Dining: Discover new taste sensation at Umami Cafe in Fishkill

Housed in a remodeled A-frame in Fishkill, Ümami Café is an eclectic mix of clocks telling the time around the world, artwork depicting cartoon characters, and wood. The melange of music--part world, part Beatles--worked well. The beer and wine list is limited, offering two beers from the Sawmill River Brewery and wines mostly from California, although we picked an enjoyable Shiraz/Cabernet blend from Australia ($6 a glass).

The Asian-inspired menu is both clever and original--an inexpensive foray for your palate with a political bent, as evidenced by the restaurant's "Think globally, eat locally" motto. we started with Duck-amaki--thin pieces of duck wrapped around scallions, served sizzling on a bed of caramelized onions--which my dinner partner said had a flavor that was reminiscent of liver and onions; I thought the four pieces were just the right combination of savory and sweet. The mini tuna-and-guacamole tacos successfully married Mexican and Japanese flavors, and were a hit with both of us.

I ordered the Evil Jungle Prince for my entrée, parly because of its name. This large bowl of Thai coconut-milk curry contains chicken and vegetables, and comes with either brown or white Japanese rice; it's also offered in a vegetarian version. The only evilness was its hot spiciness. My companion ordered the tamarind-flavored boneless breast of duck served with bok choy and fried rice. The duck was succulent, but tamarind is taste one needs to acquire--my dining partner is working on that.

For dessert we shared an ordinary creème bruleée and a wonderful, warm Sticky Date Cake that had caramel sauce dribbled on it and whipped cream alongside it. We think it needs to be renamed to match the cleverness of the appetizers and entrées--if nothing else, it should be called hot Stick Date Cake. It's definitely worth the trip to Fishkill!