Umami Burger | Left Coast Contessa

Immediately after leaving ColLAboration the fun continued with a trip to Henry’s, an awesome grocery store near Kaitlin’s house. Obvi the Two Boo’s join too!

We were in need of provisions, like cheese, crackers, and salami.

So inappropriate Andy.

We got back to Kaitlin’s chilled with Mark and ate cheese so quickly that I didn’t get a picture of it. What can I say? I love cheese and crackers so much.

After stuffing our faces with cheese we made our way to Umami in Studio City.

I’ve only ever been to Umami in Santa Monica, so I was excited to try a new Umami. The menus at the various locations are different and I had my fingers crossed for cheesy tots. This location was hopping when we arrived and we had a 45 min wait for a table. But that was OK because we know how to have fun while waiting for a table.

Photos + Shopping

FACT: Amanda looks good in children’s hats.

After a wait we finally got a table. Only problem? 6 of us were stuffed into two two-tops. We got awkward and we got cozy.

Still cracking up over the look on Andy’s face!

While the service left a little bit to be desired, I have to say that the décor was awesome. I loved the wall paper and the chandelier.

Because of all the service issues our server brought over complimentary truffle cheese fries. This improved everyone’s mood!

Then we dug into the menu. I’ve been to Umami several times before and I knew exactly what I wanted for dinner:

Manly burger, here I come. I mean, smoked salt onions, beer cheddar cheese and bacon? Sign. Me. Up.

What can I say about this that I haven’t said before? Juicy burger, beer cheese (tons of it, dripping), onions, and a soft bun. I am not a big burger eater but I will love this one forever. I know I should venture out of the menu but this is pretty damn perfect.

Sadly, there were no cheesy tots to be had at Studio City Umami, but they did have tempura onion rings!

While I had my heart set on cheesy tots, these rings were delicious! Super salty and the tempura was way crispier than traditional onion rings. These are probably in the top 5 of the best onion rings I’ve ever had. Yes, I rank onion rings. Is that weird? I didn’t think so.

After a very filling and very tasty meal I made sure that I saved room for cake! Kaitlin made a Snicker doodle cake for Mark’s birthday.

Happy birthday Mark! Make a wish!

Can I just brag about Kaitlin’s baking skills for a second? This cake was yummy and the flavor was off the chain. You know when you get a flavored cup cake or cake slice and you can barely taste the flavor? Isn’t that annoying? That was NOT a problem here. The cake literally tasted exactly like a snicker doodle! I only had a small slice because I was so full from three beers, cheese, crackers, burgers, and two rounds of fried goodies.

Overall, I love the food at Umami but the service we received left a lot to be desired. Kaitlin put a lot of effort into trying to make the night special for Mark and the service kinda put a damper on the evening. I don’t want to get into the details, but I received much better service at Umami Santa Monica.

What do you do when you have crappy service? Amanda and Kaitlin took the reins dealing with the questionable service (specifically, charging for things we weren’t supposed to be charged for, rudeness) and I was glad because normally I’m too intimidated to complain.

Today was my birthday/one week til 2L rejuvenation day at Burke Williams.

I love a “no cell phone” area. No pictures but it is so worth it!

Overall, I had an awesome Burke Williams experience. My favorite treatment was the Hunter’s Retreat which took place in a water room. Basically you lay on a massage table and have several shower heads spray you with hot water. Then you get exfoliated followed by the application of some body wash which they used a giant seaweed thing to rub into your skin. There were so many bubbles. Then you flip over. Did I mention that they are massaging you also? It was amazing. Guys, I’ve never felt so clean in my life. It was awesome.

After I got some lunch. I went to Umami again. Oops, I did it again (but this time with the So Cal burger)…

So amazing. Probably my favorite Umami burger so far!

I also had a refreshing drink:

After lunch I went back to BW and took advantage of the amenities, which really are the whole reason to go to Burke Williams. I went to the quiet jacuzzi for a while. Then I went to the quiet reading room where they have rows of lazyboys and blankets with low lighting. I read a bit of “One Day” which is very readable. I love getting hooked on a good book. I think I’m going to make my summer reading goal!

I also had a few other treatments. First I had a relaxation massage which was so nice on my aching runner’s legs. Because it was my birthday I got a free aromatherapy upgrade. I opted for muscle relief and I got a bottle to take home with me! Great perk! Then I had a manicure and pedicure which was awesome! I got an oatmeal neck pillow which smelled so delicious and I had my first paraffin wax treatment which was so cleansing. My skin felt much smoother afterwords.

While getting my mani/pedi I read September Glamour and I read about Operation Beautiful and surprise, surprise I came home to this waiting on my doorstep…

Yay! Thanks Carolyn! Caitlin is one of my favorite bloggers and I was so excited to get her book. I’ve already started reading. For those that don’t know Operation Beautiful is a movement where people post positive notes about beauty for others to get. Notes say things like “You are Beautiful” or “You’ll always be beautiful no matter how many miles you run” or “relax and smile, it’s not that big of a deal”.