San Francisco: Umami Burger

When T and I meet up, it's impossible not have a food adventure.  It was en route to San Francisco for lunch this winter break that T came up with the perfect designation for our food outings: FAT FUN DAYS.

Genius.  

The first stop on our Fat Fun Day was Umami Burger:


I didn't know that there was a branch in San Francisco until AF alerted me to the fact.  It wasn't high on my list of priorities until I found out that Umami offers a bone marrow burger.  Uh, hello?  Did someone say bone marrow?  I basically planned an entire SF day around it and roped both T and my sister into going with me.

We arrived before it opened because the hours on Yelp were incorrect.  But I guess that was a blessing in disguise, since as a result of that error, we got to be seated with the first round of diners:


There was a crowd of people outside before Umami even opened and a line inside from the minute we sat down to when we finally left.

We chatted it up with our server before finally deciding on what to order.  Before our appetizers came, our server brought us this spoonful of jalapeno ranch to go with the cheesy tots:


Then came the cheesy tots:


Don't expect to find these on the menu because they're not there.  That's right.  Secret menu, yo.  And a must try when you go to Umami.  I was skeptical up until the moment when I bit into one and tasted the glorious cheesiness.

We also gave the smushed potatoes a go:


Also amazing.  The potatoes were naturally sweet and fantastic with the garlic aioli.

When I informed our server that we wanted the bone marrow burger for sure, I was immediately shot down (though nicely).  Apparently the bone marrow burger is not a secret menu item as I was led to believe, but instead a seasonal special.  Say wut?

My brain stopped functioning for a full minute from the shock.

Luckily, T was there to take the reins and make an executive decision while I fought to compose myself.  

We ended up splitting the Umami burger:


Shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, parmesan crisp, and umami ketchup:


And also the daily special, the oxtail burger:


Oxtail ragu finished off with some truffle cheese and garlic aioli:


What could have been a tragic situation was luckily turned into a very gratifying experience.  Though we didn't get the bone marrow burger, the burgers we did get turned out to be quite enjoyble.  Incredibly juicy, playful in its mix of flavors, and all in all, very solid burgers.

I do have to say though, that the burgers are a bit on the small side for the price.  The oxtail was $15 and the umami was $11.  Ouch.

Probably won't be my go-to burger joint, but I have no regrets.  Bone marrow burger, I will be back for you!


Umami Burger
2184 Union St
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 440-8626
http://umamiburger.com/

Comments

Popular Posts

FOLLOW OUR ADVENTURES ON INSTAGRAM!