Food Porn Friday: Fat Kids are Harder to Kidnap

In college, my fellow swimmers and I used to have this saying, "Fat kids are harder to kidnap".

Think about it...

Needless to say, I still live my life by that motto, hence food porn Friday! Happy Weekending!

xoxo

The Kobe Beef Burger with Zuchinni fries from Burger Bar  in Las Vegas

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

The Counter

My previous roommate was the first person to introduce me to The Counter. She told me the sweet fries were to die for (picture this wide-eyed 5'3 Japanese girl declaring, in her Japanese accent, "Niiic we habe to go to The Counterr"). And so we went, we ate and we conquered. She wasn't lying, the sweet fries were good.

That was at least 2 years ago and even though The Counter's sweet potato fries were delicious, I haven't been back there since then. It's not that I didn't like my food, it was more that there are other (sometimes better) burger options closer to home. Anyway the other Wednesday night, motivated by a buy one burger get one free coupon (I'm a straight out of college recessionista!), my friend and I made plans to dine there.

For those of you who don't know, The Counter is a build-your-own-burger joint and so the possibilities are endless and in my opinion, slightly overwhelming. I'm extremely indecisive, therefore decisions and limitless options are just a nightmare. In fact, I think that's kind of why I like Father's Office since they refuse to let you make any sort of adjustment to your burger order (and of course the minor detail that their burgers are like a party in your mouth).

Anyway after much hmm-ing and umm-ing, I settled on ordering a turkey burger on an english muffin topped with sprouts, cucumbers, organic lettuce and grilled onions with a side of sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. And of course a full order of french fries and sweet potato fries to split.

The order of fries (both sweet and regular) came in generous portions. I guess each order was already sized for sharing. Oopsie. But I am not going to lie, I am not the slightest bit embarrassed to admit that between my friend and I, we polished off both orders. What can I say, fries are my Kryptonite.

Served with a side of horseradish mayo, the sweet potato fries were just as delicious as I remember them! Cut to the perfect size (not too thin and wimpy, and not too thick and wedgy), each fry was deliciously crunchy and comforting. My guess is that they double fry them at different temperatures in order to get the inside and outside crispy. Meanwhile, the french fries were just alright. They were cut to the shoestring variety and my one complaint about shoestring fries is that you literally have to grab 6-10 fries at a go just to get the right amount of fry per mouthful ratio! In other words, shoestring fries make me look like I am stuffing my face, which I most probably already am but at least normal cut fries don't emphasize the fact.

As for my turkey burger, I must say that I've never had a burger on an english muffin (I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to buns) but the english muffin was a great option as it provided a harder alternative to a the normally soft pillowy bun. My burger was tender and juicy; and I loved the sprouts and cucumbers. While everything was great, the star of my burger was definitely the grilled onions. Caramelized to perfection, I found myself picking out the sublimely sweet onions from the burger just to enjoy them separately. Mmmm...

Details:

The Counter

2901 Ocean Park Blvd

Santa Monica, CA 90405

310 399 8383