Based on the reviews, I was expecting a whole lot more from this neighborhood gem. First, the best thing going for this place is it's quaint, romantic dining room. The two tables near the window are very cute and offer a nice alternative to a traditional table or sitting at a bar. Second, the service was just good. I had to ask of their we're specials and then for how much they cost. I expect a server to offer the special right away. Third and most importantly, the food. This is where Umami loses lots of points for me. We ordered 5 dishes: 1 app, 2 small plates and 2 large plates. 2 dishes had soy in them (buckwheat noodles with seared tuna and fried vegetable roll with sauce), yet both we're under seasoned. The tuna was cooked perfectly, but when it's atop bland noodles and cauliflower, throwing soy sauce on it isn't an effective fix. The other dishes weren't memorable: the goat cheese dumplings were a faint attempt at sophistication, but lacked flavor. The edamame hummus served with crispy wonton skins. That was tasty, however it was studded throughout with whole roasted garlic, which should have been very nice, but the garlic was undercooked and still had a bite. The last dish was the udon noodle dish, which was also soy based, and the beef, noodles and vegetables were well cooked, but again was terribly under seasoned. In summary, all the dishes had great potential, but all of them failed poorly at achieving what the restaurant's name suggests, "umami." I will not recommend this place, unless you're looking to only share saki with someone special in a romantic setting.