Umami Burger’s Flagship at The Grove Now Includes a Children’s Playplace, and More

Umami turns a corner

Umami Burger has emerged from its recent Mid-City West remodel looking brand spankin’ new at The Grove. The somewhat hidden restaurant has been massively retooled and now features everything from boozy milkshakes at a larger bar to a children’s play area to bright colors and cartoon graphics on the walls.

The jump to refresh the Umami brand comes at an interesting time for the company. Locally the name has cooled off a bit for burger-eaters, but the brand as a whole continues to expand domestically and even worldwide, with a Tokyo location opening in March and another at New York’s Hudson Hotel slated for summer. Hours for the Grove location are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. most nights, with an extension to midnight on weekends.

Banh Oui bows out in Silver Lake

Looks like the end of the line for Banh Oui’s popular Silver Lake pop up on the grounds of an unassuming auto body shop. The team has been hard at work on the rooftop of the Standard in Downtown, so diners can head that way to find the menu of signature sandwiches after one last Silver Lake date this Friday.

Kevin Bludso parties

Kevin Bludso is going to be in town for July 3, rocking a party with the Ugly Drum team at his namesake Bludso’s Bar & Que on La Brea. The evening will feature Ugly Drum’s smoked pastrami, Kevin’s smoked oxtails, and the full usual lineup of menu items from the restaurant.

Kettle Black x Boomtown Brewery

Downtown’s Boomtown Brewery is expanding their reach to Silver Lake for one night, with a party tonight along Sunset Boulevard. The Kettle Black dinner runs $50 a head (two person minimum) for shared plates from the kitchen that pair with the craft beer. Available 5 p.m. to close.

McConnell’s to Pacific Palisades

McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams is jumping into some new territory with a planned expansion to Palisades Village. The ice cream shop is joining forces with the Caruso team behind the Village project, and are aiming for a summer 2018 opening.

Chris Phelps goes solo

In a release send wide yesterday, Salt’s Cure co-founder Chris Phelps announced that he would begin handling the restaurant completely solo. That means co-owner Zak Walters is no more, moving on to other projects while Phelps stays busy “further fostering these relationships and bringing Salt’s Cure even closer to its original roots.”

Gwen gets low key

There’s a new not-on-the-menu sandwich at Gwen’s daytime butcher shop, a pulled pork option that’s actually cooked over the coals of the restaurant’s fire pit for apparently a whole day. You can see the biscuit sandwich below, and order it either by using the Off the Menu app or, after this Saturday, just by asking for it at the counter between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.