Friday Food: Umami Burger

Last week, my friend Trent and I were trying to decide where to grab dinner. We kicked around a few of our usual places, but nothing was really standing out until I suggested we try our luck at Umami Burger. The LA-based burger chain recently opened up their first New York outpost in Greenwich Village, and the wait times have been notoriously long. We were supposed to meet at 6:30, but I got there insanely early (about 6). The hostess estimated the wait at only about ten-minutes, and when I told her I wasn't expecting Trent for another half hour she put our name down anyway. I can't be sure if the wait was longer than expected, or if she held off calling me until she knew Trent was there, but we were seated soon after he arrived.

I had studied the menu beforehand, and already knew that I wanted to try the Truffle Burger. Trent was swayed by the mention of avocado (bleh) in the special "Slash" Burger, and we ordered fried pickles and fries to share. The fried pickles turned out to be sweet pickles, which is the most unwelcome food surprise one can experience, in my opinion. Expecting dill and getting sweet instead is disorienting, although covering anything in batter and frying it makes almost anything palatable (calamari, anyone?).

The portion of fries was more than enough for the both of us, and we admitted that the pickles were probably overkill. They brought a variety of dipping sauces as well, which is pretty much the point of any fried food. There was a hot sauce, garlic aioli, umami ketchup and jalapeno ranch — I liked the garlic aioli and ranch the best. The ketchup was a bit sweet with a slight hint of bbq flavor, which isn't really my thing.

The burgers came out pretty quickly, and the presentation was adorable. The branded "U" on top of the bun was a nice touch, but we didn't linger too long before diving in. The burger, as expected, was amazing. I would venture to even go so far as to call it life-changing, and I don't use that term loosely. It was savory and juicy and the bun was soft and sweet and my mouth is watering even remembering how wonderful it all tasted. I had read complaints that the burgers were too small, but I thought it was just the right size. It may have been on the smaller side of things (in America, at least), but it was so rich that the portion ended up being perfect.

I don't know if I would wait three hours to be seated in peak times, but I can definitely say I now understand why people have, and do. After my disappointing In-N-Out experience last summer, Umami has definitely gone a long way towards renewing my faith in LA-based burger fandom. Their logo might look more like a coffee bean than an actual burger, but if every burger they make tastes like my first, then who cares about anything else they do.