Last night we met friends at the Umami Burger on Cahuenga (behind Urban Outfitters) and had the most delicious burger I’ve had in ages. What exactly is umami? Hard to explain, so here’s an excerpt from the Umami Burger site:
“Taking its name from Japanese, umami is a pleasant savoury taste imparted by glutamate, a type of amino acid, and ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, which occur naturally in many foods including meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products. As the taste of umami itself is subtle and blends well with other tastes to expand and round out flavors, most people don’t recognize umami when they encounter it, but it plays an important role making food taste delicious.”
We arrived at 6:30, to beat the crowds (that are increasing exponentially with all the Umami “buzz”) and were pleasantly surprised to find this location has a FULL BAR!
We started with Tempura Onion Rings. I’m guessing they use rice flour in the batter because they were some of the most crispy and flavorful Onion Rings I’ve ever tasted!
I ordered the Port and Stilton Burger, topped with blue cheese and caramelized onions – a perfect blend of spicy and tangy and cooked to a PERFECT medium-rare. Our friends ordered the “Hatch” and the “SoCal” burgers and we all shared the sweet potato fries and regular french fries, with Umami’s special sauces. Everything was delicious!
After dinner, we shared a variety of delectable desserts from Cake Monkey, — mini “yo hos” and “ding-dongs,” as well as the best “cookies and cream” ice cream sandwiches on the planet! I’d love to have a pic to post – but they were gobbled up before I had a chance to grab my iPhone!
If you’re in LA and looking for a great burger, run – don’t walk to the nearest Umami Burger! They have three locations and the Umami Truck is now out and about. You can keep track of Umami’s Truck destinations on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/umamiburger
Don’t be surprised if you see me there!
Umami Burger locations:
4655 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323.669.3922
Mon-Sun — 11:00a.m – 9:00p.m
850 South La Brea
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.931.3000
Mon-Sat 11:00a.m – 10:00p.m
Sun — 11:00a.m – 9:00 p.m
1520 North Cahuenga #7
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323.469.3100
Mon-Sun – 11:00a.m. – 12:00a.m.
When you posted the pic of the menu on your Twitter this morning, I was thinking the Port & Stilton would be the one I’d want to try. And now looking at this pic? You’ve made me crave one!
If I ever make it out to LA again, hopefully it will be when Steve is playing at HC so I can see him perform AND grab one of these burgers!
Oh good NIGHT that burger is making my mouth water. I know where Sabrina and I will be going when I visit! LOL
I just had to say that this does look like a place I would LOVE to go to! Thanks for the information. This is news to me! Hope all is well!