‘A huge melting pot’
At Alma Bistro in Norwalk, a Nuevo Latino menu fuses vivid flavors from many cuisines
Alma Miranda likes to keep busy, but two full-time jobs — one as a state auditor, and one in the restaurant industry, running the former deli Miranda’s Kitchen in Milford — was getting to be a bit much. She considered offers before selling the business to chef Ulises Jimenez, who took control of the space to create the popular Don Rene Taqueria on the Milford Green.
Jimenez had started at Barcelona in Norwalk, where he began bussing tables before quickly rising to become head chef. The two quickly realized they saw eye to eye, and imagined how they could work together and grow a new business. “We started getting the idea of a new concept with a wider focus than the food of just one country,” Miranda tells me.
Jimenez would find the space, the old Bistro 83 on Wall Street in Norwalk, and the two brought in Norberto Lucero, the head chef of Brasitas in Norwalk and Stamford, as a third partner. “Norberto makes the pastries, desserts — he really helped with the menu — he does everything, but it’s a real collaboration with everyone here,” says Miranda.
The result of that collaboration is a Nuevo Latino menu with dishes from a variety of Latino cultures, plus other touches from around the globe. “We created this fully Latin American bistro, and everyone liked the name, Alma, because it means ‘soul’ in Spanish. I’m from Ecuador, the chefs are Mexican, our sous chef, Evelyn Lazaro, is Guatemalan, there’s Spanish influence, Norberto has worked in Italian and French restaurants in New York — it’s a huge melting pot here.”
There’s a place for the sort of sniffy puritanism which demands adherence to an imagined thoroughbred culinary culture, but it’s not here. Alma is a celebration of sharing our strengths, and enjoying
the fruits of pluralism.
Our group’s starter, the tuna tostada, is one Alma mentions as having influence from Norberto’s time at a Japanese restaurant.
The tostadas are an attractive dish, served sliced into individual chips layered with miso/ginger tuna, avocado and sesame seeds, with a golden crescent of fried plantain for additional snacking, and a few slices of fresh jalapeño. Prickly ginger spikes up the buttery-smooth tuna and avocado, which are given a dose of salty umami and a flavorful crunch from the miso and chip. It’s a lot of sensation at once, without being overwhelming, and it’s easy to see why this starter has become such a crowd-pleaser.
“Our food is really fresh, so if anyone in the kitchen needs to alter or add something, I say go for it,” Miranda says. “People seem to enjoy the variety, and they’ve been coming in from all over the county. It’s been slow at first, but word has been spreading.”
Miranda’s current favorite is the Pollo Chacha-cha: a roasted halfchicken in a tomato cherry-pepper white wine sauce, with fresh corn, and black bean mashed potatoes. “The sauce is amazing,” she says. “I sometimes just grab a bowl of the bean mashed potatoes with the sauce just to have it.”
We decide to graze this diverse menu, trying small plates of starchy yucca croquettes, bunuelos — roasted corn on the cob with pimento, cotija cheese and clarified butter — which have us eyeing each other over the final serving like the last slice of pizza, and small, tasty beef and chicken empanadas served halved, so you know which is which, with a side of delicious aji verde sauce.
Another small plate, the warm octopus, is a standout, one Miranda credits to chef Lucero’s time blending Spanish, Mediterranean and Caribbean influences at Havana in Norwalk. The polpois served in a stew of onions, celery and heirloom potatoes over a big drizzle of smoked pepper aioli. Miranda says the densely spiced braising technique for the dish reminds her of how the birriafor tacos is made.
We liked the gambas con chorizo: a simple tapaof sautéed shrimp and spicy chorizo sausage in a white wine and fresh thyme sauce, topped with a sprinkle of microgreens.
Does any of this seem like a bit much for you? Might you be including a somewhat less adventurous eater on your night out? Alma’s menu has them covered with a cheddar-bacon-avocado bistro burger, served on an everythingseasoned bun, with yucca fries. There — now everyone’s happy.
“I’m not much of a vegetable person,” Miranda admits. “But I love the Brussels sprouts, especially the dressing.”
We do, too. The earthy, roasted sprouts are served bright tasting and tangy, with a jalapeño agave vinaigrette, and a topping of funky queso fresco. The dish is one cribbed directly from Ulises’ menu at Don Rene.
Entrée-size servings of steak chimichurri with yucca fries, grilled mahi mahi with coconut milk rice and pineapple salsa, and the full Argentinian — with grilled chicken, steak, chorizo and pork
chop for big appetites — fill out the menu. Specials on the night we went include smoked salmon tostadas with fresh tomato ragu, capers and dill crema, and scallops a la plancha, with toasted pasta called fideo, and summer vegetables in a tomato broth.
Having ordered so much, we’re treated to a tartare of Black Angus steak blended with capers, cornichons, cilantro and harissa, topped with the requisite fresh egg, and served with excellent truffle-grilled bread. Just going for a drink and snack at the bar? I’d pair this with either the gambas con chorizo, or the tostadas to take the edge off the day.
Speaking of drinks, the bar program at Alma is an interesting one. Chef Jimenez shares a work history in common at Tacomida in Shelton, with current Chaplin general manager Francisco Sanchez.
Sanchez created the cocktail program at Alma, showing off his own mix of cultures in a Tennessee Horchata martini, where smooth rice and cinnamon horchata “milk” combines with Jack Daniels apple whiskey, and a dash of blackberry liqueur. Fresh blood orange margaritas and pisco sours rep Central and South America. My pick is the Tu Sour: a kind of sour flip, with rye whiskey, lemon juice, passion fruit and egg white. I’ll be getting another one — or two or ... four — of these the next time I stop in.
Your chefs, Lucero and Jimenez, stand ready to indulge the sweetest of teeth, with traditional churros served with chocolate and dulce de leche, Lucero’s specialty of tres leches, or an outstanding banana
tostada, served on puff pastry with vanilla gelato, pineapple marmalade, toasted walnuts and a drizzle of blackberry glaze.
All restaurants are a team effort, and it’s fascinating to learn how so many diverse backgrounds and experiences came together to create this storefront in the restaurantstudded curve of Norwalk’s Wall Street. As it says on the coin: E pluribus unum, “From many, one.” All it takes is a little soul.
Alma Bistro, 83 Wall St., Norwalk
The food: The Nuevo Latino concept includes dishes from South and Central America, and adds European, Asian and Caribbean influences from the chefs’ diverse experiences. Full entrées of fish and steak stand alongside a wide variety of well-executed, tapas-style small plates, and inventive cocktails.
The vibe: This bistro stands out from nearby Wall Street neighbors with vibrant lights and a lively atmosphere without being too loud. Couples to large groups can be accommodated easily, and it’s located just across from the Wall Street Theater, for those who want dinner or drinks before a show.