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I could have sworn I'd written a review for Soma before. . .but.. . perhaps not.
So here I go again.
They've redone the entired dining room with acoustics in mind - remember how loud and reverberating it was in there? No longer. Much much nicer.
The spicy cucumber margarita was very very good, though I would have preferred it straight up in a martini or margarita glass with the muddling done ahead of time instead of in a highball glass with ice and the smushed cucumbers still in there to clog up my straw. . .but the taste was excellent. Super spicy to start and then a cool cucumber finish. . .amazing actually.
Service was very slow last night - I think there may have been just one waitress for the whole place. I was brought the wrong drink first. . . .no biggie, but it took a really long time to replace it. The beet salad got rave reviews, the bread and dips platter was tasty. I got a caeser salad with shrimp and avocado, which was good.
The sampler of homemade ice cream had good flavor (the espresso and vanilla varieties were especially intense), but tended toward the ice rather than the cream texture wise - it was ok though. I just prefer really rich ice cream. Cream, that's frozen, with flavors in it. Ice designating temperature, not water content.
All in all a fine experience, much better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick - and now that it's so much quieter in there, it's much more conducive to hanging out and enjoying the space than it once was.
I'd like to come back again on a weekend night and experience a fully staffed in the swing-of-things Soma to really see how they are doing.
This restaurant has a fantastic atmosphere and location, but the worst customer service I have ever experienced at a restaurant. We had previously visited and had some really great food, but this time we had to wait over an hour for our food and then when it came out several of our burgers were almost raw and had to be sent back.
From the start they screwed up our reservation, our server stalled for as long as possible and had to be asked several times to take our drink and food order. We also had to ask for bread since it was taking forever to get our food. He also took our emptry drink cups away and didn't ask if we wanted any more, which we did.
When we tried to talk to the hostess about the situation she told us it hadn't really been as long as we thought and said that we brought in more people than they could accommodate, even though they were the ones that screwed up our reservation.
All in all they were really rude to us and didnt care that we were upset, and for that I will never go back. Which is upsetting in itself because I had enjoyed my time there previously. I would have chalked it up to an inexperienced waiter, but not after the way the hostess and owner responded to our complaint.
A top notch establishment with a wide and tasty selection of Martinis...
A limited but very tasty menu and many creative cocktails make Soma a top notch establishment..
From San Diego, this place was recommended by a friend (who is a "towny" (sp?) from Beverly) so we decided to try it after the rehearsal dinner we were in town for. What a great place!
The bar - true to what we had been told - is a beautiful wood, and the service was great. A full list of inventive martinis for ~$8, and any other drink you were in the mood for. We tested out the competence of the bar and its bartender by ordering: manhattan, sake martini, mojito, and a godfather. All were made beautifully and you definitely got your money's worth - these drinks were huge!
Great service, nice atmosphere, and good drinks - what more do you want?! And on a Friday night, it was busy, but not too much to where you can't be served.
Sorry, didn't eat anything, so can't comment on the food. It's a bar! And a good one at that!
Like most beautiful things.....it sucks one you get past it being pretty.
I took a date her needless to say I was unimpressed. The decor is beautiful but once your over that it kind of gets interesting.
First off out waitress acted like she had some thing better to be doing...seeing as I waited tables for 5 years, that kind set the mood for a shitty evening.
Then came the only reason that this place got two stars instead of one, the fig and vanilla infused Don Julio tequila. That was just plain delicious. When our food came all I can say is was like paying 20 bucks for Lean Cuisine....bland and unimpressive. We rarely saw our server past that and when we did, she didn't even smile like our mere presence in some way offended her.
I will never come back here for food, however that Don Julio is still on my mind as I write this.
Soma is a gastronomic delight!! This beautifully decorated spot has a separate dining room and elegant bar. The bar stays open until 1PM every night; dinner begins each night at 5 and goes until around 10. I have been here three times now and each time has been an incredible culinary experience.
The chefs at Soma are extremely good at what they do, take real pride in their work, and actually care whether or not you enjoy yourself. The bartender mixes amazing drinks; last night alone we had a blueberry martini, a ginger mojito, and a pomegranate margarita - all incredibly delicious. We also had the bread with different dips (feta-walnut spread, roasted tomato and garlic with something else... a little eggplant maybe? and a third with something in truffle oil.) I wish my memory were better on these finer points but it was all so good - and there are definitely enough vegetarian items here.
Incidentally, everything we ate was from the bar menu. We had the "Salad of Lettuces" (goat's yogurt, herb crisp and sherry vinaigrette), really yummy, absolutely beautiful pieces of lettuce - like flowers! and exquisite presentation. For our main meal my boyfriend had a very good turkey panini and I had a small brick-oven pizza with a great tomato sauce, cheese, and caramelized onion, although I actually didn't detect any onion. I think it's possible that they forgot them. The pizza comes with different toppings on different days and yesterday's was andouille sausage, which, of course, was not in the cards for me, as a vegetarian. So they were very happy to modify the pizza to my considerations.
