Former Rockville Friendly's Transformed into Umami

VERNON, CT ‒ The old Rockville Friendly's, dormant at 172 Union Street for more than a dozen years, has been transformed into Umami, an authentic Japanese restaurant.

Umami translates loosely into "savoriness," according to Mirriam-Webster, and that was the order on Monday at a lunchtime ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring sushi and some noodle dishes.

Umami began serving over the weekend, but Vernon Mayor Daniel Champagne and state Rep. Timothy Ackert made it official by presiding over a grand opening ceremony.

The restaurant's susi bar is impressive and the extensive menu includes not only sushi and the noodle dishes sampled on Monday, but a variety of other main meals, soups and appetizers.

The menu is seven pages and takeout is offered.

For hours and other details check out www.umamivernon.com.

The Rockville Friendly's had been on Union Street since 1961 and was closed in 2005 after the chain deemed it underperforming. It was considered small and outdated by modern Friendly's standards.

The property was sold to a holding company in 2012 for $200,000.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel