My latest for LA.com is a review of the interesting new high-end burger joint on LaBrea, near Wilshire, called Umami Burger. They specialize in what they call “the fifth taste.” Here’s an excerpt:

See, there are four basic tastes to a food–sweet, sour, salty, and bitter–but the mysterious umami is crashing the party. In the early 20th century, Dr. Kikunae Ikeda discovered the true nature of “deliciousness” (no small task) and the result was the savory umami, the fifth and most essential taste in determining true flavor. It all sounds like a lot of hooey but rest assured, the burgers at Umami are fantastic.

Read the rest of it here.