chron.com | tubular tv | comics | games | horoscopes | iPhone | Quick Search
Dried scallop tiradito at Alma Cebiche Bar. Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
So there's good new and bad news about Alma Cebiche Bar, chef David Guerrero's contemporary Peruvian spot on the west side. Although I gave the place three stars for its spectacular food when I reviewed it recently, it never gained the traction it needed to compete in its west-side market.
Saturday night marked its last dinner service in that location, and Guerrero plans to re-open in a few months with the same concept and name in a space near Da Marco's on California Street. s
Right now he says he's waiting on permits. He's hoping for a more "open-minded" audience at the new location, and he's working on further developing his sources for Peruvian seafood. Here's hoping that bringing Alma inside the Loop gets Guerrero the audience he deserves.
I was frankly puzzled when Alison Cook awarded 3 stars to this restaurant. I am very sorry that it closed down but I really thought the food was, maybe, a bit above averge. Nothing special or spectacular. It makes me wonder about the power of personal relationships in shaping what is supposed to be an unbiased review. Disappointing!
I assure you I have no personal relationship with chef Guerrero. I've talked to him on the phone once (the other night) and a couple of times very briefly in person, once at Samba Grille and once at Alma. Not sure how you interpret that as "bias." I reacted honestly to the food I was served, and I just as honestly noted the problems I saw at Alma in terms of service and understaffing.
Now had I written a long and heartrending feature story about him, I would acknowledge that you had a point. But that wasn't me.