September typically is a busy month for new restaurants as restaurateurs line up their ducks to capitalize on the year-end holiday season, but this fall could be unprecedented in the number of debuts in the Sacramento area.

Already open are such ambitious restaurants as Three Monkeys in downtown Sacramento, Hawks in Granite Bay, Sheepherders Inn in Rancho Cordova, and Maritime Seafood & Grill in Carmichael.

Coming up next week will be the grand opening of UFood Grill in Roseville on Sept. 18, the grand opening of a second branch of Orangevale's refined Japanese restaurant Blue Nami in Roseville on Sept. 20, and the premiere of the Selland family's Ella in downtown Sacramento on Sept. 22.

UFood Grill, which boasts "healthy fast food" - all dishes are baked, grilled or steamed, not fried - will be open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday as members of the Rotary Club of Roseville act as "celebrity waiters" to gather the day's proceeds for a program to help children and at-risk families. UFood Grill is at 721 Pleasant Grove Blvd., in a shopping center that also includes Nugget Market.

For five years, the husband-and-wife team of Joon and Yoon Cho have been operating Blue Nami Sushi & Sake House along Greenback Lane in Orangevale. Their new restaurant, simply named Blue Nami, is at 1465 Eureka Road, Roseville. The menu at the Roseville site will be similar, though somewhat upgraded, says Yuji Yokoyama, a partner in the new place. The Chos have been celebrated for the extent and novelty of their sushi rolls.