We had been locked up inside, working for a living.

It was time to breath some fresh, salt air and feel the delicious summer breeze wafting through Santa Monica.

The sun was setting on another perfect day in Los Angeles.

We headed to Umami Burger which is a mere block from our abode. We took Madison along so she could feast on table droppings.

We plopped down on the outside wooden picnic table benches and were greeted by a savvy server who is, surprise, a struggling actress. She had a great personality and we followed her lead.

We started with the delicious truffled beet salad with ricotta, smoked almonds, baby arugula and truffle dressing ($7).

It sounds trufflecentric, but the touch is light. Mr. Devil is not a big truffle fan, but he loves the beet salad.

I ordered my favorite truffle burger consisting of Umami’s famous blend of beef which comes with roasted garlic aioli, house truffle cheese and truffle glaze ($12).

My husband went with a seared ahi tuna burger with sprouts, crushed avocado, gingered carrots, wasabi flake and wasabi tartar ($15). I must confess the ahi tuna burger has bumped the truffle burger from the #1 spot…I am now Team Tuna.

Umami offers 7 other burger variations all a bit quirky, plus a turkey burger, a pork burger and a special oxtail only available in Santa Monica with the signature beef blend, stout-braised  oxtail house truffle cheese and garlic aioli ($18).

Take a break from savoring the delish Umami burgers and allow me to ‘splain you the meaning of umami…umami is Japanese for a pleasant savory taste and one of the five basic tastes together with sweet, sour, bitter and salty.

As the taste of umami itself is subtle and blends well with other tastes to expand and round out flavors, most people don’t recognize umami when they encounter it, but it plays an important role in making food delicious. 

There will be a quiz tomorrow…moving on.

You may order your burger rare, medium or well, but no substitutions so plan accordingly.

The tempura onion rings ($4.50) are decadent along with the sweet potato fries ($4) and smushed potatoes ($4.50). The ketchup is homemade (hints of dark brown sugar). These sides are not recommended for the cholesterol challenged.

On the menu is also a market salad ($4) and you can add chicken ($3) or Ahi tuna ($5) and a delectable Caesar kale salad ($8).

They serve draft and bottled beers from all over the world along with wine and non-alcoholic beverages.

The owner is Adam Fleischman who I mentioned was one of the core four at smoke.oil.salt.

In the early days his interests lay in journalism and he developed a passion for wine. Moving forward, we all know the need to accompany wine with food.

Voila…Umami Burger, then 800 Degrees Pizza, S.O.S. and a controlling interest in L.A. Creamery Artisan Ice Cream. He is now partnered with SBE, a leading hospitality, real estate and entertainment company. They plan on opening 35 more Umami’s nationally in the next three years.

Umami Burger sells approximately 5,000 Umami Burgers a day. Now you know where the beef is.

Umami Burger was born in 2009 and the first incarnation was on La Brea Boulevard in Hollywood.

The rest is history. Now, go forth and savor.

Umami Burger 500 Broadway at Fred Siegal Santa Monica Open Monday-Thursday 10am-10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am-11pm. umamiburger.com. 16 locations in Southern California, 4 in Northern California, 1 in La Vegas and Chicago and 2 in NYC.