Ah, burgers! One of the most American dish ever, known all around the world, but unfortunately not always with a good representation (I am talking about the fast food chain). Well, I mentioned few times in this blog how teenagers and young adults love Mac Donald's in France, and I recently read that people are thrilled to hear that Burger King is going to make a come back in the country, planning to open 40 new restaurants. Seriously, if your benchmark for burgers are these fast food chains, then you got it all wrong. When I came in this country, I got it all wrong, craving a quarter pounder and eating some on a weekly basis, if not several times a week. Until I tried the Burger Joint, Corner Bistro, BLT burger and others. Now, I only go to Mac Donald's for the milkshakes and the fries that are some of the best.
But burgers are not reserved only to fast food restaurants or diners: more and more restaurants, sometimes high end, propose a burger, most of them trying to make it unique. For instance, DBGB from acclaimed Chef Daniel Boulud proposes one with pork belly confit and morbier cheese. Another of his restaurants, DB Bistro Modern, with foie gras.
So, what would make Umami Burger unique, with lots of people saying that they have the best burgers in the City? That is what I was going to figure out. To learn a bit of history about this chain, know that it started in 2009 in Los Angeles, when Adam Fleischman, the owner, passionate about wine and cuisine decided to bring to the masses his twist on burgers. The logo is pretty amusing as it looks like lips made with a bun, hence their motto: get your lips around our buns.
We tried to go on a Saturday night, a little before 7pm, thinking that the crowd would come later. Big mistake! The place was packed with people waiting for tables. So we decided to go somewhere else and try this place the next day, for lunch. As we were not sure how crowded it would be, we showed up a little before 12pm.
The place was empty. As the time passed, we saw families coming, some of them with strollers, this time of the day being more kids friendly, and the only time when parents craving a burger would be able to come, skipping the expense of a nanny to satisfy and sudden urge for a burger.
It is a big place, with a slight industrial look thanks to the air conditioning system. Unlike lots of the burger places today, you do not order at the counter, but rather sit at the table where they will give you a menu; nothing fancy, just the delivery menu.
Umami is what is called the fifth taste, after sweet, sour, bitter and salty. At Umami Burger, they created some combinations that bring together sweet and salty. Because of this, they do not allow for any substitution. You will not find also a classic cheeseburger. There, everything is their own creation.
As we were waiting for our burgers, they brought us some sauces for our sides:
From left to right: jalapeño ranch (spicy with really a taste of jalapeño), aioli, spicy diablo (very spicy, it is their version of siracha sauce) and umami ketchup.
Then came the burgers. Jodi decided to try the Umami burger.
As you can see, the burgers are branded with a big U. The Umami burger is made of shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, parmesan crisp and umami ketchup. The bread is a Portuguese bun that has a bit of honey, giving to it a nice sweetness.
It was just ok for me, the taste being too sweet, masking the flavors of the meat.
On my side, I ordered the truffle burger.
Also on a Portuguese bun, it was composed of house-made truffle cheese and truffle glaze that were dripping. The beef patty was perfectly cooked medium, juicy and very flavorful, not overpowered by the hints of truffle that emanated from the burger. I split it with Jodi and we literally inhaled it.
With it, we decided to order their jumbo onion rings.
They were impressive and very good, although a bit greasy, delicious with the sauces they brought to the table. I admit that my favorite sauces were the jalapeño ranch and the spicy diablo, even if they were spicy.
I loved the truffle burger at Umami Burger: it is probably one of the best I had so far. They propose other combinations with truffle that I definitely will have to try!
Enjoy (I did)!
Umami is what is called the fifth taste, after sweet, sour, bitter and salty. At Umami Burger, they created some combinations that bring together sweet and salty. Because of this, they do not allow for any substitution. You will not find also a classic cheeseburger. There, everything is their own creation.
As we were waiting for our burgers, they brought us some sauces for our sides:
From left to right: jalapeño ranch (spicy with really a taste of jalapeño), aioli, spicy diablo (very spicy, it is their version of siracha sauce) and umami ketchup.
Then came the burgers. Jodi decided to try the Umami burger.
As you can see, the burgers are branded with a big U. The Umami burger is made of shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, parmesan crisp and umami ketchup. The bread is a Portuguese bun that has a bit of honey, giving to it a nice sweetness.
It was just ok for me, the taste being too sweet, masking the flavors of the meat.
On my side, I ordered the truffle burger.
Also on a Portuguese bun, it was composed of house-made truffle cheese and truffle glaze that were dripping. The beef patty was perfectly cooked medium, juicy and very flavorful, not overpowered by the hints of truffle that emanated from the burger. I split it with Jodi and we literally inhaled it.
With it, we decided to order their jumbo onion rings.
They were impressive and very good, although a bit greasy, delicious with the sauces they brought to the table. I admit that my favorite sauces were the jalapeño ranch and the spicy diablo, even if they were spicy.
I loved the truffle burger at Umami Burger: it is probably one of the best I had so far. They propose other combinations with truffle that I definitely will have to try!
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
| * Restaurant Name | |
|---|---|
| Umami Burger | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| West Village / American New / Burgers | |
| * Street Address | |
| 432 6th Ave. (Between 9th St. & 10th St.), New York, NY 10011 | |
| * Phone | |
| (212) 677-8626 |
