Saami Somi brings a taste of Georgia to Reading Terminal Market

Khachapuri, khinkali, pkhali, lobio …

The menu of Georgian specialties served at Saami Somi, which recently opened in Reading Terminal Market, might be unfamiliar to some Philadelphians, particularly those who don’t frequent the Northeast Philadelphia restaurants that offer the cuisines of the former Soviet republics.

Georgia, which seceded from the U.S.S.R. in 1991, lies east of the Black Sea and north of Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The food is varied and homey, and includes dumplings, stews, and plenty of breads.

In fact, Saami Somi translates to “three doughs,” which make up a good part of the menu: a leavened sourdough, an heirloom matsoni yogurt dough, and a dumpling dough. Saami Somi’s signature item is the khachapuri, a “cheese boat with two cheeses” — suluguni and imeruli cheese (similar to low-moisture mozzarella and Bulgarian feta) — as well as an egg and a pat of butter in the middle. You stir up the middle and dunk the edges of the cheese boat into the rich, molten goo.

Michael Kolodesh, 34, was 5 when his parents immigrated to the United States, and settled in Philadelphia’s Bustleton section. His sister, Donna, 29, was born soon after.

Michael started at Drexel University as a business major, joining Donna in a career in architecture and design. In 2016, they traveled to Georgia — the family’s first trip back — where their grandmother’s former home on David Agmashenebeli Avenue in the historic section of Tblisi, the capital, was being repaired as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “We instantly fell in love with the food,” Michael Kolodesh said. “That and the scenery, how beautiful it is, and the warmth of the people.”

“We wanted to meld the two cultures, and food was the way to bring that to people,” Donna Kolodesh said.

For Donna, the trip to Georgia was an eye-opener. “I finally get it, the way my family is,” she said. From then on, “I could not stop researching. I wanted to know about Georgia. Finally, I could start understanding myself and my culture. It made me so much more confident about who I am, and made me connect more to Philadelphia.”

Chef Lor Kats, an alumnus of Pumpkin and Pearl’s Oyster Bar, who is of Ukrainian heritage, worked out the recipes.

The Kolodeshes know there is a learning curve for the most of the clientele at the Reading Terminal stand, which occupies a portion of the former Tootsie’s salad bar.

Khinkali are oversize dumplings, khali is a spinach and walnut spread, and lobio is a bean stew. All this and adjapsandali, too. (That’s a Georgian ratatouille of roasted eggplant, bell peppers, tomato, alliums, and the spice mix known as khmeli suneli.)

Georgian lettering covers the floor in front of the counter, and they’ve laid out a concise, easily understandable menu board. The Kolodeshes’ design training helps.

Helpful counter folks know the dishes backward and forward. There are shelves with Georgian grocery items and housewares, and also a seating area, in addition to the market’s open seating.