San Marcos Scores Sushi Bar and Ramen Shop | Eater San Diego

"Located in San Marcos’ North City development, Umami Japanese is scheduled to grand open on Thursday, November 1 and will operate 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; it also features a pet-friendly patio. Intending to bring a legitimate sushi option to inland North County, the restaurant is run by co-owner Eric Lee, a sushi chef who’s worked at Carlsbad’s Blue Ocean and Ototo in Clairemont, and he’ll be behind the sushi bar making classic nigiri as well as specialty rolls ranging from the Ninja with spicy tuna, krab, cilantro, jalapeños, sesame seed and fire sauce to the Crunchy Vegetable Roll with spring mix, avocado, kanpyo, gobo, cucumber and fried asparagus. His brother-in-law David Sasuga, CEO of San Marcos-based Fresh Origins Microgreens, supplies microgreens and edible flowers — ingredients I expect to see incorporated into plate presentations. Lee, who recently won for best dish at Taste of San Marcos, will be supported by executive chef James Han, who after a decade at the Imperial Palace Resort in Saipan and the Hyatt Regency in Guam will oversee a full menu of Japanese dishes from chicken karaage and salmon skin salad to spicy pork bento boxes and a variety of ramen including a chicken-based shio ramen and a tonkotsu ramen made with a long-simmered pork broth." - Candice Woo