SOMA

I continue to be impressed with the Houston restaurant scene. I was a little worried when I moved to Houston (a year ago today) simply because I remember a Houston of the early 1990's. A lot has changed. 1990 Houston did not eat sushi, or at least not the raw variety. Sushi houses in 2009 Houston are shoe-horned between every Starbucks and Chipotle and completely unecessary bank branch. There have been several that will not get a return visit but mostly they are good; SOMA in particular is very good.


Sushi @ SOMA via Blackberry

"Modern" sushi scares me a little. I always think that by modern they mean - fry it up, melt cheese on it or drown perfectly good sushi in gooey, sweet, over-the-top sauce. This is the Dallas version of modern sushi, which to me is analogous to putting ketchup on filet mignon while watching WWF reruns in your double-wide with your sister-wife. I'm happy to report "modern sushi" in Houston parlance just means modern presentation.

SOMA is a relatively new sushi entry in Rice Military, a neighborhood quickly earning a rep for being foodie heaven. SOMA is modern most senses but it doesnt feel the need to be compulsive about it. The litmus test of Hamachi and Unagi passed with flying colors. In fact, the sushi chef actually subbed our second Hamachi order for Toro; same price, we liked him for some reason. The rolls were creative and well-presented. I think our favorite this trip was the Rainbow Spider, which is the standard soft-shelled crab roll but with tuna, escolar, yellow tail and salmon wrapped on the outside.

SOMA has happy hour most days from 4-7p, during which many of their higher-priced rolls are half off. Hmm, half-priced Rainbow Spiders and a glass of Pear Sake2Me, I feel a 12-step program right around the corner.

SOMA
4820 Washington Ave
Houston, TX 77007

(713) 861-2726‎