Umami Burger

Ever since I watched the Hometown Favorites episode of The Best Thing I Ever ate, where Giada waxed passionate about the burgers from Umami Burger, I've been dying to try those burgers out for myself. Then, there is the fact that Umami Burger is always in contention for having the best burgers in town. Needless to say, checking out Umami has long been on my "To Do" list.
 
Opened in early 2009, Umami Burger gained fast popularity among LA's dedicated burger hounds, allowing the upsale burger joint to expand itself to 4 LA locations-- La Brea, Hollywood, Los Feliz and the newest outpost, Santa Monica.

Being a West-sider, I decided to see what all the fuss was about at their Santa Monica location.

Nestled in a little corner of Fred Segal, the Santa Monica Umami enlists the help of a black and white stripped bar, red lather banquettes and stripped nautical wall paper to convey its simple and straighforward design aesthetic. One of the interesting things to note about about all the Umami Burger locations is that for the most part they all boast completely different themes. Additionally, there is always a menu option or two only available at specific locations. Smart marketing, huh?

But enough about the business genius. I came to eat. First up, was the Umami Burger itself.

 

How and where do I begin to describe this burger without using cliché words like amazing and awesome? Well let me start by telling you about the star of this burger-- the beef! Juicy and cooked to medium-rare perfection, the beef patty (a mixture of freshly ground cuts including flap steak and shortribs) was seriously a meaty jolt of flavor. W-O-W. 

                      

But you know what folks, the delightful madness doesn't just stop at the beef. The toppings were pretty darn delicious too. With grilled onions, shitake mushrooms, a parmesan cheese crisp, and housemade ketchup, the second cliché word of the day would be "mm-mm-good". Because I split the burger with my dining partner (aka Mama T), I didn't get that much shitake in each bite but still... it was good.

And let me not forget about the bun. I seldom even consider the bun of a burger, choosing to focus all my attention on the meat and toppings. However, in the case of the Umami buns, I would go amiss to not mention them. 

Shiny, soft, yet sturdy, the bun had a touch of sweetness to it. But more than that, the bun was the perfect vehicle to transport the patty from plate to mouth. Some buns fail at this very function, falling apart as soon as you pick it up. The Umami bun however, did a wonderful job of holding the burger together and allowed me to take the perfect bite ratio every single time.

   

                              

The second burger that we split was the Jerky Burger-- natural turkey, plantains, butter lettuce and oven-dried tomatoes. I was so excited for their turkey burger, but despite it's promising sweet plantains, the patty was dry, dry, dry. Here, there is nothing to say except these 3 words: massive let down. Harsh, but oh so true.

All in all, Umami did not disappoint me. I would definitely go back for their original and to try some of their other offerings. However, after careful consideration, I will say that for me, Father's Office still reigns supreme for having the best burgers in LA. But that's just my humble opinion.

Details:

Umami Burger

500 Broadway

Santa Monica, CA 90401

310- 451-1300