There’s something mildly sadistic about dangling an exquisite Mediterranean happy hour in front of Missoulians’ gnashing, salivating jaws, only to limit it to once a week. With some notable exceptions — Mexican Moose’s sprightly street tacos, Bar Plata’s killer boquerones — our options for light fare downtown remain sparse. Truly, who among us hasn’t found ourselves putzing around on a late afternoon, hankering for a small bite, only to end up empty-handed, stuffed to the gills, or inadvertently drunk?
While I wish they kept their doors open 24/7, the good news is that Sumac, the new-ish, hidden-ish, very delicious Mediterranean cafe in the Florence Building, is serving up one hell of a three-hour happy hour on Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring vibrant small plates and excellent live music. (They also offer limited fare as part of a regular yoga night, for those of us who like our savasanas with a side of garlic-enhanced flatulence, and a board game night.) And much like Camino’s best-in-town chicken wings (I love you, too, Despo), served exclusively from 3 to 5 p.m., or Soft Landing’s epic Tuesday United We Eat takeout feasts, the limited window makes Sumac’s offerings all the more enticing.
For the uninitiated, Sumac, which opened this spring, is the newest venture from Missoula’s dining dynasty, the Risho family. Well-seasoned Missoulians will recall Perugia Old World Cooking, which Ray Risho opened in 1995, or even his first restaurant, Emmaus Road, which had its heyday during the Nixon administration. Those of us with fewer gray hairs may have dined at The Silk Road, run by Ray’s sons Abraham and Sam (who cut their teeth at Perugia), along with Sam’s wife, Elise. Silk Road closed in 2016, and Sumac rises from its ashes, run by the quintet of Abraham Risho and his wife, Caitlin; the couple Runn and Sasha Vermel; and the writer/pro-minimalist living guru Ryan Nicodemus. (The Silk Road catering business, however, lives on.)
It’s a great way to kick off your weekend, a place to show off your cosmopolitan bona fides on a first date, and a space to slow down and enjoy a calm, cool respite from this weird ole’ world of ours.
Like Perugia decades before it, Sumac puts Mediterranean fare front and center. Breakfast highlights include labneh, a strained yogurt from the Middle East, and savory crepes. Lunch operates like a lo-fi Chipotle: Pinched into a line in the cafe’s narrow doorway, hungry customers order salads, rice bowls, and wraps assembly-line style. The decadent, slow-braised lamb is superlative, the beef shawarma comes sliced fresh off the spit and the greens from Trust Land Farm are exceptionally crisp. I’ve yet to eat a dish at Sumac that doesn’t ring with the freshness of a home-cooked meal; the cafe has quickly found a niche between Five on Black’s hearty build-a-meal model and the terrific-but-pricey salad emporium Basal. (And, breaking news: On October 6, Sumac will be staying open for dinner Tuesdays through Thursdays and switching to weekend-only brunches. Their final weekday breakfast will be Friday Oct. 2.)
The menu for Hummus Happy Hour is significantly more limited, but no less enjoyable. The hummus remains its anchor — earthy, rich, served with an impeccably pillowy sourdough pita — while other small plates change on a weekly basis, rotating around the titular dip like planets around a very garlicky sun: Confit potatoes boast a light crunch and zing of pickled red pepper; a rack of lamb, served on its own, shone even brighter than in a wrap or bowl. There are some solid beverage options on the menu, too, including refreshing, dry white wines and cocktails featuring not-very-common-in-Missoula ingredients like rose water, saffron tincture, and date sekanjabin. And it’s not just a party for the mouth. To sweeten the deal, the Sumac crew has invited a stellar lineup of local musicians to join in on the fun — recent performers include Wailing Aaron Jennings (accompanied by his teenage son, Jorge, on standup bass); Mark Chumrau, owner of Sumac’s imminent neighbor at Shapes Hi-Fi Bar; and Travis Yost.
Sumac’s happy hour is many things. It’s a great way to kick off your weekend, a place to show off your cosmopolitan bona fides on a first date, and a space to slow down and enjoy a calm, cool respite from this weird ole’ world of ours. Like many of Missoula’s most beloved restaurants, it succeeds not just by offering great food, but by making us all feel welcome.
Find Sumac’s revolving happy hour menu and calendar of performers here.
