Umamicatessen - Los Angeles, California

Address: 852 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014

Items Ordered:

• Truffle beet salad - ricotta, smoked almonds, baby arugula, truffle dressing
• Quinoa salad - chickpeas, bell pepper, tomato, cukes, citrus vinaigrette
• Crispy pig's ears - with parsley, lime, brainase
• PIGG style fries - pickled peppers, ham puree, brainase
• Truffle burger - house made truffle cheese, truffle glaze
• Pastrami reuben - kraut, swiss cheese, house spread
• Meyer lemon curd donut - yogurt glaze, freeze-dried blueberries
• Bread pudding - whiskey, dried fruit, zested orange cream cheese
• Honeycomb ice cream

I've been on a winning streak with the restaurants I've tried recently. Umamicatessen was delicious; I enjoyed every dish and drink we tried, but there are a few must orders. 1) Pastrami reuben - seriously, the most tender and flavorful pastrami I've EVER tasted. If I could eat this for lunch everyday, my life would be complete 2) Bread pudding - so good..I can't even describe it to you. Order this dessert!! 3) Honeycomb ice cream - very inventive, not too sweet...does it come in anything larger than a pint?! The 100% lard fried pig ears and fries are also amazing. Umamicatessen has way more options than any of the Umami Burger locations, but they still make a scrumptious truffle burger. As I'm writing this, I'm imagining myself getting my hands on the amazing pastrami reuben again. Don't delay; bring some friends and come to Umamicatessen for a delicious indulgence asap!!

--y

The Apple Pan - West Los Angeles, CA

Address: 10801 W Pico Blvd, West Los Angeles, CA 90064

Items Ordered:

• Hickoryburger with Tillamook cheddar cheese
• Steakburger
• French fries
  
• Apple pie à la mode

The Apple Pan is within walking distance of where I live, yet I've only eaten pies there for the last 2 years--albeit deliciously, gooey, and warm boysenberry, apple, and banana cream pies. It was at the recommendation of Jonathan Gold's 99 Eats that I decided to brave the line and try the hickoryburger at The Apple Pan, and I'm so glad I did. The hickoryburger had a nice tangy sauce and the cheese was melted perfectly, making this one messy but super enjoyable burger. Oh yea, the fries are perfectly crispy here, and I would go back just for the fries as well. Last but not least, with a place called Apple Pan how can you not get the apple pie...mmm. I really loved this old school diner, and I highly recommend you try it!

--y

Father's Office - Culver City, California

Address: 3229 Helms Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Items Ordered:

• Office Burger: dry-aged sirloin, caramelized onions, applewood smoked bacon compote, gruyere, Maytag blue cheese and arugula (no substitutions)
• Regular and sweet potato frites with garlic aioli

Do you ever get really excited anticipating your first bite into a juicy, beefy, cheesy, and savory burger? Well, Father's Office burger will not disappoint. All the ingredients meld together to make the perfect burger. The caramelized onions and bacon compote give the burger a smoky, tangy flavor, and even the blue cheese is a necessary ingredient. We always think we're only going to eat half of the burger and take the rest home, but the whole thing is gone before we know it!! The fries are plentiful and crispy, and they have a huge selection of beers. We absolutely LOVE Father's Office, and sometimes just talking about it makes our mouths water. Thus far, Father's Office is our favorite burger in L.A., and we highly recommend you try it!

--v & y

Go Burger - Hollywood, California

Address: 6290 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90028

Items Ordered:

• "UltiMELT" the ultimelt patty melt! our burger topped with caramelized onions bacon is sandwich between two slender rye & gruyere grilled cheese sandwiches yes we went there
• Smashed Burgers: griddled hand smashed burger studded with onions and topped with american cheese
• Miso Hungry Burger - Burger of the Day
• Duck Fat Fries
• Fried Dill Pickles
• Spiked Milkshake: The Nut Job frangelico, pistachio ice cream, nutella
• Adult Floats: Keith's Quencher guinness stoul, coffee ice cream

Go Burger is located is located in the heart of Hollywood and was opened for less than one week. From the creators of BLT Burger in Vegas and New York, comes a similar style of burgers and spiked milkshakes. Mmmm! I had the UltiMELT and it did not disappoint. I didn't think I'd like the rye bread, but it was surprisingly very good. I tried the other burgers and they were decent too. Our sides were the duck fat fries (yum!) and the fried dill pickles. I basically hate pickles, but the breading on them was good enough for me to want to eat it on it's own. My drink was the Nut Job and even though I could barely taste the alcohol, was a nice alternative to traditional diner cafe milkshakes. Overall, I enjoyed my experience there!

--v

8 oz. Burger Bar - Los Angeles, California

Address: 7661 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Items Ordered:

• Melrose: 6 oz. house blend, garlic roasted tomatoes, red onion marmalade with added fried mozzarella, roasted mushrooms and roasted garlic aioli sauce
• Truffled potato skins
• Kennebec fries
  

When I first looked at the menu, I decided I wanted a basic burger that I could do add ons with. It doesn't quite work like that - you have to choose one of their burgers (that already have add ons) and add on/remove from that. The options for add ons were full of all kinds of goodness from toppings to cheeses to sauces. Now how could I really resist fried mozzarella, mushrooms and garlic aioli?! Overall, the burger was delicious - especially because of all the creative add ons. The sides of fries and potato skins were good too. I especially liked the truffled potato skins - truffle oil basically just makes everything taste that much better! Didn't make it in time for happy hour this time, but I'd definitely want to go back -- I was eyeing the Kobe mini corn dogs and short rib grilled cheese sandwich for next time!

--v

Umami Burger - Santa Monica, California

Address: 500 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Items Ordered:

• Umami Burger: beef patty with roasted red peppers, grilled onions, portabella mushroom and a parmesan crisp

Located next to Fred Segal in Santa Monica, this Umami Burger location was quaint with plentiful parking. Aside from sweet, salty, sour, and bitter, "umami" is meant to describe the 5th taste sensation. When the burger arrived, I didn't know what to expect but the first bite was exquisite, and maybe "umami" really describes delicious. The beef patty was well seasoned and the bun was soft and fluffy. Mushrooms on the burger really made it exceptional, and I cannot wait to return to try another Umami Burger creation.

--y

Smashburger - Houston, Texas

Address: 5220 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX 77005

Items Ordered:

• Create your own Smashburger: 1/3 lb beef patty, sharp cheddar, grilled onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mustard on a multi-grain bun
  
• Chicago dog with side salad
• Smashfries: rosemary, garlic, and olive oil seasoned fries
  

After hearing from my Houston friends about Smashburger this and Smashburger that, I had to try it for myself. Also, I love creating my own burgers so I went with that option. After my first bite, I knew that Smashburger was going to be one of my favorite places to visit in Houston. The beef patty was well-seasoned and just tasted of beefy goodness. The cheese complimented the burger well, and the bun held up to the beefy juices as I devoured the entire burger. The burger was not TOO greasy, and didn't make me feel like falling into a food coma after eating. The Smashfries were interesting, but rosemary is not my favorite herb so I could do without ordering it again. On a different occasion I tried the Chicago dog, but decided it was much too tangy for my taste. If you're going to someplace called SmashBURGER, I recommend you order the burger (and maybe fries).

--y