We finished (somehow!) with a strawberry-rhubarb tart with rhubarb ice cream and some kind of caramel sauce and a fantastic creme brulee. We stayed from around 8:45 until 11! The service was incredibly polite and we tipped almost 30% to show our appreciation. To be fair, the service was slow but it didn't come into play for us at all because we were in absolutely no hurry. In fact, I really appreciated not being rushed. It was very European. I had such a happy, wonderful, yumriffic experience!!
You are going to find things on this menu you never even thought of. I love that! The menu does read somewhat limited, especially for vegetarians, but don't be afraid to ask them to modify your dishes to suit your dietary considerations and tastes. These chefs are artists and everything is fresh and can be altered. The Soma experience is for those who truly love food. You never thought you'd see a restaurant of this stature and quality on the North Shore and I, for one, am grateful!!
I liked the food albeit a bit pricey and I'm not a martini guy so I can't comment but it looks like they mix up quite a few of them there. The staff has an undeniable overblown sense of self importance though. Even if you don't mean it you need to pretend that you care about the customer.
I'll now refer to this place as Strega North.
Soma marks the first time I've ever felt the need to send back a drink.
One sip told me it was definitely not what I had ordered, and after verifying my opinion by having a couple friends take sips, I brought it back to the bartender (since our waitress was kind of non existent), who first tried to tell me I was wrong, THEN tried to tell me that he simply made this particular drink in a super special signature way. When I asked him to explain how he'd made the drink, he refused, snapping "I hope you don't expect to have this taken off your bill!"
And no, it wasn't. Classy.
I've been here before and I loved it. I've eaten here, I've had drinks and appetizers, bar menu stuff here. Well, Saturday my friends A and J came here, cuz I knew it would be quiet....J is not a fan of noisy places, he's artsy.And I also knew if they had music, then Mandrake would be quiet. We sat at a table, because there were only 2 empty seats at the bar. 3 people can't sit at 2 seats. Even if J is skinny. Well, we weren't even greeted or anything. Thought this was a classy place. So it took way too long for us to get menus, and then the silly waiter gave them to us and disappeared. The bartender had to call across and ask us what we wanted. He was hiding behind the curtain, with Judy Garland and Toto too. But man, my Sailor's Mojito was delish. Sailor Jerry's rum, mint and ginger beer. MMmmmmmm. The waiter got points taken off his tip too, because he came over (mind you, we also had to order drink2 from the bartender, because he disappeared again, with Judy Garland.) and asked us "If we wouldn't mind settling this so I can cash out? Thanks." We only tipped 10%. But I feel guilty that I didn't tip the bartender. I hope that he gave her his tip, cuz he didn't deserve it. I hate that, it wasn't even late either, it was only 10:30 when we got there, SOMA is open til 1! What a brat, they need better servers, like they used to have.
The chef, Nick Speros, is truly an artist. The last dinner I had here was actually at a sold-out wine dinner co-hosted by Beverly Wine and Beer (gotta write them up a glowing review as well). Over several courses my wife and I were continually impressed with Nick's creativity and finesse -- he never allows a sauce to overpower a dish, nor does he add any ingredient gratuitously. There's such a clarity and precision to his food, everything shines. Incredible stuff.
Of course, props go to the other Nick, the owner, for his excellent style and management of this classy restaurant. Well worth all of Yelp's five stars.
They now have the best Pizza I've tried in Beverly!!!!! Fresh toppings, perfect baked. Delicius!!!
Soma is an unexpected prize jewel! I will admit that what I'm looking for there and what I've gone there to experience may not but typical, but I was thrilled when I finally make it over there and hung out. My story: I've lived on Boston's North Shore for almost 8 years now and have come to expect the general trend of most of my immediate area's night spots to be a bit suburban-country bumpkin. (With the exception of downtown Salem which has a bit of artsy urban chic or whatever feel- which I kinda dig.) My friend Adam Saylor's been in a band for quite awhile now called Elephant House that sounded interesting, and he invited me to sit in (play along) for the night- I'm a saxophonist. I sort of anticipated a not-to-friendly or hip, uninterested snobbish clientele. I was overjoyed to find a friendly, fun, young, classy, hip, generally clean and well dressed crowd that was totally into the music- dancing, cheering, etc. This is great for me b/c as a jazz musician, among other things, I find myself wishing, too often, that audiences would lighten up and let it all hang out (I mean that figuratively, thank you!) That's a whole other discussion- fans, don't worry I love you, we just need to find the right venue/vibe/band personnel/or something to make it more fun for everyone- I haven't figured it all out yet!
