Alan Richman on Umami Burgers in LA...

Is it the "best" in the US? Richman is certainly a "burger guy."
 
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/is-this-the-best-burger-in-america-2452461/

Umami

I can't recall reading him gush so much.

Aha!  I'm going to the South Beach Food & Wine Festival Amstel Light Burger Bash Presented by Allen Brothers and Hosted by Rachel Ray tonight.
 
Umami Burger is going to be there.
 
Here is the menu and list of chefs/cooks:
 
http://www.burgerbeast.com/2011/01/menu-for-sobe-burger-bash-2011-is-here.html
 
 

I'm skeptical I've yet to enjoy a burger  thatsurpassed the one I had at 
The Sport in Livingston Montana
 
 
 

the name Alan Richman rings a bell, but from where?
I don't watch much tv.

Alan Richman is the restaurant columnist for Esquire magazine.  10+ years ago he did restaurant reviews with a blonde woman whose name I forget on the early FoodTV channel.  He gained some notoriety in these parts for saying that the best burger he'd had was at Le Tub in Hollywood Beach.  Which led Travelin' Man, Buffetbuster and me to go there for lunch last year.
 
Here's the trip report:
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/tm.aspx?m=566005

By name...he is often confused with Adam Richman host of Man vs. Food.

Last night I waited 20 minutes to try his burger at the South Beach Burger Bash - It was a four bite burger and I only made it through two.  Perhaps it is better at his restaurant.

Ate at Umami Burger on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood a few days ago.
 
It was very crowded with a twenty minute wait to get seated.
 
Not bad because there was a street fair going on outside.
 
The menu consists of eleven burgers, not all beef.
 
I ordered the.... Umami Burger.
 
I don't understand the description which is:
 
umami x 6, portobello  - our signature burger, portobello substitute available, you will crave this one.
 
So why was it the third burger on the list?
 
It was preceded by a turkey and Ahi Tuna burger.  I would have put those at the end.
 
What I received was a small branded greasy looking roll with a thick patty perfectly cooked to medium.  It was topped with a roasted tomato, grilled onions and two tiny shi-take mushrooms.  Both sides of the bun were slathered minimally with umami catsup.
 
Did it wow me?  No, but it was good.  The taste of the shi-takes stood out and I would have liked more.  I needed more catsup which was delivered to me in a Chinese soup spoon.  One extra helping was on the house with any more being 50¢ each.  What?
 
Once again I ordered the sweet potato fries which I believe will be my last time.  They all seem to be the same and just okay.  
 
I asked the waitress which of their sauces were served with the fries and she told me aioli.  She brought me catsup.
 
I wanted more information on the umami aspect of my burger but my waitress knew nothing.
 
I thought at $10 the burger was over priced but I'd go back.
 
I'm interested in the Carnitas Burger which also has a confusing description:
 
fresh ground pork, house made carnitas, guajilo sauce, jalapeno sour cream, guacamole, tortilla crisps.
 
I imagine it being soggy with all those toppings, but with the way they apply them so sparingly I'll probably have to ask for more.
 
I forgot to list the available condiments...  one free with side, additional .50 as printed on the menu:
 
Umami Ketchup
Dijon Mustard
House Spread
Roasted Garlic Aioli
House Relish
Jalapeno Ranch
 
Worth a try.

CCinNJ

By name...he is often confused with Adam Richman host of Man vs. Food.

Adam Richman of M vs. F only judges food by how much it weighs!

This was the mini Umami Burger at the festival:
 

Your mushroom was larger than mine.  The full size umami burger isn't much larger.  Mine were smaller than a quarter, but there were two of them.
 
I'm guessing there was also cheese on mine.  I don't remember.
 
I took pictures with my phone, but they came out awful.
 
Was your bun greasy?  I think mine just looked greasy but I still had to wrap it up to eat it.

Okay, here is the picture of my burger taken with my phone.
 
There was cheese and I don't know how I forgot it.
 
It was a frico slice of cheese.  More presentation than taste.
 

Well, the owner/founder was on site for the festival, so perhaps the production was a bit "tighter."