My family came up to visit the Little Apple this weekend, and we took the opportunity to try out one of the town’s newest fine-dining options, Umi Japanese Steakhouse. While I wasn’t there with a pen and paper for a full-on review, I would like to share my thoughts.
Provided you’re not there to nitpick, Umi is a throughly good restaurant. Much of the food is very good, the atmosphere is visually appealing and the chefs put on quite the performance (Umi offers standard seating and hibachi seating, where a skilled Japanese chef will cook in front of you and perform tricks). You’ll enjoy yourself, and the more you go with, the better.
If you look for them, however, there are cracks in the facade, which may affect the restaurant’s long-term success.
Reservations seem to be of little use, as my party had to wait more than 20 minutes after our reservation time for a table to open up. Had they been busier, our reservation would likely have been even less relevant.
We were invited to take a seat at a well-stocked bar while we waited, where we waited some more for a bartender to show up. While Umi does have the advantage of having a liquor license, it doesn’t have a knowledgeable bar staff to make it worthwhile. Our bartender could only take two orders at a time, used a bar spoon that was laying out when we first sat down to make all the drinks, and paused from making and taking our orders to fill orders for those already seated and eating. Notably, my mojito sat finished in front of me at the bar before it was finally handed to me.
Once seated, we were given a rather lengthy menu and no real indication of how to use it. I had suspected, having dined in a hibachi situation before, that there would be a limited “performance” menu, but it wasn’t clearly identified or pointed out. A diner could conceivably order their desired entree, only to discover that it would be made in the back rather than by the man in front of him. This lack of communication with the customer is a pet peeve of mine and is a careless oversight.
We ordered edamame and a California roll for an appetizer. I’d like to sample more of the sushi menu before passing judgement, but this roll in particular was disappointing. The edamame was delicious, however, and is highly recommended.
I noticed there was quite a delay between being seated and the chef starting his show, during which the din of the restaurant became apparent. The acoustics are such that everything from the chef on the far side of the restaurant to the couple at the next table over were amplified, making table conversation difficult and unpleasant.
Our chef, nevertheless, performed admirably. He wasn’t the most talented hibachi chef I’ve ever witnessed, but his enthusiasm for the meal and the performance came through. The shrimp was delicious, but I’d avoid the steak (it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t all that great).
For special events or starting a night on the town, Umi is a good choice. That being said, if management doesn’t address some of their negative practices and policies, I can see their doors closing within the year.
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ps Have you used Nosh? It’s a great food-rating app where you rate the food instead of the restaurant. There aren’t many users here in Manhattan, so right now it’s mostly my meal suggestions at Houlihan’s, but it’s got a lot of potential. Try it out!
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