tucked in the basement of the old red-brick McNulty Station building on First Avenue South. After laying vacant for a couple of years … the redesigned space now bustles at happy hour and entertains a local dinner crowd well into the night."

"They Only Come Out at Night, Late Night Eats Part 1 - St. Pete"
Weekly Planet
02.12.2007
by Sara Kennedy business

"An elegant restaurant, complete with linen tablecloths and sparkling water goblets, excellent service and confident, gourmet fare, open till 1 a.m. on the weekends... We liked its 35-item wine list, many vintages available by the glass. And we liked every dish we ordered, maybe because respected chef Christian Briner was in the kitchen."

"Dining Reviews: Cafe Alma"
Tampa Bay Illustrated
07.2007
by Julie W. Martin business

"Indeed, with its fresh table flowers, crisp black-and-white linens and an attentive staff, this 160-seat hot spot greets customers with distinct Old World charm. In true European tradition, Café Alma (Spanish for "soul") encourages patrons to linger over a warm cappuccino after lunch or share a bottle of house-favorite Red Diamond Merlot after dinner."

"A Place for Uptown Tastes"
Orlando Sentinel
11.07.2007
by Scott Joseph business

"Cafe Alma is one of the handful of restaurants that are part of St. Pete's downtown renaissance. The restaurant describes itself alternately as European or International, but it is not so easily pegged. The menu is much more varied and worldly to confine... "

Foodie Awards: "Worth a Drive"
Critics Choice 2007
business

"I wonder if this Dixie Crossroads will be your choice next year after the rock shrimper opens an outpost on International Drive. For my choice, ignore the I-Drive exit and continue down the road to St. Pete for a lovely dining experience in the heart of downtown. The steak tartare is worth the drive alone."

"A Cafe With a Lot of Soul"
AOL Cityguide
2007
by Julie Garisto business

"Downtown St. Petersburg has welcomed a worthy addition to its cabal of high-caliber cuisine. The space in the historic, red-brick McNulty train station transports diners around the world via vibrant and sensual flavors … Items from Italy, France, Turkey and Morocco come expertly prepared with unique flourishes; like the salad Nicoise, which offers up a French tradition graced by Japanese-style seared tuna. "

"Club Profile: Cafe Alma"
Tampa Bay Online
01.06.2005
by Douglas Van Zant business

"This fine dining restaurant blends the underground hipster culture with the chic atmosphere of a European cafe. Local art adorns the walls while house DJs spin soulful grooves to one of the most eclectic crowds found outside the East Village. Cafe Alma brings a sense of community to the city by creating an atmosphere where anyone can come to enjoy good music, drinks and conversation. "

"Best Mediterranean Meatballs, Pistachio, Parsnips And Polenta"
St. Pete Times
01.13.2005
by Chris Sherman business

"Might as well call the place something friendly like Alma. How else to fit all the earthy pleasures of southern and eastern Europe and an aromatic slice of the Middle East in one name? But the kitchen, with Tullie Carlton and Scott Stone taking over for Christian Briner, packs lamb meatballs, preserved lemons, walnuts, pancetta, duck couscous and more into the most savory restaurant in downtown St. Pete."