$$$$Precio: Caro • al estilo de los Balcanes • NE Portland
A veteran of the Portland food scene, Chef Vedran Jordan blends traditional Balkan recipes with contemporary flavors in his first restaurant.Alma is a celebration of contrasts: traditional Balkan dishes meet hyperlocal ingredients, reimagined through a contemporary lens. Guests will enjoy dishes like Tomato Čorba, a light, bright Turkish soup with vermicelli, thickened with ariz—dehydrated yogurt and wheat—topped with freshly grated garlic and a dollop of yogurt sauce. Offal kebabs of lamb heart, liver, and neck are cooked over Thaan Charcoal and glazed in sticky pomegranate sauce. Imam Bayıldı is an Ottoman classic of roasted eggplant stuffed with stewed tomato, chilis, and aromatics, garnished with fried oyster mushrooms, toum yogurt, and ezme, a spicy “Ottoman salsa.” For those who imbibe, Alma will serve a Rakia flight of three flavors served with pickles and ferments, as well as local and Balkan wines and a menu of fun cocktails and yogurt liqueur.
