When a tornado destroyed Umami in 2011, Sanford was heartbroken. Although the South Horner Boulevard restaurant had only been there a short time, occupying a space that was once home to a Remington Grill, it quickly captured attention with a menu of sushi and Japanese hibachi-style fare that – no offense to anyone else – was unlike anything our small city had had access to before.
After the tornado, the property owners went another way – a boring-but-probably-essential-to-the-economy-or-something bank stands on the property today – and Umami was out of a home. Despite lots of speculation about and apparent effort toward a reopening elsewhere in Sanford, the company ultimately elected to begin anew in Burlington. They’ve apparently done great since relocating to our north, and good for them.
But we miss ’em. Even the opening of another restaurant by some Umami alumnus didn’t work out – Oishii just wasn’t the same and didn’t last very long. We could definitely stand to have Umami back.
Well you can get your fix again, for one day at least, because Umami has a food truck that they’re bringing to Sanford in short order. You might have to end that Labor Day beach trip a few hours early, but a post on the Umami Facebook page indicates you can get your favorite sushi again at Hugger Mugger Brewing on Sept. 3:
The truck will be at Hugger Mugger from 3 to 8 p.m. on Labor Day. And hey, if you make it worth their time, there’s probably a good chance they come back. Thanks to the brewery’s Tim Emmert for the heads up. Now get ready to get your sushi on!
