Alma De Cuba

Philadelphia, PA

This three-story town-house restaurant blends historical and contemporary Cuba and emits a sensual red glow, in step with its modern Latin cuisine by noted chef Douglas Rodriguez. Each floor has its own character, creating renewal and transition from one space to the next. Guests enter at the ground-floor lounge, a sumptuous space where black-and-white photographs of Cuba are projected onto white-washed walls, their existing moldings modulating the surface and appearance of the images. On the next floor is the main dining room, featuring crisp white embroidered-leather banquettes, a communal mahogany table, and handcrafted rugs resembling colonial Cuban tiles. On the third level, for semiprivate dining, large light boxes fitted with images of tobacco fields surround the room, so guests feel as if they’re immersed in the Cuban countryside.