- Mike Sula
- The Original, Umami Burger
Umami, aka the fifth taste, is a real thing, much to the irritation of antifoodists who dismiss it as a term of pretension among vocabulary-starved food writers. It was discovered in 1908 by Tokyo chemist Kikunae Ikeda, who determined glutamic acid provided the main flavor in dashi. Ikeda gave the taste its name, which comes from the Japanese word for “delicious,” umai. It’s the same stuff that makes things like tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, truffles, soy sauce, cured meats, fish sauce, and of course, burgers, taste so good.
I think that’s just about right, though I wouldn’t necessarily describe the taste as artificial (except for the liberal use of truffle oil all over the menu). The burgers themselves are not bad at all. The moderately sized six-ounce patties are coarsely ground and loosely packed, and have an enjoyably chewy texture—not unlike Rice ‘N Bread’s galbi burger. (Certain Umami locations have a galbi burger on the menu, but apparently not here.) But they don’t taste like much of anything in the interior, so overwhelmed by the stratum of comparably savory flavors. Of course that aspect isn’t new to Chicagoans here in the post-Kumapocalypse, where a burger isn’t a burger unless it’s dwarfed by what goes on top—but usually burgers in this style have some contrasting elements. You know, for balance.
- Mike Sula
- Umami Burger
