LA's Foodie Burger Institution: Umami Burger

We’re very embarrassed to admit that a few weeks ago Edible Skinny finally made it to the LA burger institution Umami Burger for the first time ever… 

Yes, I get it, Umami Burger (named after the fifth savory taste bud taste, the rainbow that includes the other four tastes) has a cult following among food lovers and burger devotees around the world; we mean GQ Magazine named it “Burger of the Year.”  And yeah, we always meant to get around to trying it, yet we never seemed to find the right moment to make it work…

But the perfect storm of the lovely Christy Fair’s birthday day and Guillermo Del Toro’s At Home with Monsters exhibit at LACMA inspired the need for monster burgers.  

And so we wandered into the Umami Burger’s Grove location, an indoor-outdoor space that is sunny reprieve from the autumnal shopping hustle (but not before we photographed Miss Fair behind the wood cutout of a harvest scarecrow).

We started our adventure with the ever popular Caramelized Brussel Sprouts made of bacon lardons (aka huge ass cuts of bacon, as Miss Fair noted "I just had the thickest piece of bacon of my life"), glazed carrots, roasted garlic and shallots, truffle glaze.  It was massive amounts of bacon, green crispy to the teeth, and the right amount of truffles to make my dinner guest grin from ear to ear.  Not to mention this being paired with Japanese style wings with a Soy Glaze and Shichimi Pepper Mix.  And we hadn’t even gotten to the burger yet!

Now as many of you know I am a Veg so I judge many burger joints (and steak restaurants) by their French Fry offerings.  And I have to say I was not disappointed by Umami Burger!!!  Their Truffle Fries were an embrace of Thin Cut Fries, House Truffle Cheese, and Topped with Chives for that perfect creamy tangy one-two punch. Yummm (with three Ms as Kelly GraceThomas says).   The other Veg based dish I partook of while there was their Butter Corn topped with Parmesan, Master Sauce, Soy, and Lime.  Another knockout for the plant based participant.   

And then it was onto the burger for Miss Fair, because if there’s one thing Umami Burger is known for is its burger… ;-)  

The Umami Burger gives its namesake adoration that Tinkerbell would appreciate!  All of their beef burgers are made using house-ground premium steak perfectly infused with Umami’s unique blend of enhancing sauces and seasonings.  Each location of Umami Burger has an exclusive burger as well!  At the Grove this burger is the Kinoko Burger composed of Portobello Mushroom Buns, Grilled Chicken Breast, Basil Pesto, Parmesan, Arugula, Cherry Tomato Confit, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic Glaze.  It was Mediterranean fabulousness in burger form according the delightful Miss Fair.

So after year’s delay, Edible Skinny is an Umami Burger virgin no more.  We’ve now rocked the burger, bun, and fry LA style: casually chic, farm to table ready, and absolutely awesome! 

Here’s to life being delicious and finding the right moment to make GQ’s Burger of the Year work! ;-)