Umami Burger

On one of my first days here in SF I did a lot of research for places I could grab a quick lunch during my day.  I realized very quickly while looking up places in SF that this city has A LOT of burger joints.  There's one major contender every few blocks, with more openings coming right after the other.  Umami Burger is one of these contenders, and even though it's an LA export, is easily recognizable by the locals here as one of the best burgers in the city.

Umami Burger is located in the Marina district, known by the locals as "where all the yuppies hang out".  Walking through the neighborhood it looks like San Francisco's version of Soho, just without the models walking around.  Small artisanal shops line up one after the other, with a great mix of food and fashion.  Walking through you will eventually pass by an nondescript building which is Umami, with nothing more on the outside of the restaurant than the strange logo and street address.

I don't really know what to make of the logo, which looks like an imprint of a woman's lips.  I get it is a sandwich bun, except none of the buns the burgers here sit on look anything like it.

In-N-Out Burger

I've never been here.  Imagine my excitement when I saw this:

Hmm...colors seem familiar..

For any east coaster there is one burger chain that you always hear about but never, ever have the chance to visit.  In-N-Out Burger only exists on the west coast (yes I know technically there are 2 in Texas now).  What is all the hype my friends have built up for me?  What is the "Animal Style" burger?  What makes everyone on the eastern seaboard flock to a burger stand the second they are in California?  Well, I'm about to find out.

I was two days into my trip when I took a photo of the outside of the restaurant and posted it to my facebook page.  Immediately I received responses from friends, "My favorite!", "Get the Animal Style!!", "The fries suck!".  Seems like I have been missing out on an In-N-Out experience...

L'Express

Imagine this.  You go out for a night on the town.  You're partying, you're drinking, you're having a good time.  Then between 2am and 4am, it's all over.  You're buzzed, you're drunk, you're hungry.  Visit to the open halal cart with the usual chicken over rice and gyros?  Visit the diner with the usual burgers, eggs, and sandwiches?  What could be better at that exact moment than knowing there's a 24 hour Lyonnaise bistro open right around the corner? 

This is what draws me into L'Express.  Not only is the restaurant 24 hours, but the food here is very, very good. 

The decor is minimalistic.  During the overnight hours the restaurant is actually very dimly lit.  White tabletops covering dark wood tables, with matching dark wooden chairs.  Wall-sized windows looking straight out to Park Avenue, and a bar which never stops serving through the night (ok, maybe from 4am-12pm).  It's not the decor which should invite you in here, though, it's the food. 

Even at 2am their menu is full of options, including breakfast if that's what you're in the mood for.  I've been here a few times, and there hasn't been anything I haven't enjoyed.  Granted, I have yet to visit this 24-hour bistro while completely sober, so my opinion here really doesn't matter.  (Side note, I apologize for this fact due to the pics in this post being very blurry and dark.)  On this visit I started with the House-made pate, and finished with the Moroccan-spiced lamb burger. 

Shake Shack vs Five Guys

DC vs NY and everything in between.  Which Eastern burger chain will soon dominate all?

Five Guys Burgers & Fries - the very first location opened in Arlington, VA in 1986, and in the next 15 years slowly started to expand into the DC-metro area.  It wasn't until the year 2002 that Five Guys decided to franchise into Maryland and Virginia.  Now, they have over 750 locations across the Eastern seaboard.  The first NY area location opened within the past two years, and has now quickly expanded to 15 in NYC alone.

Five Guys used to be a destination burger joint for me.  I was first introduced to their burgers in a PA location back in 2007.  Soon after, whenever I was back in PA or DC Five Guys was definitely one spot I HAD to visit.  The restaurants themselves don't have much to them.  Red and white tiled walls, cheap wooden tables with free unshelled peanuts, and bags upon bags of potatoes in the front.  But their burgers are amazing.  No less than a double patty, formed and cooked right in front of you, you make your own combination, and so incredibly juicy. 

As busy as they ever are, the lines move quick.  Side note, and also a huge plus, you can order right from your phone.  Go here to the android website to download the Five Guys app. 

You have your base choice of hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon burger, or bacon cheeseburger.  Then you get to add any combination of free additional toppings, which include mayo, relish, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, lettuce, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, green pepper, A1 steak sauce, bbq sauce, and hot sauce.  Let them do the math for you, that's over 250,000 possible burger combinations. 

Maialino

I’ve been to Maialino, located in the Gramercy Park Hotel, about three times now.  However, I never made it into their dining room, as I love to sit at the long open bar, which is why it’s only fair I review just the bar area in this post. 

The bar area at Maialino has a very modern European café look to it, and their dining room resembles an old school Roman trattoria.  Blue and white picnic-style tablecloths cover the wooden tables, fresh baked breads line the walls, a small open kitchen displaying the house-made charcuterie, wine bottles lining the room dividers, and huge windows facing the street allowing so much natural light in.  Maialino is definitely a great place to grab a drink and a quick bite to eat.  They even serve breakfast, and I have been trying my best for months to wake up early enough try their Porchetta sandwich.  Roast pork and fried eggs served in a roll.  Now that sounds like a great way to wake up. 

To say the staff is friendly is an understatement.  Everyone who works here is incredibly nice.  For those who know me, yes this opinion is a little biased as I know a quarter of the staff, but I can see how they serve other patrons as well.  Every diner here seems very comfortable, as if they were sitting in someone’s home.  Danny Meyer’s famous hospitality definitely comes through with this restaurant. 

The Breslin Bar & Dining Room

The Breslin is a British-style gastropub at its finest.  I love restaurants like this.  A place you can go grab great food, in a casual setting, yet still maintains a type of elegant touch. 

The Breslin is located inside the Ace Hotel, with the main entrance adjacent to it.  I emphasize that because my first time going to the restaurant I missed the entrance completely.  I walked into the lobby of the Ace Hotel and thought “this is the strangest looking gastropub I have ever seen”. 

Walking into the Breslin you immediately walk into their bar area.  Lots of dark wood colors, lively atmosphere, and large windows which allow for a lot of natural light to come through.  They offer a wide selection of beers, and it’s a great place for friends to come in and hang out.

This then carries over to the restaurant.  Comfortable booths, wood chairs, tan paper-cloths covering black wood-finished tables, and a lot of random food and animal memorabilia which covers every piece of empty space in the restaurant.  Still-life paintings of fruit, red paper lobsters, a small bull’s head with a giant ring coming out of its nose, and so forth.  Even though the décor is all over the place, it just screams at you “I want you to be comfortable”, and that I was.