See Us Eat: Dinner at Umami, San Francisco, CA

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Dinner at Umami, San Francisco, CA

We decided to give Umami, a very new (as in a few weeks at most) place on Webster and Union, a shot. It was surprisingly good. Because they are new they are still suffering from a few hiccoughs, mainly in the form of mis-timed serving, lack of a dessert menu, and slightly clumsy service. However, in a few months, we think this place could be great all around.

Garlic Noodles with Chicken $8
Very tasty, very garlicky, and homemade tasting.

Miso Black Cod $17
Although this was a standard preparation, it was executed well and was very tasty.

Chicken Salad $8
Brightly flavored with nice texture contrast.

Vietnamese Style Meat Balls $ 10
These missed the mark. They were definitly the worst thing we ordered. The noodles didn't add anything and the meat itself was fairly flavorless.

Scallops $15
These were well cooked, if a bit salty. I bet they would have been perfectly salted if they hadn't put form before function and scored the scallops on both sides creating crevices for salt to sit in.

Edamame $2
Very plump and almost sweet. Delicious.

King Crab Roll $12
Although we usually don't like sushi rolls, this was was actually very good. Light on the rice and heavy on the flavor.

Kobe Beef Tartare $17
Although this was most likely Waygu and not real Kobe, it was utterly delicious. The flavor profile and the textures were perfect. The best tartare we've had in a while.