“UMI,” OH MY

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with My Sun Day News.

Nancy’s hip replacement is now ancient history. Despite the best efforts of a local hospital, she is now doing really well. While she was rehabbing, her physical therapist recommended a buffet style restaurant. Since Nancy no longer requires a cane, she was free to run around the buffet grabbing copious amounts of food with both hands. The restaurant he recommended was one that has two of Nancy’s weakness’, shrimp and crab. With empty tummies we ventured out to Umi Sushi and Seafood Buffet in Niles.

We never said we were smart. We decided to travel to Niles at 4:00 on a Friday. Taking I-90 to the I-294 entrance ramp was a real joy and we “waved” to a lot of new friends. We finally arrived at the restaurant to discover a huge shopping center parking lot in front that was basically full. We finally found a spot, parked, and entered the venue.

We were impressed the minute we walked in. It was very bright and cheery and decorated with paper umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. Our mouths hung open when on our way to our table we saw wall to wall steam tables packed with food. We were seated and instructed on how to use their Hot Pot feature, where to get the freshly made ramen dishes, and then were told to “go for it.”

We walked up to the buffet, grabbed one of their luxurious disposable plastic plates, and headed off to the unknown.

“Umi,” oh my… This restaurant boasts 200 plus dishes daily and they weren’t kidding!!! With every turn we saw shrimp, snow crab legs, and crawfish prepared in different ways. They also offer such delicacies as pickled pepper chicken feet, stir-fry sea snails, and cold seaweed knots. They even had an American section with pizza, chicken nuggets, and French fries. The sushi station was huge and constantly being restocked.

For those of you who are not familiar with a hot pot, let us explain. It is basically an Asian fondue. You get a bowl to put various seasonings in and you get to pick out your choice of meats, noodles, and tofu. You cook them at your table in a hot broth. We didn’t have the hot pot or the ramen since our brains were on overload with all of the items available. They have a small dessert section with cookies, cakes, and a freezer with ice cream sundae cups and ice cream bars.

I thought Nancy was a champ at picking the meat out of crab legs. Boy was I wrong. A diminutive older woman seated next to us had plate after plate after plate of crab legs and patiently picked out every morsel. Nancy finally gave up when her hands started to cramp up, that’s when she attacked the shrimp dishes.

To our dismay, they were light on the traditional Chinese fare, but they never said they were a Chinese restaurant.

The price of $39.99 per person includes a soft drink. It is a deal for the amount of items available. If you want to, you could spend an entire evening pigging out on crab. Be forewarned, there is a two-hour limit on weekends.

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.

The price for the biggest seafood buffet ever was $85.75. “Umi, oh my…”

Jim’s take: I really should have tried the pickled pepper chicken feet, or maybe not…

Nancy’s take: After this meal, I may have to go back for physical therapy on my hand. It still hurts!!!

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com

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