Umami

Umami Burger's Adam Fleischman seems intent on dominating the world of meat patties. With 14 Umami Burger locations currently open and several planned for New York and beyond, Fleischman is unveiling his newest concept: U Mini in Westwood. Open since Wednesday at noon, U Mini is Fleischman's answer to fast food (his people are referring to it as "fast-casual"). Despite its diminutive name, U Mini dreams big. If all goes as planned, the idea is to roll out dozens across the country.

In its quest for total world domination through savory meat and fluffy buns, Umami Burger has announced that it will open a branch of its popular SoCal burger chain in Burbank during the first half of this year. The restaurant will be located in the old Papoo's Hot Dog Show stand on Riverside Drive, and it will mark the 15th Umami Burger to open in California. For those of you who know and love the classic look of Papoo's (and I know there are many -- I count myself among them)

At the heart of so much of Japanese cooking is the fragrant broth called dashi. And at the heart of dashi are the delicate pink petals of katsuobushi, shaved flakes of dried bonito fish. When steeped with the dried seaweed called konbu, katsuobushi gives dashi its irresistible aroma and deep umami flavor. Despite being made in minutes, the stock is the foundation of many Japanese dishes -- miso soup, salad dressings, sauces for noodles, even meat stews. " Dashi is like the key actor in a movie," says 83-year-old Chobei Yagi, whose 275-year-old store, Tokyo's Yagicho Honten, specializes in katsuobushi and other dried foods.

Matthew Biancaniello , often referred to as a cocktail chef, recently left his post as head bartender at the Roosevelt Hotel's Library Bar in Hollywood. But he and his cocktails haven't vanished. "I'm taking a break and using this time to really tap into my creativity," Biancaniello said at a recent one-night-only appearance at Soho House, where he notably applied his farmers market approach to holiday eggnog. Using candy-cap-mushroom-infused bourbon and chanterelle-infused cream, he shook up a savory, just-sweet-enough, frothy eggnog cocktail, topped with a grating of fresh nutmeg and served in a crystal coupe.

The life of a scientist isn't all boring lab work and dry statistics. Sometimes those folks have fun. Take Neil Da Costa, an expert in chemical analysis of flavors at International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. in New Jersey. Da Costa made a presentation Tuesday on what it takes to create the perfect Bloody Mary at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim. "We thought this was an interesting subject that would appeal to the popular masses," said Da Costa, speaking from the conference, "and that it would get people thinking about the chemistry of food.

For all their sharp teeth, many meat-eating mammals lack a sweet tooth, a genetic analysis of a dozen species has shown. The study, published this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that carnivorous mammals whose diets don't feature much in the way of sugar may lose the ability to taste it at all. Study coauthor Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, wasn't sure...

There are several types of katsuobushi that can be used for different purposes. The best will have light pink or beige shavings that will be slightly shiny. Once the packages are opened, the katsuobushi will begin to oxidize and go limp, and the color becomes dull. Katsuobushi is best stored in the freezer. Hanakatsuo is thin petals that resemble large wood shavings. Some contain chiai (dark meat). Shaved karebushi makes a flavorful stock full of aroma.

Los Angeles is mad for burgers. We don't just obsessively grill them in our sun-soaked backyards; we also gobble them down at a growing number of gourmet burger spots including Umami, 8 oz. Burger Bar and the Counter. But that's not enough to sate our desire for juicy meat patties. When a new restaurant called Burger Kitchen opened on 3rd Street early last month 2,400 customers descended on it — "Day of the Locust" style — in the first week alone. "We were hit by the power of the Internet," said co-owner Alan Saffron somewhat ruefully.

The latest trendy cooking ingredient in Japan is a fungus. And that fungus is spreading. Professional and home cooks in Japan are crazy for it, and it's flying off the shelves at Japanese markets in the U.S., too. They're using shio koji -- a fermented mixture of koji (rice inoculated with the special -- and safe -- mold Aspergillus oryzae), shio (sea salt) and water - as a seasoning in place of salt for its powers of umami. Japanese supermarkets carry bottled salad dressings and sauces touting shio koji as an ingredient.

Matthew Biancaniello , often referred to as a cocktail chef, recently left his post as head bartender at the Roosevelt Hotel's Library Bar in Hollywood. But he and his cocktails haven't vanished. "I'm taking a break and using this time to really tap into my creativity," Biancaniello said at a recent one-night-only appearance at Soho House, where he notably applied his farmers market approach to holiday eggnog. Using candy-cap-mushroom-infused bourbon and chanterelle-infused cream, he shook up a savory, just-sweet-enough, frothy eggnog cocktail, topped with a grating of fresh nutmeg and served in a crystal coupe.

