Umami

Umami

Owner

Umami is an upscale, casual Izakaya-style Japanses restaurant and bar serving traditional cuisine and sake.

Contributor

Citysearch

A sign-less stone exterior gives way to low-lit interiors, filled with clean lines and natural elements: smooth stones accent the bar and sushi counter and the bar top is made of grainy live-edge cedar. The space, divided by shoji-style screens housing orchids, features banquette seating both upstairs and down, where young, stylish couples and groups of friends convene. Later in the evening, the bar area becomes its own micro-scene with Marina singles mixing. Diners snack through the menu, which reads like a "greatest hits" of Asian cuisine. The spicy-tuna-and-water-chestnut roll is fresh and garnished with bright tobiko, while the Wagyu beef tartar tataki, delicately charred on the outside, reveals meltingly tender pieces of beef flavored with peanut and fresh wasabi. The shaking beef stands out among the mains, but the kitchen excels most at small plates. The coffee-flavored pot du creme, a sleeper hit, comes topped with airy coconut-scented whipped cream.