LA Times and Food & Wine’s The Taste kept Angelenos eating, drinking and traveling around LA for four days over Labor Day weekend. Nine themed events from burgers to food trucks to film noir were held in Beverly Hills, Hollywood and Downtown. On Monday, The Taste culminated with an old fashioned BBQ hosted by Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis.
Burgers & Beer kicked off the festival where attendees voted on best burger. Rustic Canyon’s chef Evan Funke took home the grand prize with his brisket and short rib patty topped with Tillamook cheddar, slow cooked onions, house-made pickles, arugula, and Russian dressing. Other notables were Blue Palms Brewhouse’s truffle burger and The Counter’s burger took third place. Beers were featured from Milwaukee to Thailand.
Bourbon-aged John Henry Three Lick Spiker Ale was a favorite among The Taste-goers.
Later that night, the Art of Mixing was a cocktail haven with exotic liquors featuring their wildest concoctions. Campo de Encanto’s Pisco Punch with nutmeg was divine.
Speaking of Peru, master mixologist Julian Cox of Picca Peru & Rivera with Chef Ricardo Zarate (Food & Wine’s Best New Chef in America, Mo-Chica), and John Rivera Sedlar (Rivera, Playa) gave a live cooking/mixology demo of modern Peruvian classics.
The next day in Beverly Hills, LA’s famous foodies like Jonathan Gold and Wolvesmouth discussed technology and food reviewing. The feasting continued Saturday night with Taco Tequila Tryst hosted by Roy Choi at Paramount Studios.
Later that night, the nonstop culinary party moved to two different locations simultaneously – in Beverly Hills with Desserts After Dark by Ciroc Vodka and Broadway Street in Downtown for Film Noir by Peroni Beer.
Many guests commented The Taste’s Downtown location was their favorite among the three for the quality of the vendors, the professional ROK Event staff dressed in chic black and the rare opportunity to tour and watch vintage films at the Orpheum Theater. Lines were nonstop for Rivera, Mas Malo and Drago.
Cedd Moses, the king of Downtown nightlife, was spotted enjoying Dengue Fever while sipping on a cocktail and watching over his countless booths serving up creative cocktails from Cana Rum Bar, Seven Grand and The Varnish.
The Taste certainly outdid itself by combining efforts from LA Times and Food & Wine and Angelenos will certainly be anticipating next year’s return of The Taste Two.
Special thanks to American Airlines, Ciroc Vodka, Peroni Beer, Eater, Buick, GMC, Fuji Water, Infiniti, Target. Green & Blacks Chocolate, LG, Hornitos and so many other generous sponsors for making The Taste a memorable event for Los Angeles.
