Umami Burgers: Good But Not Great

Three people had mentioned Umami burgers to me recently. They wanted to know if I'd been there and if so, what I thought of it. I had heard of it, knew it had been voted the best burger in the country, so I knew I had to try it. On a recent Thursday night my mom and I went down to the Santa Monica location to check it out.

First, you have to be a detective to find the place. There is no sign or number on the door, just a big pair of red lips, which if you're in the know, identifies the restaurant. The Santa Monica location is inside Fred Segal, at the corner of Broadway and 5th. It can be entered from inside Fred Segal or outside, on 5th Street. It's a cozy little place, maybe 10 tables in all, a little bar that seats about 8, and a big patio with heaters out front. We sat inside.

The menu has only about 6 burgers and a few salads, plus numerous side dishes. All meat is ground in house, and the quality is very good. The pickles and other vegetables are prepared and marinated in house too. We were sitting next to a young man who had eaten at Umami many times, and had lots of advice for us. He recommended the Umami burger, a 6 oz burger on a fluffy bun, served with a parmesean crisp, carmelized onions, and slow roasted tomatoes. My mom had this, and enjoyed it very much. I went for the Hatch burger, again a 6 oz burger with lots of chopped chiles and cheese on top. I liked it a lot, but I certainly couldn't say it was the best burger I have ever eaten, or even close to the best. We ordered a side of smushed potatoes. Yukon golds are cooked, smashed to about the size of silver dollars, then fried and topped with salt and pepper. They were excellent. They also offer regular fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings and pickles. Burgers cost about $9-$12, just for the burger. Sides are around $4. They have a special that includes burger, fries and a beer for $16.

The crowd was mostly young. We were the oldest people by about 30 years. I'm not kidding. It's a very nice atmosphere, good food, but I wouldn't rush back. Several other gourmet burgers have avocado, bacon and truffle oil. They've got several locations in LA and several more on the drawing board, so I guess other people like the place more than I did. All I can say is "Beef is definitely back."