Taste on Melrose (West Hollywood, CA)

by guest blogger @btsunoda

When the food and ambiance come together, a restaurant becomes a special place. Taste in West Hollywood is cute, hip, and not a pretentious place. Until recently, the only negative on the place was that it was small.

Taste on Melrose recently expanded their restaurant and added a courtyard and an Atrium. The  Zen-like courtyard was built in the rear of the original building which gives diners an al fresco option. 

Owners John Halter and Morten Kaag transformed a small dress shop into a romantic and stylish addition complete with a full bar and kitchen. The Atrium is attractively decorated and equipped with spot lighting which adds to the ambiance. A skylight offers daytime diners some nice indirect lighting.

The Atrium was built to serve different purposes. First, they needed more space added to the original restaurant and having the Atrium can address the overflow. With its own full bar and kitchen, It is also ideal for private parties; it even has a separate entrance.

I was recently hosted for dinner after the Atrium was opened. Our dinner started with the kale and persimmon caesar salad.
This salad was extremely colorful and I thought that the addition of persimmon and garlic married the ingredients nicely. Many chefs offer “seasonal” menus and it’s enjoyable for me to see the winter offerings.

Albacore tuna tataki included avocado, cucumbers, scallion, toasted sesame seeds, shallots with a Jalapeno Soy Citronette. This is a nice small bite starter that would pair with a white French (e.g., their Louis Latour, Montagny) or Pinot Gris wine.
The pear bruschetta with gorgonzola, caramelized onions and walnuts appetizer was very simple and I got addicted to it quickly. I went for seconds on this tasty starter.

One of their signature dishes, the White Truffle Mac and Cheese was served. What I particularly enjoyed about the dish was the inclusion of slivered crimini mushrooms. The buttery taste and the white truffle oil will delight your senses.

The “Caramelized cumin spiced pork chop” was prepared by caramelizing mojo sauce and adding a cumin rub to the exterior of the chop.

 The 10 oz pork chop was brined which made it super tender. This was my favorite dish of the evening.

The Crispy Parmesan Chicken Paillard was an unexpected surprise. 

While many chefs use Mary’s free range organic chicken, this was prepared in the paillard style which makes the chicken even more tender. With the addition of white gravy, this dish was a more modern take on fried chicken.

The grilled natural salmon with garlic sauteed spaghetti squash was cooked to my liking: crispy exterior and flakey soft inside. It was topped with a flavorful chipotle-tomato chutney and surrounded by a  tomatillo fresca.

Taste on Melrose recently introduced a gluten free Sunchoke risotto. This root vegetable is similar to artichoke in taste and is gaining in popularity. It was combined with Taleggio cheese and a parmigiano-pecorino blend.

My server said that I needed to try the chocolate hazelnut bread pudding. This was served warm with a nice thick crust and served with a hazelnut anglaise and toasted hazelnuts. To balance out the chocolate, it was served with a vanilla bean gelato. 

Make sure you save room to enjoy this dessert - you won’t regret it!

The pear financier cake was combined with cinnamon and, it too, was super crispy and fresh out of the oven - accompanied by a scoop of their vanilla bean gelato.

Dining at Taste was a very enjoyable experience and being in the Atrium made it more intimate. Valet parking and metered street parking is available.

Taste on Melrose

8454 Melrose Ave.

West Hollywood, CA 90069

http://ilovetaste.com/app/taste_melrose/