Counter Intelligence: Alma chef expanding into fast-casual fare

Alma chef expanding into fast-casual fare

By Rick Nelson, Star Tribune

Last update: March 21, 2007 - 2:56 PM

The Spanish word for red-hot coals is going to be the name on the door at Alex Roberts' new enterprise. The chef/co-owner of Restaurant Alma (528 University Av. SE., Minneapolis) is entering the fast-casual end of the business with Brasa Rotisserie (600 E. Hennepin Av., Minneapolis).

"It's going to focus on rotisserie chicken and pork shoulder, paired with rice and beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, yucca, slow-cooked greens and grits," said Roberts. "These dishes are universal in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Brazil, Honduras, Nicaragua and the American South, where African, European and native food and cooking traditions all came together. I love this food; it's what I cook at home the most."

When it opens in June, the 40-seat restaurant will also feature a few sweets -- including, Roberts hopes, house-made soft-serve ice cream -- wine and beer and a fresh juice of the day, served in both dine-in and takeout formats (with a $10 to $15 price point) from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Roberts has been toying with the idea of a second, more casual restaurant for a long time, but the right address never materialized. Until a few months ago, when Betty's Bikes & Buns, a coffeehouse in a converted former gas station, went out of business. The location is just 2½ blocks from Roberts' house, and six blocks from Alma.

"I never noticed the building before Betty's got it, but when it opened I kicked myself," Roberts said with a laugh. "Then every time I went past it I thought, 'If this ever becomes available, I should think about it.' Being so close to home sure sweetened the deal."

And the nominees are ...

Roberts also made the news this week when the nominations for the 2007 James Beard Awards were announced Monday. Both Roberts and Tim McKee, chef/co-owner of La Belle Vie (510 Groveland Av., Minneapolis), are first-time nominees in the Best Chef: Midwest category. St. Paul-based "The Splendid Table," hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and produced by Sally Swift for American Public Media, was nominated in the Radio Food Show division. City Pages writer Dara Moskowitz received two nominations for her newspaper column and for writing on wine. Marcus Samuelsson, chef/co-owner of the former Aquavit in Minneapolis, is a finalist in the International Cookbook category for his "The Soul of a New Cuisine." Winners will be announced in New York City on May 6.