Taste of LA: The Big Picture

Taste of LA is the definitive Los Angeles Food, Wine, Beer, and Craft Cocktail festival held annually Labor Day weekend. Hosted by The Los Angeles Times and held on the Paramount Studios back lot, there’s a copious amount of treats to feast on, and a whole bevy of restaurants, wineries, beer, and spirit purveyors to explore. Enter the back lot and you’re immediately at home in LA, because what’s more quintessentially Los Angeles than the film industry.

While the backdrop might be a fake city, the food here is anything but false. Attending this event for the second year, the overriding impression is that the food showcased represents the real Los Angeles. Trendy new spots, check. Comfort food favorites, that too. Great vegan treats, in delicious abundance. New dishes never seen, signature dishes, menu items that seem to shout out, you want to taste Los Angeles? Then taste me. Co-hosts for this year’s Taste were Chef Michael Fiorelli of the Manhattan Beach new-Italian Love & Salt,  Chef Gary Menes from downtown Los Angeles’  Le Comptoir, Chef Carlos Salgado from Costa Mesa’s  Taco María, Master Bartender Vincenzo Marianella, Chef Corina Weibel from Canele, in Northeast Los Angeles.

What were our favorites? Gadarene Swine’s astonishing coconut pudding. Freshology’s spoon of porridge and spice and edible flowers. Dandy Don’s chocolate ice cream, Rosatello wine’s Moscato, Doomie’s vegan “pork” sliders, Art of Tea’s incredible iced tea, Lamill coffee’s iced coffee, M Cafe’s everything, Skinny Pop popcorn.

Saturday, we attended Field to Fork, which celebrated fresh produce, locally sourced ingredients, root to stem sourcing, and a surprising amount of ice cream. The sweet treat was perfect on a day when temperatures crested in the high 90s.  Field to Fork was hosted by LA Times Food Writer and Columnist Russ Parsons, Chef Gary Menes of Le Comptoir, Leona’s Na’esha Arrington, Squirl’s Jessica Koslow , Niki Nakayama of n/naka, and Akasha Richmond of Akasha/Sambar.

Now the best way to experience this event is to taste it – and you should put it on your calendar for next year to do just that. But the second best way to experience it is to see it – so here’s Saturday and Sunday events in photos.

At Choctal, single origin ice cream is a delicious tribute to global rain forests – where their cacao and vanilla grow.

 

Beautiful greens, mushrooms, avocado gazpacho. So many bites, so little time. The Hudson, The District, Squirl, M Cafe…

 

 

 

 

Refreshing and caffeinated Bai? Or Star Vodka craft cocktails?

 

Brussel sprouts with goat cheese

 

Sweet corn was quite a treat from MRG Michael’s Restaurant Group in Long Beach.

 

Quenelle’s delicious gelato

 

 

 

Is there a food or drink event these days that isn’t served well by Stella Artois on tap?

 

Liquid nitrogen fruit flavored bliss – alchemy as dessert.

 

 

Australian delight: Sauvignon Blanc from down under – Matua wines.

 

 

Demos all day and into the night – learn from the best and taste their signature dishes.

 

Premium meals delivered to your door at Freshology. A flavor explosion in a spoon including edible flowers.

Made to order limited menu from Le Comptoir.

 

Asian cuisine delights.

 

 

 

Best ice cream of the day – and we did sample almost all of them – Dandy Don’s.

 

Flavor award: chocolate plus raspberry sorbet plus hot fudge. Keep it simple.

 

 

Gluten free, gourmet vodka from Deep Eddy out of Austin, Texas.

 

McConnells ice cream. That was pretty incredible, too.

 

Matcha Green Tea donuts from Hinoki and the Bird

 

 

Sunday brunch brought out the kind of cheerful crowd that could serve as extras on that back lot. Drenched in sunshine and heat slightly mor intense than Saturday,  the iced cold press coffees, frozen Kirin, and cool, sweet wines flowed; ice cream continued to be a big hit, too.

Rosatello winery’s delightfully light Moscato, sweet, dry, crisp, and perfect for a summer day.

Vegan pork sliders? You bet. This flavorful bet-you-can’t-eat-just one slider was flying off the platters. Doomie’s is located in the heart of Hollywood, and serves up meat-free versions of American classics.

Brunch is one of the highlights of any Los Angeles weekend, and this was an essentially bottomless brunch, offering tributes to LA favorites like honey Sriracha chicken biscuits from Free Range LA, scones with clotted cream with sugarplum jam from Canele, shaved mango ice with salted plum powder from Fluff Ice.

All Taste of LA Photos by Jack Burke and Genie Davis

• Genie Davis