Umami: Costa Mesa

And now...for something different. The local variant for Umami Laguna Beach popped up on the 100 Favorite Dishes by OC Weekly a few weeks ago, but it's almost a half hour from work, so I can't do that during the work week. However, there are two that are only about 10 or so minutes away, so...I've decided to do a quick review of all the different variants on the Umami Burger.

If you didn't know, each location has a special variation that you can't get anywhere else. This will document those variations.

First up: Umami - Costa Mesa - Samurai

Two juicy, seasoned pork patties, house teriyaki with pickled ginger, romaine, scallions, curry sauce & toasted sesame seeds.

The patties were a bit smaller than I expected as the last time I was at Umami, I got the B.U.B. burger - two patties, bacon, beer-cheddar, minced onions, pickles, mustard, Umami house ketchup, served tall with a middle bun - a Big Mac of sorts, but with actual flavor. However, what the patties lack in size, the burger more than makes up for in flavor.

The pickled ginger really gives you a nice kick in the pants when you get to the middle of the burger and the romaine, covered in curry sauce and topped with toasted sesame seeds really adds a nice crunch though with the firmness of the pork patties, it wasn't as necessary as a more meaty beef burger would call for.

The teriyaki oozes out at first bite along with the curry sauce and the pork patties were a bit less juicy than the description said, but either way, it all comes together quite nicely. It was a welcome change from the huge beef patties they use on their regular burgers and incorporated many disparate flavors together nicely.

On a side note, only one of the burgers on the Umami menu has an egg. You cannot add an egg to any of the other burgers. This is shameful.

#74 - Doughnuts from Sidecar

As we get to the end of 2014, OC Weekly has started putting together their 100 favorite dishes from this year, so I've got another whole 100 dishes to seek out and try at one point or another. To start the 2014 list out, we go with the doughnut (or, as I like to spell it, the donut - shut up Chrome dictionary, that is a correct spelling).

Long story short, most of the office was out on vacation or had the day off for various other reasons, so we splurged and instead of the usual run-of-the-mill donut shop Friday donuts, we had Sidecar. There were too many amazing options to choose from, but I went with the Tart Cherry Cheesecake.

Simply, it's quite an amazing donut. Less really about the donut dough itself and more about the fillings. Though cooked well and glazed nicely, all you really focus on is the cheescake filling, the nice graham cracker crumble, and the tart cherry atop (which wasn't really even that tart).

For the price, not quite sure these are worth the hype (I didn't pick them up, but they usually have a line and will often sell out in the morning). It was a serviceable donut taken to the next level, but give me my maple bar each Friday and I'll be happy.

#7 - Ají Verde at Inka Mama's

Again, it's been a while between posts and I have a few to get to in the queue. First up, #7 on the list. An amazingly addictive sauce with a full range of great entrees to back it up. The Ají Verde at Inka Mama's comes out before your meal with some fresh, soft, warm french bread. The bread is the perfect way to soak up the Ají Verde - a wonderfully complex sauce with heat, creaminess, and just the perfect blend of spices.

Once you quickly devour the first serving of bread, they offer to bring more, but by the time more bread arrives, you'll probably just be eating the sauce on whatever you can find to put it on - even butter covered sauce. After the bread disappears again (they'll offer to bring more, but at some point you have to decline - right?), you get to the entree. In my case, a delectable shrimp dish which just went perfectly covered in even more Ají Verde.

I really need to get back to try more of their lunch specials. My co-worker wasn't too impressed with the entree I brought back for him, but he loved the Ají Verde, as anyone with properly working taste buds will.

#93 - White Board Specials at Taco Adobe

I know it's been quite a while since the last post, I've been busy at work, busy looking to buy a home, just busy.  Last week though, my brother wanted to get together for lunch, so I picked somewhere I knew had great food (been here many times in the past) and all I had to do to make sure I could cross another item off my list was find something good on the white board. Of course, that's almost too easy...

The dish I settled on was a pork enchilada with what they called a spicy sauce on top, served with the usual rice and beans. The sauce itself was a bit of a let down as I was expecting more heat, but the enchiladas more than made up for it. Now, that's not to say the sauce was bad. It just wasn't as advertised. Overall, the dish came together nicely, except for the beans which were a bit...off. I added some of Taco Adobe's special hot sauce to the fries, and it was a very nice meal.

If you're ever in the old town Orange area and Gabbi's is either a) full or b) too expensive or c) both, then just head right down the street to Taco Adobe. Try a whiteboard special, a torta, or anything else off their menu and you won't be let down.