Breakfast spot breaks out
Come weekend mornings, the line snakes out the door at Sound Bites as the great unfed home in on this Somerville hotspot. They come for brunch despite the long waits, the legendary brusque service, and the hungry stares of those still waiting to be seated. They come because the fluffy pancakes, gorgeous overstuffed omelets, and dependably strong cups of joe are worth it.
But now that this tiny café has moved into the big space next door and added a dinner menu, the question is: Can Sound Bites do pub grub and pasta as well as it does eggs? After three visits, it seems the answer - like its famously fresh fruit bowl - is mixed.
The new digs still have the colorful décor of the last occupant, El Guapo Mexican restaurant. The look is cheery, and oddly, so is owner Yasser Mirza. We were stunned to find him chatting up customers as if they were all old pals. This is a man known for barreling through his restaurant and slapping down checks when the plates are still half full, a man who is a master at shooing lingering diners out the door.
But tripling his seating has transformed Mirza into the kind of chummy host who makes you want to be a regular. And our first dinner there had the same effect. As Mirza joked, smiled, doled out free dessert, and endearingly shouted "Touchdown!" when the Sox scored a run on the flat-screens behind the bar, we chowed on two flawless Middle Eastern appetizers.
Fresh triangles of lightly grilled and crisped pita bread arrived with generous scoops of creamy homemade hummus ($4.99) and muhammara ($4.99), an addictive roasted red pepper dip that is rich with tahini and olive oil yet light with sweet pepper and tangy pomegranate.
A Greek salad ($5.99) was basic, but the greens were fresh and the feta plentiful. The 16-inch white pizza ($11.99) had a nicely chewy crust topped with the kind of fresh sautéed spinach and garlic that make Sound Bites' veggie omelets stand out. Add in reasonably priced cocktails ($7 for a specialty martini) and velvety cheesecake strewn with glistening strawberries ($5.99), and we were looking forward to our return.
But things took a dive on a visit a couple of months later. A spinach and pear salad ($6.99) came sadly soaked in vinegar. An otherwise flavorful and juicy piece of blackened swordfish ($13.99) was crowded by overcooked veggies and mashed potatoes that smacked of butter that had been sitting in the fridge for too long. A tender, nicely charred chicken kebab ($10.99) lost points due to a soggy Syrian side salad, and our resident kibbeh ($10.99) expert found this Middle Eastern meatloaf in need of more seasoning and salt.
Was the cook a depressed Cleveland Indians fan? (They were losing that night.) Perhaps. Does the kitchen need to rethink a few things? Most definitely. And did we go back? Yup, and it's a good thing we did.
Visit number three turned up a humongous, slightly greasy, but cooked-to-order burger ($7.99) with crisp diner-style fries, as well as tasty, lightly sauced wings ($5.99) and dishes of yummy, lightly breaded eggplant parmesan ($10.99) and eggplant rollatini ($7.99) - all dishes we'd order again. It also left us hoping Mirza will work out the kinks and eventually score his own full touchdown with his dinner menu. Judging by his breakfasts, which had a rocky start as well, we expect he will. 