That's The Way I Like It

Ok, don’t judge me, but I never crave burgers … ever. At most, I crave animal fries from In & Out, and I will just end up getting a burger to pair with it. This past weekend I actually wanted a burger — probably due to the fact that most of my meals have been repetitive lately. And once I really thought about it, a burger is probably one of the safest food options for my food allergies when dining out because they can be as basic as you order them. I had been to Umami Burger once before, so I called the Santa Monica location. I spoke with the manager and he was 100% sure I would be safe with a burger. At worst, they would just make me my own burger (instead of ordering off of the menu). Wonderful! Then I asked about fries because I live for fries. The manager did disclose that they were frozen, which made me a little nervous that they might contain citric acid (one of my allergens). The manager checked the packaging and then read the entire list of ingredients over the phone. Yes, he read me the entire list! Totally unnecessary, but definitely appreciated.

When my family and I arrived at Umami Burger, the manager promptly came to our table and went over the menu with me. Most of the sauces contained my allergens, but I was able to build my own burger. Because I’m already a picky eater — I’ve never liked mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, or most other condiments — I was fine with having a somewhat plain burger topped with grilled onion, cheddar cheese and a lots of pickles. Weird, I know, but that’s the way I like it. With the fries I ran into the same problem with the sauces, but I was able to order the Manly Fries with bacon and cheddar cheese on top. Not sure what makes them manly, but this little lady ate them just fine.