First Look: Alma Fonda Fina Brings Memorable Mexican Fare to LoHi

What: Alma Fonda Fina

Where: 2556 15th Street

When: Open 2 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

For more info: Visit almalohidenver.com
What we saw: "For me, it's been a lifetime in the making to be able to do something like what we're doing at Alma," says chef Johnny Curiel, who has worked under some of the local dining scene's most notable names, including Richard Sandoval, Dave Query and Troy Guard.

In just six weeks, Curiel and his wife and business partner, hospitality pro Kasie Curiel, transformed the former Truffle Table space in LoHi into his first solo venture, Alma Fonda Fina, which debuted on December 8.

The space, which was created by local designer Agatha Strompolos, is warm and welcoming, with clay and terracotta accents throughout. Instead of a traditional bar, the centerpiece is an eight-seat chef's counter, where the team banters with diners while preparing dishes using only induction burners just inches away. And the results are impressive.

Cooking is in Curiel's blood: He grew up in his father's restaurants in Mexico and has immersed himself in the country's rich culinary traditions. The opening menu at Alma reflects those experiences.
The dishes are separated into four categories, starting with small plates that include Camote Asado ($14), agave-roasted wedges of sweet potatoes topped with nutty salsa macha alongside super-smooth housemade requesón (essentially a Mexican ricotta cheese), which was inspired by a taco that Curiel created as a special for Guard's Los Chingones last year.

Nothing here is one-note — the beet salad ($13), for example, is punched up with pickled golden raisins and a brittle made from nuts, seeds and pieces of the corn tortillas that are made in-house from heirloom corn.

There is a story behind nearly everything being served, such as the Frijoles Puercos, which is a riff on one of Curiel's mom's specialties. It's served with sourdough flour tortillas, inspired by a bread that's made in Guadalajara. "That bread is only baked in Guadalajara because of the altitude, the climate, the minerality of the water — it's like New York City bagels," Curiel explains. "I wanted to bring the flavor of that, and we tried for at least three months until we got the product we have today."

There is also a crudo section, with a play on beef tartare ($20), a tuna tiradito ($19) and the Aguachile de Chile Fresno ($19) with slices of kampachi in a punchy, tangy broth made with pineapple and tepache oil.
The "De Masa" portion of the offerings includes two tacos (brisket and New York strip) that come one to a plate for $8 each; a squash tlayudita ($16); and a deeply flavored mole that is a must-order ($18). The 24-hour process to make the mole starts with a mother paste that the team continuously feeds. "We roast all the ingredients, char all peppers and grind everything in the same stone mill that we use to nixtimilize the corn for the tortillas," Curiel explains. "It's an homage to the mole at Casa Oaxaca," a restaurant in Oaxaca, Mexico. The sauce is served with a triangle-shaped sweet potato tetela made from corn masa.

The last section includes four larger entrees: adobo-braised lamb shank ($41), carne asada ($47), butterflied Colorado striped bass ($32) and Curiel's take on carnitas, which at $34 for a large, bone-in portion of pork shank is quite a deal.

"Kasie and I just went to [the Mexican state of] Quintana Roo, where we had frijoles con puerco, stewed pork meat and black beans," Curiel says. He loved the dish, but wanted to "make it into something people are little more familiar with," he adds, so the pork shank is braised in black beans, giving it an earthy flavor, then confited in lard dyed black from the beans. The result is a fork-tender piece of meat that diners peel away from the bone and load into corn tortillas with black beans, quick pickled radishes and spicy charred habanero salsa.

On weekdays, Alma is also serving happy hour from 2 to 5 p.m., during which diners can get a taste of food offerings not found on the regular menu. "It'll be things we want to showcase," Curiel says. "It will always change, and it will give the guys [in the kitchen] freedom to try new things out."
What surprised us: The camaraderie. Even though Alma Fonda Fina just opened, the team has clearly already formed a tight bond and an impressive rhythm, which is on full display at the chef's counter. Diners in those eight seats not only get a front-row view of the plating process, but also insight into how the dishes are made and the stories behind them. Curiel credits his crew with making this approach work so well, even on night one of service. "They have made our dream come true," he says of his team. "The talent we have is amazing."