About 7 years ago, when it appeared that things were running fairly smoothly in our household, I decided to think about what my next chapter was going to look like.  For some reason, I had convinced myself that my life was going to be lived in stages, similar to the way my ultimate role model, my mother, lived her amazing life.

My adult stages thus far had been student, professional, stay-at-home mother (a term I really don’t care for) and uber volunteer.  But kids grow up and constantly raising your hand to volunteer grew tiring.  As I’ve mentioned before, I intentionally stepped off that volunteer train to spend more time at home with my high school aged daughters before they flew the coop.  If you’re a parent, you know that while your presence is expected, it is not always welcome.  I needed to find a side hustle, although the main hustle wasn’t really a hustle but you know what I mean!

Teaching turned out to be my first step into the work world with an organization founded by my friend, Alicia who was bringing the creative arts into homes via private instruction.  I was teaching young children to cook, one of my absolute favorite things to do in the world.  Even though it wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned for myself, it was a step in the right direction.

And as soon as I took that first step, as many of you who are my personal friends know, my life took a big turn.  My role model was taken from our family in what felt like the blink of an eye.  Teaching ceased and it took me a very long time to recover from the impact of that life changing event.  I was existing but not thriving that’s for sure.

One of the things that helped me through that time was the creation of this blog, which I suppose if I look back on it now, did become the next chapter of my life even though I didn’t realize it at the time.  In fact, if you click on January, 2014 in the side bar on the home page of my website and see the very first post, it is a review of Sarma restaurant, one and the same as today.  There are only 2 pictures and the write up was originally a Note on my personal Facebook page!  The reaction to the post on Facebook was very encouraging and laid the groundwork for what would ultimately become The Kitchen Scout.  That’s the back story.

I haven’t been back to Sarma since that first outing in late 2013 shortly after it opened and my husband had never been so when a friend scored a reservation for a group of 8, I was really excited to see if it held up to our original visit.

Since 6 of the 8 of us had never been to Sarma, I thought it would be fun to repost the review, updated with all the new pictures of dishes we tried, figuring that there may be some of you who have yet to visit as well.  Now that the Boston restaurant scene has exploded, reservations at Sarma are slightly easier to come by too.  We started our dinner at 6:00, but we didn’t walk out of the restaurant (quite stuffed) until 9.  Nobody rushed or shushed us as the place is as lively as the food is colorful.  I would strongly encourage going with a big group so you can try as many dishes as possible.

Sometimes, it’s good to go back to the beginning to see how far we’ve journeyed, right?

Let’s get to the review, reprinted in part from 2014 with updated pictures and commentary.  Enjoy!

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Please let me preface my review by mentioning that Sarma, pronounced by Armenians as Sar (roll the r)-mah was a dish my grandmother prepared that left you thirsty for three days!  Green cabbage leaves were boiled until pliable and then wrapped around a mixture of meat and rice, heavily seasoned with salt, pepper and spices.  May I also mention that my Kolligian family lived in Somerville soon after coming to the United States a century ago so it’s kind of ironic to me that now there is a restaurant named Sarma nearby, but I digress…

Located on Pearl Street in Somerville, Massachusetts, Sarma is a joint collaboration between Ana Sortun, famed owner of Oleana and Sofra Bakery, and Cassie Piuma who was her chef de cuisine at Oleana. Cassie taught one of the cooking demonstrations some friends and I have frequented at Sofra over the past few years and she is truly a culinary genius.

Walking into Sarma, you immediately get the vibe you are going to have a good time and a great meal. Warm colors on the walls and soft lighting were inviting.  Seating is varied – we were seated in a corner banquette that was quite comfortable for the 8 of us.   There are traditional tables scattered throughout the large space as well.  There was a very large bar, perfect for eating alone or with a few friends. We were here on a Friday and it was packed to the gills and bustling.  Sarma is not is not a quiet place – think Middle Eastern bazaar level activity and noise which for our group was very fun.

The menu is all “small plates” and our server suggested we order 3 per person to share.  Sarma also offers additional menu items “dim-sum” style.   Servers walk around with plates of meze which are not on the menu and you can choose to add it to your order or decline the dish.  Fun!  We were very full by the time we left, and I didn’t try every dish as our husbands who sat at one end ordered more meat than our more vegetarian side of the table!  In fact, this menu is ideal for a group that has different eating preferences as everyone will find multiple items worth sampling.

Our entire group was wowed by the food and my husband has been raving about it since.  Here are some of the items we ordered.  We had some dishes that we liked better than others, but all of them were wonderful and worthy of ordering again and again!

This deliciousness was walking by dim-sum style as we started considering our order and there were only a few left so we grabbed them.  A broccoli pancake with a tomato jam that was ootw…

Pumpkin Fritters, not a new menu item but delicious served with cilantro, walnuts and pepitas…

Brussels Sprouts Brava (not our favorite but tasty)…

Butternut Squash Pastitsio with black truffle (mild), za’atar, walnuts and sage.  Insanely good.  There is little elbow macaroni in those squares…

Yellowtail Nayeh with cranberry enzyme, fennel, basil, oil cured olives…

Jerk Sweet Potato Falafel with black bean hummus and pineapple amba.  Not one of my friends favorites, but I loved it, especially the brightness of the pineapple with the spiciness of the falafel…

Moroccan Corn Cakes with salty date butter, chow chow and pecans…

Mushroom Manti served in a porcini yogurt broth with a poached egg (before)…

and after…

Something that I’m sure was devoured but quite honestly I cannot remember what it was!

But the dish that made me laugh (because there is no such thing) and cry (because it was so darn good) was this Armenian Cheesesteak, named as such because of its use of Armenian string cheese, ha ha!  If you are a meat eater, you have to order these.  Hand down…

The boys also ordered Lamb Kofte Sliders that I sampled and which my husband and I said “tastes like the church’s version of Losh Kebab” which is the highest form of flattery.  They also ordered lamb chops and brisket shawarma.

Needless to say, we walked out of Sarma extremely fulfilled.  The restaurant doesn’t appear to have missed a beat and lived up to its reputation.

Big, bold flavors, inventive interpretations of traditional dishes and unique flavor combinations all characterize the food of Sarma.  Service was excellent and if anything, we would have liked the food to have been paced just a bit slower so we could really savor every bite.  The good news is that everything goes together so you cannot make a mistake with whatever combination of dishes you order.  Parking can be challenging so give yourself some extra time to find a legal space.

Until next time…

One Year Ago:  Travel:  Louisville, Kentucky

Two Years Ago:  The Rail Trail Flatbread Company in Hudson, Massachusetts

Three Years Ago:  Falafel Bulgur Salad

Four Years Ago:  Tuscan White Bean and Kale Soup

Five Years Ago:  Butternut Squash Risotto