Healthy & Delicious: Umami

This week Healthy & Delicious visits Umami*, located at 42 North Main Street in Chagrin Falls. This quaint, romantic restaurant is definitely not your typical Asian restaurant. In addition to the fresh fish and meat dishes, Umami can accommodate vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free diets.

“F” brought me the Mushroom Crusted Salmon served with a sesame, ginger sauce, sautéed spinach and black rice. The pink, green, and black color palate of the dish was beautiful and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

There is salmon, and then, there is salmon. This dish was absolutely “Healthy & Delicious.” The sauce lightly covered the perfectly cooked salmon, which was prepared medium temperature. The filet was approximately 6-8 ounces. A plain, cooked 3 ounce serving of salmon has about 185 calories, 10 grams of fat and 21 grams of protein. Further, salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids, which may help lower blood cholesterol levels. However, eating fish a few times a week is not a magic bullet for improving your health. Salmon and other lean cuts of fish should be eaten in conjunction with a total “Healthy & Delicious” diet.  

The sautéed spinach was also “Healthy & Delicious.” Although steamed spinach is a healthier cooking method, it would not have been as delicious. Since the spinach was not swimming in sauce, I was a happy camper. Spinach is a good source of iron, calcium, vitamin A, and folic acid. Although spinach is good source of iron, to fully maximize your body’s ability to absorb it, it should be consumed with meat, fish, poultry or Vitamin C-rich foods.  

Black Rice is a staple grain in Asia. Like 100% brown rice, 100% black rice has a mild, nutty taste and contains fiber, vitamins and minerals. One-quarter cup provides approximately 160 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, and 7.5 grams of protein. This “Healthy & Delicious” grain was a perfect choice for this entrée.

If you have read any of my blogs, you will know that my major issue was with the large portion size. However, if you eat leftovers (like I do) this dish heated up perfectly fine the next day. 

If you go to Umami, don’t expect to find the Mushroom Crusted Salmon on the menu. This menu changes frequently (which reflects their fresh, never frozen mantra), but I checked out the new salmon dish− Coriander Crusted Salmon with parsnip puree and dashi cider broth. This sounds so good; I would love to hear about this dish if anyone tries it, especially if it is “Healthy & Delicious.”  Of the restaurants I have visited thus far, this was one of my favorite “Healthy & Delicious” dishes.

Note: For those of you who like your salmon well done, just tell your server.

*Umami is a Japanese word meaning "delicious."