The Emperor’s New Food? Wurstkuche and Umami Burger

Umami Burger, Wurstkuche

Here’s a little non-wine food digression. Every once in a while a restaurant comes along that seems to capture the attention of LA foodies. Forget about Osteria Mozza or the newly Irene-endorsed The Bazaar, which are expensive restaurants in decent neighborhoods, garnering interest not just among foodies or the press, but which are easily embraced by the less adventurous diner.

What I’m talking about are restaurants in strip malls, in sketchy locales, with an obsucre twist that differentiates them — restaurants in the Jonathan Gold mold.

There are three venues competing for top LA foodie zeitgeist honors right now: Kogi, a roaming catering truck featuring Korean barbecue-filled tacos; Wurstkuche, a downtown den of dogs (well, sausages); and the just-opened Umami Burger, a South La Brea patty palace. I’ve yet to try Kogi’s, so I can’t tell you whether the hype is overblown or not. I have tried both Wurstkuche and Umami.

Wurstkuche is okay. But the Belgian style fries were slightly soggy, and my sausage (Louisana hotlink) wasn’t that dissimilar to things I’ve had at places like Jody Maroni’s (gasp!). And, if you care, they don’t make the sausages on site, which is a Top Chef no-no. Even so, friends of mine had been there a few days before me, and had crossed paths with Nancy Silverton, who herself recommended the Louisana hotlink. And when we were there, a photographer from Food & Wine was there taking shots of ale, links and fries, presumably for an upcoming feature in the magazine (see photo above).

Today, I went to Umami Burger, which is down the street from my office. I’ve been curious about this place since I saw the signage go up recently, and since I saw several threads on Chowhound singing its praises mysteriously appear and disappear. Still can’t figure out why Chowhound would delete a thread that is exactly the reason people go to the site: to find out about new and intersting places.

In any case, this shop should be called U-Yummy Burger, since everything was delicious. The architecturally stacked fries were not soggy (that’s one up on Wurstkuche!). I ordered the titular menu item and it was cooked perfectly, with roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, a crisp layer of Parmesan cheese and a couple of other unidentified toppings adorning a delicious mound of beef. The turkey confit burger got the thumbs up, as did the SoCal burger. Adding to my delight, I was there tasting wine with an importer, and my burger was made even more delicious by the ‘06 Camille Giroud Marsannay that I sipped alongside it (thanks, Amy)!

Funny coincidence: we were told that Nancy Silverton also dined at Umami Burger a couple of days ago and tried everything on the menu! Apparently, Nancy’s presence at a restaurant is some sort of litmus test or indicator of its foodie credibility. I’m sure a Food & Wine feature can’t be far behind.

Personally, I think Umami Burger is the winner here, and Wurstkuche seems a bit like a case of the emporer’s new clothes, a place that people are afraid to criticize for one reason or another. Now, I really need to find that Bulgogi taco truck…

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