Umami Burger's Adam Fleischman To Open 'ChocoChicken'

Adam Fleischman, the man behind Umami Burger, has big plans to open ChocoChicken, a fast-casual eatery in Los Angeles that will serve fried chocolate chicken "with a few key umami ingredients."  Fleischman says that his new fried chicken concept isn't based on existing sweet and savory combinations like chicken and waffles or mole, but a reinvention of fried chicken.

"When you taste it, you're like, 'Oh, that's what chocolate chicken is,'" Fleischman told Fast Company.

The original concept comes from a cold pitch from two people Fleischman had never met, who emailed him and piqued the restaurateur's interest. Fleischman invited the creators, Keith Previte and Sean Robbins, to come over and cook for him, and they won him over.

Fleischman tweaked the formula to add the requisite umami elements, and added a few menu items: white chocolate mashed potatoes and bacon biscuits with something called ChocoKetchup.

Although Fleischman has not yet announced an opening date, he has high hopes for ChocoChicken.

"Rather than make a dessert-mash-up sweet concoction, it's really a savory concoction," Fleischman told Fast Company.  "It's almost indescribable. It's really the perfect food."

Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.