It's easy to miss the restaurant, as it is a nondescript store front on La Brea, wedged between such non epicurean delights as a donut shop and a car wash. But find it we did. Normally, I try and avoid valet parking (what's the point of $3 chicken when you've paid $10 for valet?), but for a mere $2, Umami gets the prize for the cheapest valet parking around.
H and I walked in to be greeted by our dear friend J. It's really a very small restaurant, but they've made delightful use of the space, using warm woods and neutral colors, as well as leaving one wall entirely open to windows so that light pours in. We settled in to to the simple table with a paper table cloth and small succulent plant.
The menu is simple: one narrow page of burgers with the reverse of the page detailing sides, drinks, and desserts. But I say, if you do one thing and do it well, then that's all you need. I'm sick of the cheese cake factories of the world doing a mediocre job on EVERYTHING. I hope this micro-specialization continues.
And speaking of micro-specialization, these guys specialize in Cola! They don't have a liquor license, but they will happily send you across the street if you want to bring in your own booze. But... should you be less alcohol inclined, they have a wonderful assortment of unusual sodas. I opted for a Chai Cola. The first sweet sip is filled with the complex spices of chai tea, although it does have a bitter aftertaste. Think next time I'll opt for a different unusual option.
Then came the house specialty: The $9 Umami Burger. Umami is that fifth elusive taste. When it's not sweet, spicy, sour, or bitter, it's: Umami. And this burger has it in spades. Juicy, perfectly cooked beef, earthy complex mushrooms, a crispy parmesan cracker, a sharp, melted cheese that I'm guessing is gruyere, and an oven roasted tomato, all encased in a meltingly soft bun. They warn you that you will crave this one, and they are indeed correct. Be prepared to get hooked into a lifetime of deliciousness. 
Being a SoCal kinda girl, my beautiful friend H opted for the $9 SoCal Burger. This lovely patty is topped with butter lettuce, caramelized onions, oven roasted tomato, and what they call: house made processed cheese. Do not be put off by visions of kraft singles dancing in your head. This is more akin to a manchego: creamy and flavorful. This burger is sweeter then the Umami, but still cravably delicious.
J opted for the $10 Turkey Confit Burger, which, while tasty, simply wasn't in the same league as the other two. I would skip this one if I were you.
We ordered the $3 triple cooked hand cut fries. While they had a crisp exterior and a nice dusting of salt, they were so thick that it almost seemed more like eating a potato then eating a french fry. Of course, the house made ketchup made anything utterly palatable.
Far superior in the realm of sides is the $2.5 malt liquor tempura onion rings. The light tempura coating and the complex hint of the malt flavor elevate these onion rings far above their normally greasy, soggy counterparts. (Oh, these are greasy too, it's just a different, yummier kind of grease:) I think I'd eat just about anything in that malt liquor tempura batter.
We ended with Cake Monkey's $3.75 Raspberry Red Velvet Ding Dong. The red velvet cake is light and spongey, and the chocolate coating actually tastes like chocolate. I imagine this is what ding dongs used to taste like before all the chemicals came rushing in to make things taste like plastic. Oh, and then there's the delectable tang of the raspberry filling all mushed together in your mouth. Perfectly sweet!
Overall, we had a wonderfully delicious evening at Umami Burger and will certainly be back for more. Four and a half belt notches!!
One Caveat: get there early! We arrived at 7pm and sat down in a mostly empty restaurant. By the time we left at 8:30, hordes of hungry diners stared longingly through the glass at our table. This is not a restaurant to linger in!! Get in, eat scrumptious burgers, and then move on before ravenous diners start swiping food off your plate.
Umami Burger is located at:
850 S. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-931-3000
www.umamiburger.com
We began with what was listed on the menu as $7 Pork Tacos. However, our server informed us that they were out of pork, so instead they brought us Braised Beef Tacos. The meat was tender, moist, and full of flavor. The natural sweetness of braised beef was accented by the bits of pineapple, cut with a fiery chipotle sauce. Add to this the crisp bite of the iceberg lettuce and you get one textured and complex mouthful! This was by far the best thing we had all night, it's a shame it's not on their regular menu. 
Next I dived into their $3.60 Fried Chicken Skewers. For that price, how could you go wrong? Well, I wouldn't say they went wrong - but they certainly didn't go right. The chicken itself was moist and tasty, but the coating was bland and lacked the crunch I expect from "fried" chicken. And forget about the sauces. We might as well have gone to McDonalds for the BBQ sauce and grabbed some little packets from our Chinese Takeout place for the Duck Sauce. Nothing exciting there. 
My least favorite of the night was the $9 Filet Mignon Sliders with Blue Cheese and Grilled Onions. I expect Filet Mignon to be melt in your mouth tender, but these little nubbins were filled with sinew and fat (and not the marbled, tasty kind, more the clumpy, hard to chew kind). The dusting of blue cheese and three or four strands of onion were barely present enough to give much flavor. The "buns" were little circles cut out of English Muffins that were not toasted. They pretty much just served to remind you how small and sad the whole dish was.
