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| - Umami and I got off on the wrong foot from the very beginning. I live just a few doors down from this place, and have watched the restaurant take shape from the time they bought their house, renovated it, and opened their doors. The Willy St. neighborhood is a pretty friendly community. We're used to living in a mixed-use area of commercial and residential buildings. We are proud of our thriving local businesses, and strive to support them. We have a long tradition of residents and businesses working together on this street.
But Umami hasn't shown itself to be anything approaching a local citizen. I have yet to meet the owners, I received no forewarnings or apologizes for the endless construction traffic impeding flow on Willy street during their renovation process. I received no invitation to an opening night, no neighborly olive branch. As far as I know, Umami's owners are out-of-towners unfamiliar with Madison's culture and just looking to make a buck. As a few others have commented, Umami's sign, like it's building, is hidden and nondescript. Most patrons don't find their parking lot - meaning that people who actually live on Willy St and rely on street parking are starting to become accustomed to not being able to find parking in the evenings.
But all this is local stuff, right? For most of you, how Umami treats it's neighbors is small beans. A month after Umami opened, I decided to let go of my resentments and give it a go.
Friends from Japan were visiting from out of town, so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity. Contrary to what many have said here, I found the service was the highlight of the experience. If anything, this place is overstaffed- and the owners have obviously gone to great lengths to maintain Asian appearances!
My first shock came when I walked in the door. The exterior of the building fails completely to capture what the owners are apparently going for. I was hoping for a homey and comfortable noodle joint. Walking in, I was blasted with a decor scheme that screamed "Chic New York Asian-Fusion." The sparse menu was a disappointing mix of the two. I got the vegetarian dumplings, and my companions ordered ramen. Both were shockingly unremarkable. The high prices and trying-very-hard decor tried to overshadow the menu's bland least-common-denominator approach to Japanese food. But the result felt out of touch with Madison. Where's the taste? Where's the fun? Where's the palate bursting with unexpected flavor combinations? At the very least- where's the careful and delicate ritual and presentation that makes Japanese food so famous? The menu seems optimized instead for ease and profitability.
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