Shot of the Day #163: UMAMILICIOUS!!

Shot with iphone. Click to enlarge and prepare to salivate.

I dont go out for lunch often; the day just gets so full and furious that even the task of going across the street for a quick burritto or a 2 slice special seems like time wasted. But today, with most of my TO DO list accomplished by 1pm, I decided to say "Frak it" and venture out, a special treat.

"You've never been to [Insert Cool eatery here]?"

That's all I heard from the select few food hipsters who whispered the words "Umami Burger" in the past few months. Sounds pretty strange huh? Yeah, me too. But anytime I hear of a new, unique burger joint....I gotta investigate.

Umami means "the 5th taste" so already I was intrigued (and learned a new word, thanks!) so I ventured out to Umami Burger on LaBrea and once I walked into its quaint but cool setting, I knew I was in the right hands. The menu was simple and effective, and because it was my virgin voyage, decided to try the signature dish with onion rings and 2 sauces (Garlic Aoli & "special sauce") and dine on some fine burger while I read one of my favorite online writers', Mr. Beaks of AICN, interview one of my favorite comedy directors, Todd Phillips (which you can see in the shot above).

Here is how the lunch was presented to me, neatly structured and laid out...and let me tell you. It didn't stay that long. This burger you see before you might have been one of the most PERFECT displays of sandwich perfection I've ever brought my lips to; the meat wasn't too over-spiced, the bun fresh from the oven, and the condiments? I have NO CLUE what they were because I couldn't stop biting an biting and biting....till it was gone. Ill have to check out the menu again to see what it was, but I almost DONT want to know and spoil the mystery. The Onion Rings were light but very flavorful too, perfect with the two sauces. Honestly, I was so jazzed with every taste exploding in my mouth (I kept picturing Remy the rat in RATATOUILLE when he bites into the cheese and berry and how the flavors would visualize around him) that I would have eaten the article i was reading if I dripped any juice on it.

So yeah. That's one damn good burger. I can't WAIT to go back next week!

Joe