I recently wrote about our first visit at Ajeno, but that wasn't our only new Mexico City restaurant experience last weekend. We also had dinner at 📲AlmaMía, a new high-end eatery that's similar in many ways to 📲Rosetta and 📲Maximo.
We didn't so much discover AlmaMía as we stumbled onto it. We were looking for a brunch spot on Avenida Álvaro Obregón in Roma Norte on Saturday morning after striking out at 📲Madre Café, and as we approached Ajeno, a man emerged from the imposing and tall double doors next door, asking whether we'd like to look at a menu for that restaurant. Which was, of course, AlmaMía.
We liked what we saw--gizzards, crackling, and tripe were among the more unusual items that I often seek out--but AlmaMía didn't open until 2 p.m., and they don't offer brunch. So we thanked him, took a photo of the menu, and promised to check it out soon. Which we did, even sooner than expected. We had dinner there that night.
AlmaMía is even more impressive on the inside than it is on the outside. It's in an expansive space that reaches up three stories into a sort of vaulted top with views to the outside that is vaguely reminiscent of 📲Broka, another worthy and nearby restaurant. It's beautifully lit from top to bottom, with pretty under-lights on each floor above, candles on each table, and other accent lighting all coming together to create a cozy vibe.
It's not clear whether the second and third floors are functional, but the dining area on the main floor is divided into two halves, with smaller tables in the space directly behind the front doors and larger tables off to the right. There's a small bar in the back, but there's no seating there, so it's only accessible by the waitstaff.
And that was our second observation, after taking in the beauty of the place: There are a lot of waitstaff. There were four or five people just behind that bar during our visit, and they didn't appear all that busy at first. This was initially troubling but also somewhat expected, since new restaurants often get off to slow starts. But AlmaMía has clearly resonated with the locals quickly, as the tables around us and in the other half of the room soon filled with diners.
The service was prompt and excellent throughout. AlmaMía has separate cocktail, wine, and dinner menus, and after perusing the latter, we realized that the menu we had seen earlier that day was for lunch and different. And we had another surprise in store before we could order cocktails: A server greeted each diner with a complimentary mezcal shot that was served out of a large glass vat, carefully balanced on one shoulder. This was a nice touch and not something we'd ever seen before.
AlmaMía wasn't done surprising us. In addition to the rolls our server brought out with salt and lime (butter is rarely offered in Mexico City restaurants), we were served seafood-flavored caldos, or soups, in tiny mugs as an amuse-bouche of sorts. This, too, was quite pleasant, and I had mine by dunking some rolls into the mug and sopping up the soup with some rolls.
Next, we ordered cocktails from a small but creative house cocktail list. Stephanie had the Euphoria, with Don Julia white rum, lemon and lime juice, and honey, served in a clay carafe. And I had the Prosperidad, with Don Julio 70 rum, agave honey, and lemon, and garnished with a fun mini-corn cob.
AlmaMía has an extensive menu, with choices that should meet almost any taste. There are several appetizers, many shareable meals, and standalone meat and seafood dishes, including items from a wood-fired oven and some nice sides. There's also a large wine menu with Mexican and international choices.
My favorite item we ordered was an appetizer, the setas fritas, or fried mushrooms. These were delightful, very lightly coated with a dust-like breading similar to what we see on milanesa de pollo locally. They were also reason enough to want to make a second visit in the future.
But we also tried the ceviche a la Mexicana, which came with a solid portion of avocado and some seeded hard tostadas. It was fine, but not exceptional.
For our main meals, I ordered the mole rosa (pink mole), a duck confit leg and thigh, because I love mole and duck and had never tried pink mole.
Stephanie ordered the barbacoa de res, a pulled beef barbeque dish that was a bit dry and an enormous portion. But it was accompanied by a fun structure of stone that looked like a small oven and contained crispy tostadas. We were warned a few times not to touch it because it had been heated in the oven to keep the tostadas warm.
We also ordered a 📲Tres Raices Pinot Noir after searching for a reasonably priced Mexican red. We had visited the winery, which is in a remote area near San Miguel de Allende, back in March, and we've never had a wine of theirs we didn't like. And though we had eaten too much, we couldn't resist trying a dessert, so we ordered the churro, which was served over a nice chocolate mousse.
AlmaMía is expensive, with appetizers at $185 to $330 MXN, shareable plates at $205 to $350 MXN and entrees costing $320 to $795 MXN, so it's not the type of restaurant we would visit regularly. But it might be a good choice for a birthday or other celebration, with its diverse menu and cozy ambiance.
I really want a little tortilla oven for my home now!