April 2022 | Page 106

manage to capture some of the wonder diners felt back when even kappa maki ( cucumber roll ) seemed novel . It ’ s accomplished , however , by excavating the Japanese pantry . Eel sauce is infused with heady garlic and maki rolls are sprinkled with puffed rice to create an old-school Pop Rocks effect ($ 18 ). Dragon fruit rice — in a subdued shade of fuchsia — brings drama to the meal without distraction , but it ’ s the addition of white miso sauce to maki ($ 16 ) that defines Somo ’ s identity . An age-old ingredient , it ’ s used in a way that simply paves the way for 21st century cuisine . Elgheryany is an active guide on this journey , visiting tables each night to tell stories , show photos from his phone , and build community in a way that only food can . In a neighborhood that ’ s still expanding from commercial to residential , it ’ s the locals — young couples out for a walk , Brown Medicine doctors spent from a day of instruction , industry folks on a night off — that claim Somo as their own . No one is using the bar to forget what the week offered , but stay long enough , and you may get the chilled green tea house shot : Jameson , peach schnapps and green tea , most importantly , a sense that even rituals evolve as we do .

104 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l APRIL 2022