432 6th Ave (between 9th and 10th St, West Village)
Fatty Kat Eats: Ahi Tuna Burger
Let's call this Part One of my Umami Burger experience. Pourquoi? After an entire day of bridal shower buffet feasting, the Ahi Tuna Burger was the only burger I could imagine eating (plus fries, of course). My mouth is already watering for when I return to this LA transplant for a real burger.
A few things are standard across all the burgers--the bun. It's toasted to perfection on the inside, yet remains light and fluffy throughout the entire meal. This bun just doesn't get bogged down by all the action in the middle. You're also made to notice the Umami symbol branded onto the pillowy thing. The burger is basically saying, "I'm special! I'm pretty! I'm different than every other burger!" Not necessarily, but nice try... I was especially impressed by how well the beautifully seared ahi tuna held together as a patty. It didn't crumble apart and stain my outfit (as per standard fatty practice). The crushed avocado, gingered carrots, micro wasabi and wasabi tartar really made the burger. Tuna and bread can only do so much. If this was the fish burger, I can't wait to try the real deal--The Original with beef, parmesan crisp, shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted tomato and house ketchup.
How sad do these fries look? I swear it's not my iPhone's fault. I ordered the Truffle 'Em Thin Fries with truffle cheese and truffle salt, but they barely passed for acceptable. These fries were slightly and undercooked, and the truffle cheese gradually turned everything into one fat glob. Might I suggest cooking the fries for one more minute and serving the truffle-y goodness as a dipping sauce?
At 7:45PM, the restaurant was 80% full. Once 8PM rolled around, the wait turned into organized madness. It's a pretty big restaurant, but go as early as possible! And while the contemporary restaurant design makes sense for the Umami brand, it's nothing to write home about and kind of ugly. See?
umami.com
Round two, who's in?! We'll do it right next time.
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