So, basically, it was a dream come true in many ways. I was hearing new music for the first time, picking it up- mostly by ear, becoming inspired, contributing creatively, and the people there were as thrilled as I was! (or more) Anytime a group of people laughs and cheers and dances for joy count me in.
I must admit that I worry that my age might make me the grandpappy of the wednesday 9 pm on crowd- my 20s have recently departed me and when I went to Soma, my wife and I had just changed our daughter's diapers and put her to bed... but I felt extremely welcomed and I felt (possibly erroneously) that I was the only one who noticed I've been legal to drink more than 8 years.
So, no, I didn't try the crack chef's extravagant fish dish, or the mojitos, (whatever wonderful meanings those things have), and yeah the Guinness is a little pricier than the Slumerville bar I play in on mondays, but a $5.25 brew is a small price to pay, for me, for a super groovy, excitable, band, crowd that's not afraid to get on their feet and shake it and to show how they really feel about having a good time...
Worth mentioning- the atmosphere was trendy/upscale/modern/artsy, and that includes funky expensive-looking decorations and design. That probably helps attract the cool crowd.
Here's a big shout for Adam, Jack, and James, the resident band of Soma's wednesday nights, who have encouraged me to keep playing and who inspire me to believe that good live danceable music is not dead, and for the crowd and staff that make it an awesome time- I've been twice now!
thanks,
PSS
Whiled away a few very pleasant hours in here last night. We got a bunch of appetizers, which were all good, and were imaginative - the scallops in particular. The bruschetta was also a cut above. I was drinkin' beer but my friends raved about their mojitos and also the orange/chocolate stout they had (it smelled like christmas!)
There was even a floor show! Some middle-aged woman came over to our table and started... shimmying, I guess you'd call it. Our token female was suddenly inundated with 'I'm-with-her' arms draped over her but thankfully our very efficient waitress fixed her with a steely glare and she gyrated off.
Overall a nice place. Not cheap, but not as aloof as an equivalent place downtown would be.
Update: June 11, 2008
Soma is slipping. Our last three meals there have been characterized by careless cooking and mediocre service. Something's gone wrong. Minus two stars, Soma.
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Soma is our favorite restaurant - and we've been to them all. We've been going roughly once per week for the last six months and with one exception, every experience has been superior. Sure, there's the room, the wine list, the martinis, the staff, etc., but for us it's always been about the food. Who's the chef, anyway? We're not certain. Speros used to be chef, but he's been gone and we've never tried his food. The new chef, though? Aces.
We've tried nearly everything on the menu on our visits and have never been disappointed. Everything is seasoned perfectly, cooked perfectly, presented perfectly; there is no aspect of any meal that hasn't been thoroughly considered. Even small items that a person might take for granted are attended to: the tiny salad is perfectly dressed; the polenta is rich and creamy; the Brussels sprouts are phenomenal; the potatoes gratin will absolutely kill you. Even the bread and hummus is remarkable - we look forward to it as much as anything on the menu. No one is going to carve Chateaubriand tableside for you, but the food is at least comparable to what you'd expect at a place like Paragon, and much more reasonably priced, especially the bar menu.
What's been especially nice is that we've been going to Soma long enough to see the menu change. We're on our third version of duck confit: first the dish was prepared as little confit cakes on frisee with chick peas, currants, and balsamic reduction. I instantly declared it my favorite appetizer of life. Then, the cakes were changed to a confit of leg which was even better. Presently, the confit of leg is now served with a blood orange hash which, sadly, isn't as well-balanced as the dish that preceded it. We've seen the flat iron steak come and go and come back again. The octopus is gone. The pork chop with savory bread pudding is gone. The fettuccini is now scampi-style. But, there are so many new items to love, like the cassoulet and the vegetarian winter crepes. In six months we've never been bored by anything we've ordered or felt uninspired at the prospect of visiting.
The first time we ate here we stumbled upon it, right after it first opened, and we absolutely loved it. It was during the summer, and they had some great summer salads and seafood entrees. The second time we went back and then the third the menu gradually got more and more difficult to choose from; my boyfriend is a very picky eater, and it was almost like every entree had an ingredient or two that eliminated it from his list of possible choices. The other thing that is a little bothersome is that the portions are rather small in relation to the price you are paying. The service here, however, is excellent. The bar is also very very well stocked, and the best mojitoes i've ever had are at this restaurant.
Why anyone would go here unless you were 19 years of age and being able to drink is beyond me (yes, it seems that they serve underage people and it's very evident). My wife and I went for dinner and the food along with the service was just disgraceful. On top of that some drunk fool spilt a drink on my wife.
Chicken was not fully cooked, and the wine had a vinegar taste to it.
Would not recommend this place to anyone.
