Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I've never had trouble adding the cream either.
Just reheat slowly and don't let the soup come to a boil. That would curdle and seperate the cream.

I also agree that if you're wanting to store the base for several days, it would be wise to add the cream when reheating.

You;ve got good kitchen instincts mangiatoilgatto.

p.s. Keep a can of evaporated milk in your pantry for coffee creamer and soup emergencies.

I went last week, and whiule I was a skeptic beforehand, I'm now a believer. I think this is on the very short list for best burger in L.A (with the Kobe at Lucky Devil's being my other current favorite).

A couple of gripes:
1) As at Lucky Devil's (and Father's Office), the "pre-packaged" burgers get in the way. I frankly didn't want either the "Umami" burger OR the "SoCal" burger - but instead just a burger, medium rare, with cheese so as to be able to judge the burger on the taste of the base components, and not accessories. I felt compelled to order the SoCal burger, but next time I will request the butter lettuce, sauce, etc. to be left off. I don;t think they brought much to the table.

2) The fries, the fries, the fries. Maxcriden, your pictures indicate that at least for a little while they ventures away from the ultra-thick fries. I wish they had continued that experiment. I don't 4 or 5 "fries" that taste more like mashed potatoes with a crispy covering. This place really needs some version of traditional fries. Why is it such a problem? Not everything on the menu needs to be groundbreaking.

3) No wine and beer/corkage. I'm sorry, but the 5 dollar corkage needs to go if they're not going to have wine or beer available. If you're bringing a $40 bottle of wine to a steakhouse, which already has its own wine list, $5 corkage would seem like an excellent value, but this is a burger joint, and all I want is a glass or two of beer or wine. If I need to go across the streeet to buy a beer, I shouldn't have to pay an additional $5 to drink it. That's just ridiculous.

@Damon - where might I hit you up for such recommendations? I see no email link on the site. Thanks!

@mangabanga - I encourage a vibrant back and forth in the comments. ;)

@maxcriden - Glad you enjoyed your burger and I hope to live up to the devotion in the future. Feel free to drop me a line if you want some other LA recommendations.

Just arrived in LA for the first time in 3 years, and the first place I go? Umami Burger, just as any devoted Gambuto reader might. It was really superb.

I still say it's a regrettably named restaurant with a product that, while it may be very tasty, likely has little more umami than any other burger. It's like calling your restaurant "Glutamate Receptor-Pleasing Burger," "Delicious Burger," "Savory Burger," etc. The word "umami" is no more unique to their restaurant and burger than "sweet," "salty," "sour" or "bitter."

@pthom: Yeah, that was so incredibly confusing. "Words" are so hard to make out sometimes.
@serious1: People who draw analogies from "Dharma and Greg" episodes (yeah, I searched your commenting past, punk) really have no business commenting on the literary prowess of others.

Nice post, Damon.

I ended up coming in on Sunday, just before they ran out of hamburger meat (oh no!) Me and the partner ordered a blue cheese burger and their house specialty Umami Burger, with the intentions of sharing. He liked his so much, he refused to share though, which is a pretty high recommendation.

The bun was absolutely incredible, just a little sweet, soft, but with enough heft that it absorbed the juices without falling apart. And that was important, because that was the juiciest hamburger I'd ever had! A crispy, caramelized outside had a wonderful, medium well interior that just leaked meaty, perfectly seasoned juiciness. I thought I cooked good burgers at home, but now I have to go back to the drawing board: this place entirely redefined what a good hamburger is to me.

Really wanted a chocolate malt afterwards. :-) That would be just divine.

@pthom: Agreed. And what does "in becoming" mean? I'm sure that a ton of people on SE read the LA Times and NY Times, and so expect a really well written article or blog entry. Also, IMHO, LA Weekly totally sucks - always has, always will.

Please learn how to be a food writer.

"The So Cal is good, but didn’t come together as well for me."

What the h does THAT mean?

*sighs*

Korean tacos are sweeping LA, but the place that served them prior to Umami went under quick.

Well, I'm straighter than Rupaul, but maybe less straight than the Roger Clemens.