the let-DOWN : UMAMI Burger

RER 1.12.15

Maybe, I wasn’t finding that the meal was worth the hype. Don’t get me wrong— I’m a burger kinda girl. I really love a good burger. But as much as I wanted to love my burger from Umami Burger, I did not.

RER 1.12.15

I got the Manly Burger, which was topped with beer cheddar, bacon lardons, onion strings, house ketchup and mustard spread. It was greasy and a lot. The textures were fun—the chewy lardoons, the crispy onion strings, the decadent beef and almost fluffy bun. But it was too much grease, too much heavy, and somehow I feel like truffle had infiltrated everything.

I did try my friend’s Truffle Burger and that too, was greasy and difficult to get down. Delicious, but more than three bites of one of these burgers seemed nearly impossible to me.

By the end I peeled off the cheese, removed the strings and lardoons, skipped the bread and just ate my patty. My Manly Burger was emasculated and denuded.

RER 1.12.15

And as much as I love truffle, it is possible to over-do it. It seems like truffle is “the thing” at Umami Burger, and my friend wanted to eat there for the Truffle Burger. But I wasn’t feeling it. The truffle fries were skinny and salty, with a dense glob of truffle cheese. It lay thick and creamy and truffly, too truffly. Next time I would opt for the plain fries.

RER 1.12.15

I really wanted the truffled beet salad, before I realized how truffly everything was going to be. Surprisingly, I really liked the salad, even though its base was spicy adult arugula. The truffle was definitely highlighted but it made the arugula less aggressive. The smooth ricotta, sweet beets and smoked almonds broke up the utilitarian truffle. It was a vicious cycle of necessary evil and vanquishing that evil.

RER 1.12.15

The staff was super nice and friendly, even though our server never brought the beer I ordered. He answered all our silly questions and gave his recommendations. I don’t know if the cool vibe and the service are really enough to make me try another burger, though the dessert list looked pretty up my alley! 

RER

1.12.15