April 16th 2014: Mediterranean Tapas Dinner at Sarma, Somerville

Today after work, I had to attend to some food truck stuff with my friend, and decided to head to Sarma, a Mediterranean tapas place located in Somerville that had been previously recommended by a mutual friend. The decor itself is pretty nice, though not too upscale either.

My friend got the Cane Salata (Punt e Mes, Grapefruit, Cancale) for a drink,

and we got 8 dishes in all, all of which were really well presented. The starters came first, the olive oil coming in an interesting looking jar.

The Locally Made Yogurt Cheese (za'atar, pickles, warm garlic toast) tasted a little strong at first, but when spread over the toast, it tasted really good, especially with the pickles.

The Lamb Ribs (Muscat grapes, pekmez, sesame) came next. The meat was well cooked and tender, and the sauce was tangy and sweet, a bit too sweet for my friend, but perfect for me, and I spent the rest of the meal lapping it up with the toast.

I loved the Carrot Fritter (cilantro, walnut, sunflower seeds) with its curry flavor, which wasn't to my friend's liking, so I got most of it.

The Tunisian Steak Tartare (radishes, soft cooked egg, pita chips, pickles) had a little bit of weird yuzu taste to it, so even though it was still very good, and the pita chips were thin and crispy, I decided to let my friend have the most of it.

I gave my friend the Grilled Eggplant Salad as well, as I have had many like it before, though still good.

I did not know trout meat looked just like salmon, so I was a little suspicious when the Trout Almondine (Greek Style beans, skordalia, sumac crumbs) arrived, although my friend corrected me soon enough. Not bad, although the trout itself was a little overcooked, just a little.

The Brussel Sprouts Bravas (hazelnut migas) were excellent as well, one of the better dishes of the night.

For a moment, we thought that they had forgotten our final dish, but it came soon after, and was pretty much the best dish of the night. The Harissa BBQ Duck (carrot, orange blossom, almonds)  was not what I expected, coming on skewers. 

The sauce was really good though, and the meat was cooked pretty well, although the meat at the end were a little overcooked.

Overall, a pretty good meal. Never knew this place existed in Somerville. Definitely coming back here again someday.