Piuma’s maiden name is Kyriakides her frame of reference is Greek, and, as it happens, she serves an inspired Greek salad ($9) with the clever addition of sliced dried white Greek figs-a sweet balance to the salty kalamata olives, cubes of crumbled French goat-milk feta, and roasted-tomato vinaigrette. It’s a good place to enjoy sliders, stews, salads, and shishes-just make sure you save room for the traveling trays of fried chicken.Ĭassie Piuma, who worked with Sortun at Oleana for 12 years, has assumed the role of executive chef and partner with her husband, Matt, now Sarma’s general manager. Photograph by Anthony Tieuliīut Sarma’s thrills far outweigh its flaws, especially if you sit in the bar area-easier to get into at short notice and the most congenial area-with counters, high-top communal tables, and a row of banquettes. The restaurant does, however, feature alluring blue mosaic glass lanterns at the entrance, as well as a wall of colorful plates from an Istanbul bazaar. Unlike at Sofra, there’s plenty of room to sit, though Sarma’s large space is somewhat sparsely appointed, and painted a questionable shade of turquoise (fine for the unmarked door, but a bit unsettling for the dining room). The long menu is crammed with tempting dishes, and servers come by carrying trays of off-menu specials in dim-sum-like fashion, making ordering even more of a challenge. Some dishes- muhammara, fresh cheese börek (pie)- may seem familiar to fans of its sibling, Sofra, the Cambridge takeout spot that serves up unique wraps, soups, salads, and Middle Eastern–influenced pastries from co-owner Maura Kilpatrick. Sortun is a co-owner of Somerville’s Sarma, which focuses on vibrant, meze-style small plates. In fact, she was a pioneer: The building blocks of Yotam Ottolenghi’s successful books-sweet and pungent spices, roasted garlic, and hot sauces tempered by sweet peppers-were part of Sortun’s repertoire long before Jerusalem came out. Because unlike anywhere else in the country, Sortun serves up Turkish and eastern Mediterranean cuisine with unprecedented sophistication, adventurousness, and culinary range. And then there’s the irresistible story of her first encounter with Chris Kurth, the farmer who knocked on the back door of Oleana bearing herbs and vegetables: She says she fell for him immediately, and the two later married.īut most important, by introducing Boston to the exotic world of Turkish and eastern Mediterranean flavors through Oleana, Sofra, and now Sarma, Sortun has expanded our culinary vocabulary to the point where we can order plaki, labne, and shawarma with the same familiarity that people in other cities might order Chinese dumplings and Mexican moles. Indeed, she runs a veritable woman-led-and-owned mini empire, and has maintained a remarkably loyal staff. But generally speaking, I’d say that Sortun’s achievements have been under-acknowledged. Not that Ana Sortun’s restaurants are neglected-getting a table at Oleana continues to be perennially tough. It’s easy to take culinary genius for granted when it’s right under your nose.
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