UMI

You gotta be curious when one of the chefs from the former MF Sushi opens a new fancy digs next to the St. Regis... I know I am. All I have been hearing is how great it is. You gotta have some big testicles to pull this off, bro... So, I had to find out for myself if this joint really has the big balls everyone's oohing and aahing about because I want them in my mouth, too.

The place is in Buckhead, one would expect it to be fancy, trendy and hip... And it is. But not in a cheesy ginzo Buckhead Bottle Bar kinda way. It's flashy in a subtle way, the use of wood is soothing even when the place is slammed packed. The long sushi bar is nice but that means it's gamble on who will be making your grub. You may get Ito or one of his henchmen in training. Ito plays the chef/owner part well. He's a micro-manager, he has an opinion on everything. He almost seems to talk down to everyone under him. My favorite part is when this poor Mexican in the back of the house brought up some plates or what not and accidentally brushes against his sushi knife. Big mistake, ese. He got scolded like a child who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I felt bad for the guy but I can understand the bond between a cook and his expensive prized knife. Enough of the soap opera, let's sample some of the goods...

Tuna Tartare. Cute presentation. Mix it all up with the quail egg and avocado and you have a pretty tasty tartare.

Ankimo, Monkfish Liver. Looks great, tasted pretty good. Only gripe is that it was poached or steamed for a tad too long and the liver was a little too toothy and lacked that creamy bite. Not that it was bad, it was quite good but there are other places around town that nails it spot on every time.

Black Cod Miso. Was it good? Yes. Was it mind blowing? Fuck no. This piece looked like they cut it with a chainsaw, all mangled like a piece of decomposing chicken they use on Swamp People as gator bait. But the flesh was nice and tender and somewhat flakey. The charred skin is my favorite part but there were only a sliver of it which was kinda disappointing. The miso dippin' dots sauce was pretty sweet, like the miso glaze cod wasn't sweet enough already. Nice dish but I wouldn't order it again.

Amaebi Sashimi. I fucking love these things, I gotta get them if I see them on the menu... And these didn't disappoint. Heads were super crispy and the innards were mushy, crunchy and full of brain flavor. The shrimp itself were very fresh and delicious. Liked this dish a lot but the couple two seats down looked in horror when they saw me munching on the heads. Haha, amateur fuckers, go eat your California rolls. Yeah, they have fucking California rolls on the menu. Baffling for a sushi joint with their pedigree. Oh, btw, I sent the tails off for a quick trip to the fryer and I got it back at the end of the meal, right before I got the check... Only took 26 minutes, ridic.

Sashimi. One would think if you order the largest sashimi combo dish on the menu, you would get a nicer presentation than on a plain white plate like my boring Ikea ones. I'm not one for gimmicks but this was like something you toss on a plate yourself at some sushi buffet. Don't get me wrong, the fish selection was very fresh but quite boring to look at it. Sushi is like performance art but this was like some color print for the masses and not the original masterpiece. The wasabi was run of the mill but you can get a freshly grated one for $10... Yeah, not.

Box Roll with Unagi. I'm not friends with rolls, but when half the menu is rolls I figured why not try a box roll since not many places do it. I like eel, but this was not as exciting as it sounded or tasted. It was alright but upwards of $20 for this was kind of a joke. You know you're in Buckhead central when 90% of the place is rolling... I got Rick Rolled alright.

Some people will still say it's the best sushi resto in Atlanta. How can that be? They just opened. I say y'all are smoking crack or some ghetto cut up shit that's melting your brain. This place is hit or miss, the menu is totally catered towards the younger demographics with money. It's a totally to see or be seen joint... And I was hoping to see a lot more traditional dishes but I still can't get away from all the Goddam rolls on the menu. It's definitely above average in quality but the lofty price tags overall is almost insulting for what you get. I am not writing them off but I'm not gonna be a regular either. I'm gonna give them some time to get their shit together and figure out what it is that they want to be... A pony show or a master dedicated to his craft. We all know what happened to MF, Atlanta doesn't need another MF. Soto spent 13 years in this town and got no respect for his passion in his non flashy digs, he moved to NYC and got listed in the top best 50 chefs in the nation within a year... Go figure. Ito seems like a nice guy but he ain't no Soto. Prove me wrong, bro... I'll even put down my Big Mac.

Developing...


3050 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
(404) 841-0040
http://umiatlanta.com/