My girl Chenelle bartends here. The food is stupendous, the atmosphere snazzy, and the martinis are AMAZING! Try the watermelon martini and their fried seafood platter, odd I know, but the red snapper with the aioli...WOW.
We went here last night for the first time. This is a cool and modern spot to hang out and enjoy good food and drinks. The food was amazing, and the drinks were even better! The strawberry-basil martini could easily become a favorite of mine! We had great service and we definitely return.
I sat at the bar and the bartender was a pretty chill guy had no problems. The food we ordered was a bit small and i dont think worth the money. Pretty dead while we were there but seemed like a nice environment
For a Thursday night, this place was dead. I was there around 9, and the place was almost empty. I'm wondering if Beverly just isn't ready for this restaurant. They have some interesting martinis. I had a pomengranate martini, which was delicious. I would come back for the martini. I also had the lamb souvlaki appetizer. It was good, but nothing I can't get at the local Greek sub/salad shop. My friend was a little disappointed that her CocoColada (a "frozen" drink) was not blended, but was liqour over ice cubes. She did like her dessert of creme brulee. The menu is limited, with interesting dishes , such as a kiwi champagne or blood orange hibiscus sorbet as dessert. The service was slow, though friendly, but I can't understand why as the place was dead and we were our server's only table.
Soma has the best drinks in Salem. (If we were rating just for drinks it would be 5 stars) We had the best mojito since leaving NYC. The food on the other hand wasn't so great. Our meal was very average and incredibly expensive.
I have been to Soma a few times. I was not overly impressed with the sit down meal I had there a while ago, but I did like the drinks so I have returned to sit in the bar area. Their calamari is good, so sometimes we will order that and maybe another appetizer when we get drinks. The reason I am giving it two stars is the service. It sucks. The last few times I have come here for drinks and an appetizer we have sat at tables in the bar. The waitress immediately got bitchy when she figured out we were not ordering a full meal. What bothers me about this is first of all, it is not like the place was packed and we each ordered a soda water and sat at the table for 5 hours nursing it. The place is usually fairly empty and our drink orders always exceed $50, typically closer to $100 depending on how many of us there are. I stopped by over the weekend with some out of town friends. We were in the area and wanted to have a few martinis before dinner. The bartender was such a jerk. Too cool for school. He barely acknowledged us when we sat down. The drinks were fair. I also noticed that they keep the mint for the mojitos sitting in a big vase on the bar... in the open... about 5 inches away from the patrons. There was a fly that kept landing on it and my friend sitting directly in front of it asked "what if someone sneezed?" I am never going back there but a word of advice if you decide to try it... skip the mojitos.
Great cocktails, consistently good food, great atmosphere. This place, Mandrake and Tryst are the best in Beverly.
I like Soma, but I seem to have a different experience each time I'm there--not necessarily bad, not exactly helpful when trying to write a review. My first experience there was a 5 star experience; the rubbed jerk pork with a mango chutney blew my culinary experiences out of the water--it still ranks either 1 or 2 as my best meal ever. The second time I was there was just for drinks and appetizers; the bread with dip-trio (walnut, garlic and?) was only so-so in terms of flavor, however my espresso martini was the fabulous. I went there again last week, and while the meal was certainly good, it seemed as if their menu had completely shrunk; I felt practically forced to get the meal I did since over 1/2 the choices were fish-based, (and I hate fish). Then, though we were "just right" full, the portions seemed a bit small for the 19$ and 28$ dollars we paid per plate. All in all good, but nothing spectacular like our first experience there. Add to that that the waiter overcharged us on drinks that we didn't order nor received and it didn't leave such a nice impression this time around. We'll certainly be back, since it is nice to have such an upscale, metro place to go in Beverly, and Soma is infinitely better than probably most restaurants out there; suppose it just depends upon that night!
I absolutely love the food at Soma! The new chef gives a variety of offerings which are all delicious. The scallops have to be one of my favorites. You can also never go wrong with the catch of the day. I get the Caesar salad almost every time I go and it never disappoints. I encourage everyone to give Soma a try...it's incredible!
I have to give props here - Soma Chef Nick Speros rocks this place to make it what it is today (the Globe and Boston Magazine are raving about him and Soma). If you're into mediterranean "high-end" gourmet and knock-out drinks, this is the place to be. By the way, Nick cut his teeth at Radius and other major Boston establishments, and worked very hard to get where he is. Be sure to check out Soma and give Nick a wave.
did the app menu as courses a while back and it was pretty decent. really liked the Zebra wood bar. the dining room did not look all that cozy and seemed pretty loud.
Beverly, MA
Category: American (New)
Beverly, MA
Category: American (New)
Beverly, MA
Category: Bars
Beverly, MA
Category: Indian
Beverly, MA
Category: Mexican
