Once upon a midnight creamy
My soul so hungry and oh-weary
I ventured upon the streets so steamy
Looking for a burger to please me
Welcome to Burger Explorations. In Burger Explorations, we explore burgers and places that sell them. Today, on this Halloween Edition, we will discuss Umami Burger, the California-based burger establishment which hit New York this summer. Frankly, I am trying to find the right "tone" or "approach" to this blog post, and I don't think I'm doing very well. Let's try again.
The streets of hell burn of fire
While deep down in my soul what I truly desire
Is a juicy and succulent patty of beef roasted upon a pyre
Cushioned between a pillowy bun
Ah, the ghouls and goblins were running the streets of the West Village as I journeyed to Umami Burger, the famed burger parlor which recently landed in New York via California.
Actually, I can't do this anymore, so let me get to the chase: I had the "manly burger," which had cheddar and lardons, which is a fancy way of saying thick chunks of bacon. Much has been written about the burgers of Umami, and I was bowled over by the utter complexity of this burger. First, let me discuss the meat. It had a rich, complex crust, which had presumably formed from the caramelizaton of the generous salting the patty received; the meat had a funky, mineral quality. The bun was soft and pillowy and soaked up the juices from the supremely flavorful meat. The cheddar added sharp and tangy notes. The thick lardons accented everything in amazingly succulent and meaty deliciousness. There were so many textures and flavors; it was incredible.
Actually, the above is a complete joke and exaggeration. It was a pretty respectable burger.
