Umami Burger, Los Feliz, Hollywood

Have you ever had a special person in your life that you haven’t seen in a long time, so you don’t remember their face or what they look like exactly, but somehow you remember how they made you feel? I haven’t. But I have had a burger like this.

It was the day after Christmas. It had been a couple years since my very first taste of an Umami Burger. A total case of absence making the heart grow fonder. It had been long enough for me to forget the sensation, the flavors and textures…but the rush of pure bliss still lingered in my memory.

I asked my cousin Ryan, who has been about 25 times, what’s good. “Everything,” he says. “Some better than others, but nothing is not good.” When asked what his favorite burger is, he offers an unnarrow-downable list of seven burgers out of the only 10-or-so that are on the menu. He orders sides for the table. One of each: thick cut fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, and off-the-menu cheesy potato poppers. They each come with a fancy condiment: truffle aioli, truffle ketchup, jalapeño ranch. We also ordered a pitcher of pale ale for the table. Beer, burger, sides, and family. You don’t need anything else.

I order the truffle burger because … when has a truffle ever let me down? Medium rare, because the juicier and bloodier, the better.

It arrived. Small. Neat. On a white, rectangular plate. Simple. The picture does it no justice. I am almost embarrassed by how and dark and lonely the photo depicts the burger, because it really is a glorious little thing.

I took a first bite, and my facial muscles began to contort uncontrollably. I wondered “What is happening to my face?” I soon realized I was smiling. Ear to ear. I couldn’t help it. It might be the best burger I’ve had in my life.