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The popular news/magazine morning show, "Good Day Sacramento," spotlights many local restaurants, and all things of interest to "foodies," which is always guaranteed to grab my interest. A few weeks ago, GDS did a segment on a new hot dog restaurant in Roseville by the name of Umai Savory Hot Dogs, and after viewing the show, I added Umai to my "bucket list," as I love new restaurants, I love hot dogs, and Umai appeared to be like no other hot dog restaurant that I'd ever had the pleasure to visit.
Photo: Talk about a GREAT location! Umai Savory Hot Dogs is located in a large, upscale shopping center, across the street from Roseville's regional mall, "Roseville Galleria." Umai's location features lots of free parking, and lots of foot traffic, from the many "big box" stores located nearby.
Photo: On this late Wednesday morning March 22, 2017, I was the first customer in the restaurant, just as the staff was getting the hot dog grill going for the day.
Photo: The menu has been significantly changed and expanded since my last visit. My intention was to "begin at the beginning" and work down the menu. Now that the menu has changed, I had to start all over. No worries... I guess I just need to come back more often.
Photo: "Houston Honcho" and "Bacon Cubano" were the first choices on the new menu, so that I where I started on today's visit.
Photo: My friendly server, Cheryl, brings my "Houston Honcho" hot dog to my table, with a gracious smile. The "Bacon Cubano" followed shortly after. Today, I "opened" the restaurant, so my hot dogs were ready in about 10 minutes. As the lunch rush approached, I could see things would have taken a bit longer. Such is the thrill of "opening" a restaurant, as you get your order quickly - not that I'm ever in a hurry - and the staff isn't as busy, so you can actually chit-chat a bit.
Photo: Hello Cheryl, and I'll say "hello" to a great "Bacon Cubano" dog.
Photo: My lunch... How many ways can you say delicious? Two custom dogs from Umai Savory Hot Dogs. "Houston Honcho" on the top, "Bacon Cubano" on the bottom. Custom hot dogs equals a delicious experience.
Photo: "Houston Honcho" hot dog in all of it's finest. The dog features an all beef wiener that snaps when you bite into it, along with barbecue sauce, cheese, chili and bacon bits. There is nothing wrong with this hot dog, but it just wasn't to my taste. Silly me, as I normally crave this kind of "comfort food." Perhaps today just wasn't the day?
Photo: "Bacon Cubano" hot dog. Oh baby! Where do I start? So... I'll start at the bacon wrapped chicken dog... Did I say bacon? Swiss cheese, dill pickles, mustard, mayonnaise and chili flakes. Toasted artisan bun. Need I say hot dog heaven? Oh my, this dog is OUTSTANDING!! After eating this hot dog, I really think I died and went to hot dog heaven. Let's go back to Saturday afternoon, August 29, 2015 to review my first visit to this wonderful restaurant...
Photo: Talk about a GREAT location! Umai Savory Hot Dogs is located in a large, upscale shopping center, across the street from Roseville's regional mall, "Roseville Galleria." Umai's location features lots of free parking, and lots of foot traffic, from the many "big box" stores located nearby.
Photo: Like many other small restaurants in Roseville, when you enter Umai, you make your selection from the menu, pay for it at the counter, pick a table, and your order will be brought to you by one of the friendly staff members. The hot dog menu is located on the wall opposite of the order counter/kitchen, and the "Specialties" menu is on the wall above the kitchen, visible in this photo. The dining room is actually quite small, and management is currently in the process of expanding it, as business is booming. On this early Saturday afternoon, August 29, 2015, the restaurant was about two-thirds full of folks who enjoy delicious hot dogs.
Photo: The hot dog menu is posted on the wall, opposite of the kitchen/order counter, and features 22 different hot dogs! This is not your typical hot dog menu, as the "Signature Hot Dogs" features varieties of hot dogs that I've never seen before, nor have I even imagined. If you can't find what you want on the list, you can always go to the "create your own dog," where the staff will custom-make for you any dog that you can imagine. With the exception of the "Umai Truffle Dog," all "signature" dogs, including the "create your own" dogs are priced at $5.00.
