Suma

Suma Restaurant + Bar is an New American style restaurant located near Bethesda Row. Suma translates to “born in the summer”. Boasting an outdoor 20-seat patio with sectional sofa and basket-woven chairs, the indoor dining room comfortably seats up to 57 people. The large windows give off an airy feel to restaurant, while French doors bring in more natural light.

Chef Gene Sohn has been in the DC hospitality industry all his life. Eschewing a path to business school, he chose to become a chef. Moving up in rank and responsibility from dishwasher to Chef de Cuisine, he worked for the Robert Wiedmaier Restaurant Group including the prestigious Marcel’s and the ever-popular Mussel Bar in Bethesda for almost 8 years. Eventually he teamed up with Jay Evans, the former General Manager of Mussel Bar – Bethesda, and Jennifer Day to open Suma. Sohn aims at mastering simple, classical dishes with a modern twist.

The restaurant is modern with an art deco vintage theme. Some of the quirky artifacts include a Japanese Pagoda, green pear-shaped candles in a lantern, decorative lamps with spiral-patterned shades, metal sculptures, and a golden glass bowl. In one of the corners of the restaurant a Vermouth Bianco poster oversees the room. Booths sport a honey brown pattern and lighting comes via vintage light bulbs. Six bar stools create an intimate feel to the small spot.

The menu reflects the chef’s seasonal approach. In lieu of bread service, expect a plate of homemade pickled vegetables – spicy pickles or cucumbers, onion, and cauliflower.

Appetizers that I would recommend:

-Maryland Crab Dip – a slightly creamy, mix of fresh lump crabmeat, cream cheese, butter and Old Bay and topped with panko bread crumbles. It arrived in a cast iron skillet on a wooden plank with slices of warm baguette. I found it to be light and savory with no discernible filler.

-Deviled Eggs - deviled eggs garnished with goat cheese, bacon bits, and chives and served over Chipotle aioli.

-Bonnie's Wings - Crispy chicken wings that were marinated in a mildly spicy sesame soy sauce and garnished with leeks. If you like the wings at Bon Chon, I'd highly recommend these as they reminded me of Asian BBQ wings.

-Tuna Tartare - bowl made from Feuille de Bric, filled with chopped tuna, diced red onion, capers, sesame, and yuzu, and topped with a raw quail egg yolk, and served with pickled watermelon.

-Roasted Beet Salad - heirloom beets, local farm greens tossed in chive oil vinaigrette and tossed with shaved Rocca,, grilled red onions, and pulled croutons. I liked how the salad wasn't drenched in dressing. However, the beets were slightly under cooked but still edible. It was interesting how the beets were presented - hidden underneath the greens.

During my first visit, the specials featured Lobster Bisque, Salmon Burger, and Seared Tuna, all of which sounded delicious but I had my eye set on the Pan Seared Halibut, an entree of line-caught halibut fillet lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and dressed with a buttery tomato and caper sauce. Light in texture, it was accompanied by lemon-accented whipped Yukon potatoes and asparagus. The dish was perfectly prepared and delicately seasoned.

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Other Favorites include:

-Duck Pizza - Sweet crispy and fluffy dough, topped with Hoisin sauce, smoked Gruyere, caramelized onions, scallions, and duck confit sausage. Imagine the flavors of French Onion Soup and Peking Duck in one dish. Delicious!

-Tuna Panzanella - slices of ahi tuna loin seared rare and served with a salad consisting of Normans farm greens, red onion, cucumber, radish, and croutons over black garlic aioli.

My least favorite entrees were the Mussels and Challah Fried Chicken. I've tried both the Sherry Mussels and Marinara Mussels. The Sherry Mussels consisted of steamed mussels in a garlicky sherry cream sauce with shallots and thyme and served with French fries. The Marinara Mussels consisted of Smithfield Ham, tomatoes, garlic, lemon and parmesan and served with French fries. I didn't like the mussels because they weren't shucked thoroughly and the flavor didn't meet my standards. Challah Fried Chicken consisted of Murray’s Free Range Chicken with a light tarragon gravy and served with truffle mac n' cheese, and pickled kale greens. Even though the chicken was tender, I felt like the chicken was lacking gravy and the the truffle oil and breadcrumbs in the mac n' cheese were overpowering.

Desserts were luscious sounding – Vanilla Creme Brulee, Banana Nut Bread Pudding, Chocolate Chip Brownie Sundae, Mango Sorbet, Pistachio Parfait, and Bread Pudding – and it was difficult to decide. I opted for warm Vanilla Creme Brûlée made with freshly scraped vanilla bean pods and topped with a scoop of creme fraiche – a shareable portion that was light and not too sweet.

Other Favorites include:

-Bread Pudding - light and not too doughy bread pudding served with ice cream, fresh raspberries, and drizzled with raspberry sauce.

-Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Milk - three freshly baked bacon and chocolate chunk cookies served with warm chocolate milk. I was surprised that the chocolate milk wasn't served in a dunkable drinkware.

Suma Restaurant + Bar, 4921 Bethesda Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814. 301 718-6378. For information and reservations, visit sumabethesda.com. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily (except Monday’s). Happy hour is from 4-7 pm and brunch on the weekends is from 11 am-4 pm. Happy Hour specials include $2 off drafts, wine by the glass, all products from Maryland, and $1 oysters. The restaurant is three blocks south from the Bethesda Metro station. There is not a private lot but there are multiple public parking garages within a 0.5 mile radius.