Sarma Review

Overall rating: 86

Food rating: 85

Sarma: Middle Eastern tapas in Somerville

Sarma is the new restaurant from Ana Sortun and Cassie Piuma. Their Inman Square restaurant Oleana has some of the best food in Boston, and so Sarma has opened to a lot of expectations and with a lot of buzz.

Four of us went out to Sarma knowing that we would want to share multiple small plates. Most dishes with individual pieces are aimed at three people, but for an additional charge you can get a fourth piece. The basic structure of ordering small dishes that arrive in no particular order is quite similar to Myers+Chang and Ribelle. I'm not sure what I think of this trend, as the lack of an order leads to a loss of progression of the meal, and while I'm sure this is freeing for the staff, I'm not convinced it leads to as nice a dining experience. Three plates per person, plus additional specials that circulate like dim sum (we got three of these) was plenty of food for our group.

Sarma is located in the Gilman Square area of Somerville, a place I'm not sure I'd ever been before. On street parking was a bit tight but could be found. The restaurant itself is light and spacious, but quickly filled up and was fairly noisy. There is seating at a bar surrounding the opening to the kitchen.

We ordered drinks to start, and the specialty cocktails were excellent. Almost immediately, a food special came around (sesame fried chicken) that was delicious. Warm Middle Eastern bread came next that was good but not all that interesting.

We had many plates, some of which were excellent (hot dates, bay scallops, braised beef crepe), some of which were quite good (pumpkin fritters, fava bean paté, Brussels' sprouts bravas, mushroom lamejun, fatoush), and some of which were dull or only okay (Harissa BBQ duck, chicken wings [a special], lamb ribs).

Overall, the dishes were fairly heavy on cream sauces and many had similar spicing, but mostly it was an enjoyable meal with good food. The dessert menu is limited, and we decided not to have dessert.

The waitstaff were attentive and helpful, and our waiter somehow remembered the entire table's orders without writing anything down.

Prices were reasonable. For a group of four, including three mixed drinks and one beer and with tax but before tip, the meal cost $200.

Our small group was split on whether we would come back. Sarma is a long drive for us, and that would make it unlikely I'd plan a dinner there again, but if I were meeting someone who made reservations there I would definitely look forward to the meal. Overall, though, the meals we've had at Oleana have been much more exciting, despite the tight quarters and noise at that restaurant.