Another announcement about a round of in-the-works LAX dining options comes as the airport's $4.1-billion modernization continues. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Westfield and the operator of LAX announced new restaurant and retail projects as part of the renovation of Tom Bradley International Terminal, expected to open in spring 2013. The new restaurant and retail stores are part of a Westfield program to introduce 42 new-to-LAX concepts (some new to any airport). The planned Tom Bradley dining lineup?

Umami Burger's Adam Fleischman seems intent on dominating the world of meat patties. With 14 Umami Burger locations currently open and several planned for New York and beyond, Fleischman is unveiling his newest concept: U Mini in Westwood. Open since Wednesday at noon, U Mini is Fleischman's answer to fast food (his people are referring to it as "fast-casual"). Despite its diminutive name, U Mini dreams big. If all goes as planned, the idea is to roll out dozens across the country.

For all their sharp teeth, many meat-eating mammals lack a sweet tooth, a genetic analysis of a dozen species has shown. The study, published this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that carnivorous mammals whose diets don't feature much in the way of sugar may lose the ability to taste it at all. Study coauthor Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, wasn't sure...

There are several types of katsuobushi that can be used for different purposes. The best will have light pink or beige shavings that will be slightly shiny. Once the packages are opened, the katsuobushi will begin to oxidize and go limp, and the color becomes dull. Katsuobushi is best stored in the freezer. Hanakatsuo is thin petals that resemble large wood shavings. Some contain chiai (dark meat). Shaved karebushi makes a flavorful stock full of aroma.

At the heart of so much of Japanese cooking is the fragrant broth called dashi. And at the heart of dashi are the delicate pink petals of katsuobushi, shaved flakes of dried bonito fish. When steeped with the dried seaweed called konbu, katsuobushi gives dashi its irresistible aroma and deep umami flavor. Despite being made in minutes, the stock is the foundation of many Japanese dishes -- miso soup, salad dressings, sauces for noodles, even meat stews. " Dashi is like the key actor in a movie," says 83-year-old Chobei Yagi, whose 275-year-old store, Tokyo's Yagicho Honten, specializes in katsuobushi and other dried foods.

Umami Burger, the California burger chain with a modern spin and cross-cultural vibe, has struck a chord with Angelenos and now has the potential to join McDonald's, Fatburger, In-N-Out and Tommy's Hamburgers as one of California's best-known exports. To celebrate, Umami founder Adam Fleischman is building the chain's flagship location in a 3,000-square-foot former spa at the Grove, scheduled to open in late fall. With indoor-outdoor seating for 175, this will be the biggest Umami Burger yet. This summer Fleischman got the financial backing he needed to move fast when Sam Nazarian's massive SBE hospitality group and his brother David's investment firm, Nimes Capital, became 50-50 partners in all of Fleischman's future endeavors, including yet more Umami Burger restaurants, a ritzy downtown deli called Umamicatessan and an environmentally conscious fast-food place called U-Ko.

Umami Burger LOCATION 4655 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz; (323) 669-3922; www.umamiburger.com. Also at 850 S. La Brea Ave., L.A.; (323) 931-3000 and at Umami Urban at Space15 Twenty, 1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd., L.A.; (323)469-3100. PRICE Burgers, $9 to $11; desserts, $3 to $4. Corkage, $10. DETAILS Open noon to 11 p.m. Full bar. Valet parking, $4, from 6. p.m. Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality.

In its quest for total world domination through savory meat and fluffy buns, Umami Burger has announced that it will open a branch of its popular SoCal burger chain in Burbank during the first half of this year. The restaurant will be located in the old Papoo's Hot Dog Show stand on Riverside Drive, and it will mark the 15th Umami Burger to open in California. For those of you who know and love the classic look of Papoo's (and I know there are many -- I count myself among them)

The life of a scientist isn't all boring lab work and dry statistics. Sometimes those folks have fun. Take Neil Da Costa, an expert in chemical analysis of flavors at International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. in New Jersey. Da Costa made a presentation Tuesday on what it takes to create the perfect Bloody Mary at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim. "We thought this was an interesting subject that would appeal to the popular masses," said Da Costa, speaking from the conference, "and that it would get people thinking about the chemistry of food.

Los Angeles is mad for burgers. We don't just obsessively grill them in our sun-soaked backyards; we also gobble them down at a growing number of gourmet burger spots including Umami, 8 oz. Burger Bar and the Counter. But that's not enough to sate our desire for juicy meat patties. When a new restaurant called Burger Kitchen opened on 3rd Street early last month 2,400 customers descended on it — "Day of the Locust" style — in the first week alone. "We were hit by the power of the Internet," said co-owner Alan Saffron somewhat ruefully.