Bring on the Spring Joy!

I tried Umami Burger for the first time about two months ago, and my first impression wasn’t great. I even went on a Twitter rant, trying to start a burger war between Slater’s 50/50, Umami, and The Counter. #Fail. It was all in good fun, though, kind of like Kendrick Lamar’s verse on “Control.” I tried the B-U-B Burger, and it reminded me of a Ted’s Restaurant steam burger in New Haven, CT, but it wasn’t quite the same.  

I heard about the new Spring menu which launched about two weeks ago, and took a look. I was intrigued, the Caprese Salad caught my eye immediately because I love Caprese Salads, especially the one at Maggiano’s. Being a meat-lover, it’s surprising that a salad would interest me at all. Anyway, I emailed my girlfriend, and she was eager to go. Her first experience with Umami was Michael Voltaggio’s The Monte Carlo Burger. Lucky her, I only had a small bite, and it was amazing.

This trip was special because I decided to host my first Tastemade show. When we arrived, we were seated, and the menu was presented and explained to us. We tried everything: the Caprese Salad, the Avocado Toast, the Caprese Burger [both beef and mushroom varieties], the Springbird, and the Arnie Palmer Bowl dessert.  

The featured entrée, The Caprese Burger (Portobello Cap), is a great burger for vegetarians or people looking for a healthier option. It features a roasted portobello cap, basil almond pesto, burrata, a large and juicy heirloom tomato, wild baby arugula and truffled balsamic glaze.

I didn’t finish this one, and my girlfriend didn’t try it. It’s a good burger, but not for us. She doesn’t eat mushrooms, and I just wasn’t a fan. We were able to split the Beef version of The Caprese Burger, which is a completely different burger. The meat was medium rare, moist, and had the flavor of perfectly cooked, and mildly seasoned [if at all] beef. This version used a yellow tomato instead of a red one, which made it sweeter, in my opinion.  

The Springbird wins the gold medal compared to the rest of the menu. A Turkey patty, ricotta & fresh goat cheese, marinated portobello mushrooms, braised kale and an apple crema sauce so good, it makes you want to shout “PPYYEEEAHHH” and throw an arm up like Howard Dean in his 2004 presidential campaign speech in Iowa.  

Both appetizers were fantastic. The Caprese Salad had bacon bits which made it almost impossible to be bad. If you love Avocado, Texas Toast, and egg yolks, the Avocado Toast is for you. Both are fresh, light and flavorful. They seem to be a good introduction to whichever burger you plan to try.

I’m picky when it comes to cookies, pastries and other dough-like sweets. It’s even worse when it comes to an Arnold Palmer. Some places make them extremely sweet while others don’t add any sugar at all. Umami’s falls into the latter category, their Arnold Palmer is unsweetened with Green Iced Tea and tangy-tart Lemonade. The Arnie Palmer dessert features Green Tea ice cream, Limoncello sorbet and a Snickerdoodle! I tried the Green Tea ice cream first, and it tasted like unsweetened, strong green tea. Leave it to a woman to know how to bring things together, however, the next bite sent a shot of decadent pleasure to my brain, rivaling the shot of whiskey Roger Rabbit took in the bar saving him from Judge Doom. The flavors combine and the snickerdoodle adds the sweetness needed to balance the bitter green tea and puckering tart limoncello sorbet.  

Umami Burger and I got off to a bad start, but our relationship has potential. The Springbird, bacon-bit Caprese salad, and Arnie Palmer are the highlights. One thing is for sure, there is something for everyone at Umami Burger.

Umami Burger (The Grove)
189 The Grove Dr., Ste C-210
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 954-8626