Umami Burger is definitely one of those places that you have to visit anytime you're in Los Angeles - It's a quintessential institution that always hits the spot when you're in need of a favorite American food. While they've branched out to various places in the U.S., it's a burger that was born in L.A. which is why I had to check it out for myself. For this meal I asked 3 friends to join me at their location in Hollywood to try their 9-course tasting menu. 

Umami burger's 9- course tasting menu. Not to be taken lightly! Make sure you come hungry!

The tasting menu is certainly not a small feat and it is not recommended for the faint of heart. I left feeling as though I had taken gluttony to a totally unchartered territory of gluttony levels. On a scale from 1-10 of full we left at like a 17 1/2. Our entire party had to take frequent breaks to try to get through all of these burgers. The server informed us we were the first actual table he's seen finish the entire tasting. This obviously made us all genuinely proud. 

Highlights of our dinner included: "The Manly Burger"- cheddar cheese, bacon lardons, onion strings, and Umami's special house ketchup, "The Greenbird Burger" (best turkey burger I've ever had)- green cheese, smashed avocado, sprouts, green goddess dressing, butter lettuce, and a "Maple Bacon Old Fashioned" which was just how I like my whiskey cocktails- nice and strong! 

Umami's signature burger the "Truffle Burger" . Highly recommended for all my fellow truffle lovers.

Umami Ahi Tuna Burger

Back to what I'm good at, talking about clothes ;). When eating a 9 course burger meal, what does one wear? Well... I opted for all black. I mean, this sort of meal is not for a lacy white dress or anything "dry clean only" if you know what I mean! I'm wearing here high waisted black pants, a For Love and Lemons Knitz body suit, Sam Edelman booties, and my favorite tan Topshop duster jacket. There's something about black and tan as a combo that has been calling me lately, and I've been wearing these colors together more and more. Check out the photos below and let me know what you think!

My friend Jackie and I before dinner

All photos in this blog courtesy of Brian Gove, copyright The Style Sauce 2016.

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Today I'm super excited to announce my newest column I've so appropriately called, "I Love L.A". Here's the deal: I've lived in Los Angeles for 10 years, and in that amount of time I've seen so much change about L.A., and also discovered some really cool sh*t, be that fashion, restaurants, music, events, whatever. I really wanted to start this topic of conversation on my blog because I feel like Los Angeles is really special, and there's a lot to talk about when it comes to the City of Angels that I want to share with all of you.

In the past year, there's been a huge shift in the fashion industry, with everyone from Tom Ford to Saint Laurent doing shows here. There's no question it promises to just get bigger and better. Besides the emerging fashion scene, one can't talk about L.A. without mentioning the restaurants, shopping, beaches, artists, music, and all around kick ass-ness of this city. Really looking forward to sharing with you guys some of my gems and discovering new ones along the way.

Now, back to today's post! To begin, we're kicking off in Silverlake. As you all know I'm a die hard Venetian, but when it comes to the East Side of Los Angeles, it's hard to find a pocket that's cuter than Silverlake. Some of it's charms include some of the most adorable tree lined streets in all of the city, and some of the best design shops and boutiques on the West Coast. 

To kick off the day we ventured to La Mill coffee- an L.A. staple for the past 19 years. For a coffee addict like me, this is THE SPOT to go to, given it has an extensive coffee menu and an equally delicious brunch menu to match. I opted for the healthy route- broccolini with poached eggs and a side of rosemary/parmesan breakfast potatoes, while my brunch partner, Brian, went for the Belgian waffles which he definitely did NOT regret. Both were equally good, and I'd recommend trying either option.

The scene at La Mill Coffee.

Our server at La Mill, Soren, was so nice and knowledgeable about everything while eating there! He had a thing or two to teach even the biggest coffee snob (me). Definitely ask for him next time you pop in for a bite or cappucino.

Obviously, we had to snap a couple of outfit photos while we were in town! Here I'm wearing a pair of self-made DIY fringed Levi's, vintage Malesherbes Louis Vuitton bag, white Kit + Ace washable silk kimono, Zara top (last spring), Sam Edelman "Trixie" buckle sandals, and my favorite neck tie du jour- a white bandana I bought for 5 bucks in Palm Springs.

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