Photo: The restaurant features a "all-you-can-drink" soda machine, proudly displaying Pepsi products, silverware, napkins, and a bank of squeeze bottles of mustard and ketchup you can take to your table. I never place ketchup on my hot dogs, but like I kid, I do like them on fries, even the Nori fries that I ordered today.
Photo: The kitchen is open, which gives you a chance to watch the staff in action. The restaurant was squeaky clean and very comfortable. The staff are super friendly, and really make you feel welcome, and seem to be having fun at their jobs, and seem to enjoy what they're doing. Umai serves delicious dogs, in a comfortable, fun, and family-friendly atmosphere.
Photo: My order is placed on my table, as I snap the photo of my gracious host. Photo gives an idea of the small dining room, which management is in the process of expanding.
Photo: Since I plan on sampling every dog on the menu, I started at the top, and went with the first two dogs on the menu, the "Tokyo Signature," and the "Bangkok Curry" dogs. I plan to work my way down the menu, and sample every dog. For only $2.00 more, you can "make it a meal," which includes an order of fries, and a all-you-can-drink soft drink. If you go the "meal" route, you have the choice of seasoned fries, or Nori fries; I went with the Nori fries. Such a sweet deal! Here's what Umai's menu says about their dogs, "All of our hot dogs are made with fresh cuts of premium meats, all natural casings, all fresh ingredients, are gluten free, naturally smoked, contains no MSG, no by-products, no fillers, and no artificial flavors, additives or colors." The menu goes on to state, "Our buns are baked daily and our fresh ingredients are sourced from local farms and dairies. Our menu is fully customizable with a wide variety of buns, hot dogs, toppings, and specialty sauces." Well said!
Photo: I'm all smiles as I'm about ready to begin a new hot dog adventure! Umai definitely has carved out a "niche" in Roseville, and perhaps all of Northern California, as there isn't a hot dog restaurant that features a menu like theirs. When I walked into the restaurant, I showed the staff my camera and my business card, and told them that I planned to take a few photos, and publish an article about their fine restaurant on this web site, and on my "Facebook" page. I was introduced to the owner of the restaurant, Louie, who spent quite a bit of time chatting with me, and making me feel like a welcome guest. He was very receptive to my photos, and the fact that I was to publish my visit on this web site, and during the course of my visit, I took great pains to get in the way of other guests. Louie told me how much he loves to cook, and how much he loves hot dogs, and about some of his visits to Japan, Korea, and southeast Asia. He says the cuisine of Asia inspired him to create the unique assortment of hot dogs on Umai's menu, and in his words, "if it's good to eat, it will be good on a hot dog." Well said, Louie, and I can't wait to sample every dog on your menu!
Photo: Here's the "Tokyo Signature" hot dog. The menu describes it as "all beef hot dog, sauteed onions, roasted seaweed, terimayo, umai teriyaki, and white sesame." I have never even imagined a dog of this exotic variety! Like the restaurant advertises, the beef dog "snapped" when I bit into it, the bun was warm and fresh, and the plentiful condiments were exotic, fresh and delicious. This is unlike any hot dog that I've ever eaten, and the exotic blend of ingredients worked well to create a delicious hot dog.
Photo: Second on the menu is the "Bangkok Curry" dog. The menu says, "chicken dog, pickled daikron, shredded carrot, roasted peanuts, penang curry sauce and red chili flakes." This dog was amazing, and the peanuts and daikron really gave it the taste of Thailand. I loved both of the dogs I enjoyed today at Umai, and after visiting their fine restaurant, my life will never be the same again. When it comes to hot dogs, from now on I'll definitely be thinking "out of the bun..." Umai Savory Hot Dogs is simply AMAZING! Where else in the greater Sacramento area, or for that matter, in Northern California, can you find such an exotic array of hot dogs? Truly, at Umai, there is a hot dog for every taste, mood and occasion... The dogs "snap" when you bite into them, the buns and the condiments are fresh, and the staff are super friendly, and appear to enjoy what they do. My goal is to enjoy every dog on their extensive menu, and in the end, I'll post my favorite hot dog. Umai Savory Hot Dogs Copyright(c) 2017 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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