I recently attended the TASTE at Paramount Studios, presented by the LA Times. The Paramount lot was a fantastic venue to host such a memorable gastronomic event, “Flavors of LA.”

To say that there was every conceivable dish one can imagine is an understatement. We really had to pick and choose among some of the city’s best restaurants. With so many choices, it was difficult to decide on which tastes to try – here are some of my highlights:

My hands-down favorite was Manhattan Beach Post and their 62° egg with gumbo sauce and shrimp grits. Chef David LeFevre says “basically we cook the egg at 62° for 30 minutes and hold it until served. At the same time we have white corn grits and then we cook with chicken stock parmesan, marscapone, rosemary and garlic and then fold in shrimp. Lastly we have a gumbo stock that is based on holy trinity, brown roux, shrimp stock. chilis and Cajun spice. We finished with green onion and crispy garlic.”

See pix – Chef David LeFevre of MB Post

It was my first taste of the night – I have never tasted anything quite like it – melt-in your mouth with a chewy yet custardy satisfying texture that made me not want to eat anything else for the rest of the evening…(but of course I did) definitely worth a trip down to Manhattan Beach to have this again!! Accompanying this, I chose to try Matua, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that was light, refreshing and delicious especially on such a balmy evening.

See image: Planeta Wine serving up a tasty red

Some of the other wonderful wines we tried were Zaca Mesa of Santa Barbara County who served its delicious Syrah, Planeta who served its Cab, Laetitia Vineyard of Arroyo Grande’s Sparkling Brut which was very refreshing and delectable on this warm summer’s night. and 50 Shades of Grey’s Sauvignon Blanc, dare I say, was “mighty fine!”

Urban Garden Lebanese Kitchen, whose specialty is serving ancient food with a modern sensibility served small bites of chicken with a wonderful hummus.

Ayara Thai Cuisine served some delicious spicy corn and other mouthwatering tastes from Thailand.

Pizzeria Mozza offered a delicious and beautiful taste of marinated red and yellow baby peppers stuffed with tuna.

See Pix – Pizzeria Mozza offers its signature bites

Bowery Bungalo’s elegantly grilled chicken skewers serve on top of their delicious salad was fabulous.

No meal is complete without a little desert (and that’s about all I could possibly consume!) B Sweet’s hot bread pudding was melt in your mouth delicious – a great way to end a wonderful, tantalizing and scrumptious evening!!

2022 UPDATE: Unfortunately for all of us The Taste event is no longer taking place and the website has been shut down. See Destinations Section for a full list of food festivals or CLICK HERE for a direct link to the best LA annual Food Events.Visit the Stories Section; under Dining Drinking – the Events Page to read reviews of these food events or CLICK HERE for the direct link.