Umami

Last night, I had an amazing meal at Umamicatessen with some friends up in LA. Where to start? How about some cocktails?

I can't remember the beer on the right, but that's a Velvet Mule (Beluga vodka, Velvet Falernum, lime juice, ginger beer, Angostura bitters) on the left, and my Red Sapphire (Bombay Sapphire gin, St. Vincent raspberry syrup, Earl Grey tea syrup, maraschino, lemon juice, egg white) front and center. Tasty, tasty, tasty.

I had the Earth Burger: mushroom and edamame patty, white soy aioli, truffled ricotta cheese, cipollini onions, butter lettuce, and slow roasted tomato.  Gorgeous.

And by far, the BEST vegetarian burger I have ever had.  So, so satisfying, so hearty, kind of how I remembered what eating a good burger was like.

We shared the truffle cheese fries, which were excellent.  One of my friends even managed to get a side of Brainnaise (a mayo featuring pig brain) to dip into as well:

This Truffle Beet Salad.  Featuring truffled ricotta, smoked almonds, wild baby arugula, truffle dressing, and golden beets.  To die for.  What an incredible mix of flavors.

And for dessert--donuts!  Totally loved this one featuring tres leches, cajeta, and ceylon cinnamon:

And this one featuring meyer lemon curd, yogurt glaze, and freeze-dried blueberries:

I HIGHLY recommend eating at Umamicatessen if you're near downtown Los Angeles.  I cannot wait to eat here again!

Also, around the corner is a parking lot that Banksy improved with some of his art:

And this is me photobombing when a friend was trying to take a picture of it: