Umami Burger

During the first week of January, I usually try to eat very healthfully in an effort to detox post-holidays.  This year, I failed miserably.  After spending the holidays at home, my first week back in the City involved a birthday dinner for a friend on one night, margaritas on another, and the motherload:  a trip to Umami Burger on Friday evening.  My coworker TL and I had been talking about going there for a while, and we finally decided that it had to happen.  So after work we headed there and settled into a table, admiring the fun atmosphere and the trendy diner vibe.

It wasn't long before our cheerful waiter brought us the menu, which includes several delicious-sounding burgers.  But neither TL nor I could see past the Sunnyside (a.k.a. the Truffle Especiale).

A juicy beef patty topped with parmesan frico (a parmesan crisp), truffled arugula, and a fried egg, all sandwiched between a bun that's been dressed up with truffle butter.

Are you salivating yet?  I certainly was.  The word "Umami" is of Japanese origin and refers to a delicious savory and tangy quality that certain foods have.  Every ingredient heaped upon the burgers here is meant to bring out more of that Umami character.  I would not claim to be an Umami expert, but I can say that all of the layers of the Sunnyside complemented each other perfectly and came together for one hell of a burger. Certainly the best that I've had in NYC so far.

But what's a burger without a killer fried side?  TL and I couldn't decide between the truffle fries and the tempura onion rings, so we decided to show our characteristic restraint and order both.  The fries arrived smothered in truffle cheese while the tower o'onion rings made me wonder if we had slightly overdone it....

until I had a taste and knew that the calories would be worth every bite.

The fries were also delightful, but if you're only going to choose one (what are you, an amateur?), then go for the onion rings.  The batter was perfectly crispy and made you feel warm and happy inside.

As we cleaned our plates, TL and I gabbed about work, apartment-hunting, and movie making.

A dessert menu with many wonderful-sounding options was on offer, but we were both stuffed at that point, so we headed off into the weekend, armed with the dangerous knowledge that an awesome burger place lies only a few blocks away from our office. I'm sure that many a future packed lunch will suffer neglect because of it.

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