In the Outremont section of Montreal, darkness was already falling. We drove around the block looking for parking and saw a string of lights burning bright and hanging over a patio framed by potted tropical plants and roses. A sliver of a space snug in between a bodega and a laundromat. This was Alma, a new little outpost in our Vermont spirit city of Montreal. “A neighborhood place,” co-owner and sommelier Lindsay Brennan had told us. It is. But so much more. Comfortable, with 35 seats, it’s also a chic spot where you can dive into a menu of profound and textured flavors, with glasses of liquid alchemy crafted from honesty and truth.