Check It. Umami Burger's upcoming expansion.

We love Umami Burger here at the BEAT, so we're thrilled to hear the news that there's major expansion planned, in partnership with SBE Group. First, a flagship location at the Grove will open this fall, and then 35 more locations will open nationwide within the next three years.

My favorite is the truffle burger, cooked medium (vs. the standard medium-rare) and I hear the truffle fries (how decadent!) are pretty fantastic, too.

We told you about the Los Feliz location's great happy hour last year, and it's still a solid bet, especially on a warm summer evening.

Congratulations, Umami! My hometown burger hero.

The five current locations are listed here.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Ringo H.W. Chiu / for the Los Angeles Times

Eat Out. La Capilla.

La Capilla has gotten the thumbs up as the best place for Mexican food in the South Bay for years, and after a recent visit it's not hard to see why. Generous portions and flavorful sauces with unique ingredients (I'm sure they put cinnamon in their enchilada sauce) this is a very good Mexican restaurant.
A girlfriend recently told me about their birthday menu (a free meal on your birthday) and I went with a few friends on my birthday and we were all happy.

Pictured above is one of their many birthday dinners, two enchiladas, beans and rice. The cheese was very tasty. I'm sure it was a blend of Mexican queso fresco and other cheeses, rather then just cheddar and monterey jack which even many good Mexican restaurants seem to use.

The friends I was with also said their beef was very good -- moist and flavorful like shredded pot roast. Most meals are under $10 making this a very affordable dinner out. One friend even had their special which was $6 for a taco, beans, rice, and a second side. Enough for her dinner and lunch the next day.

La Capilla is in Old Town Torrance and also next to a decent brewery with some good locally brewed beers on tap.

La Capilla is located at 1332 Sartori Ave.

-- Lauren Williams

Eat Out. Beard Papa's.

These giant, flaky cream puff pastries are absolutely wonderful. I've actually heard a coworker once describe them as "life changing". Although I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say that I'm a different person because I've eaten Beard Papa's cream puffs, they are quite tasty.

Much bigger then the profiteroles one can buy at Trader Joe's, these pastries are just a bit crunchy on the outside and have soft flaky bread and a wonderful cream on the inside. The inner cream comes in seven different flavors: original vanilla, coffee, chocolate, strawberry, pumpkin, earl gray tea, and green tea. Vanilla puffs are the classic.

Beard Papa's is hard to miss with its logo as a bearded man in a yellow hat with a pipe.

Beard Papa's has seven locations around Southern California, and several around the country and even a few abroad.

-- Lauren Williams

Photo credit: Beard Papa's website.

Eat Out. Native Foods Cafe.

It's hard to find something that is equal parts healthy and delicious. Usually there's some kind of compromise, either a little less tasty to be "Heart Smart" or cooked in tons of butter and oil.

Native Foods Cafe in Westwood (and all over Southern California, actually) doesn't make this compromise. It's amazingly tasty and creative all-vegetarian cuisine is wonderful and even appeals to the skeptical-of-vegetarian-food crowd. I've taken quite a few non-veggie (or even anti-veggie) friends here and they've loved it.

The food ranges from "traditional" Southern dishes, like the Soul Bowl with "jazzman rice," to healthy Mexican, Moroccan, and Greek and all dishes are in the under-$10 range.

And if you haven't gotten your fill from dinner, nearby Diddy Riese is only a few blocks away, still serving up $1 ice cream sandwiches, with cookies of your choosing.

Native Foods is located at 1110 1/2 Gayley Ave. and are open 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

-- Lauren Williams

Photo credit: Yelp!

Eat Out. Menutopia.

The first thing I look at before eating somewhere is the menu. What are their prices, is there a good selection, what do they have on tap (for evening outings) and most importantly, for me, are there vegetarian options?

The website Menutopia boasts nearly 3,000 menus for all kinds of eateries in Los Angeles, and around the country, including DC, NYC, San Francisco, Philly, and Atlanta if you're doing some travelling. You can pick where you eat and confidently know they have something just for you before you even set foot out the door.

How great is that?

-- Lauren Williams

Eat Out. Pupusas at Central Market.

For a quick but tasty lunch in Downtown, nothing satisfies the cheesy-yet-spicy combination that are pupusas served up at the Salvadorian-specialty stand at the Grand Central Market in Downtown LA.

Now most Angelenos have definitely had their share of Mexican cuisine, but El Salvadorian food? Although they are close(ish) neighbors, their food couldn't be more different. These little pancakes can be filled with a variety of meat, beans, cheese, or just cheese with a side of spicy salvadoreño-style sauerkraut.

Theses tasty little filled pancakes are made right in front of you at the stand, and the people are always super nice, giving away tons of hot sauce and pickled, shredded cabbage.

Although it's probably quicker than sitting to eat lunch, they still take a minute to make, so I wouldn't go there on a 15 minute break.

Now I've had my share of pupusas, and these are probably the best I've ever had. Definitely worth a try for any Angel City dweller.

-- Lauren Williams

Photo credit: Courtesy of Foodtruthand beauty and Dog Eat Cat.