By hosting three days of events with names like "Cocktail Confidential" and "Flavors of LA," The LA Times' The Taste ensured that attendees were stuffed and satiated to maximum capacity over Labor Day weekend. 

The Paramount Studios lot was the perfect place to hold the series of festivities, giving The Taste the feel of a giant street fair, without the other nuisances of it actually being held in a public space.

Culinary heavy hitters such as Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger and Jonathan Gold were in attendance, as well as many other star chefs and mixologists.

After tasting the different bites and taking sips of the many drinks, attendees shared their opinions of the food with friendly strangers while standing in long lines for popular eateries such as Plan Check and Coolhaus. 

Because the sun was scorching hot during the "Flavors of LA" event, the winners in my book included the green juice from Pressed Juicery and the watermelon feta salad from A/K/A Bistro. The green juice included  kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, and celery, which probably tasted even more delicious in contrast to all the hearty and not-so-healthy bites around the rest of the event. 

The yellow watermelon “Greek salad” consisted of feta cheese, pickled cucumber, black olive tapenade, and mint. Not only was it cool and refreshing, but it hit impactful sweet, salty, savory and tangy notes all in just one little balanced bite. At an event where it was 4 hours of eating and drinking nonstop, it became necessary to pick and choose what to finish, but I would save a bit of extra real estate in my stomach just for another bite of this composed "salad."

Cooking demos as well as seminars like "Authentic Flavors of Mexico" and "Sake 101" were engaging and informative, whereas book signings gave the attendees a chance to meet their culinary idols.

During "Cocktail Confidential," Bulgarini served up a crowd favorite almond gelato topped with red wine. It was a heavenly combination, causing each of the flavors to combine and pop on the palette. It was worth the long line, despite the stand's slower service.

There were a wide range of wine and spirit purveyors, such as Cline Cellars, Peroni, VeeV Açaí Spirit, Karlsson's Gold Vodka, and Quint Sangria pouring glasses of their new and classic drinks. Many also crafted unique cocktails using hot sauce, lavender and basil leaves, or superfruits such as blackberries. 

Many restaurants paired their signature drinks with their food, a highlight being a pale ale with the truffle burger at the Blue Palms Brewhouse tent. 

Food trucks such as Waffles de Liege were also in attendance. The freshly made Liege waffles had the right amount of chewiness, with chunks of crunchy sugar sprinkled throughout the batter. Another notable dessert at "Flavors of LA" was Carvel 90210's unique ice cream dip flavors, such as cake batter and cotton candy. 

Indian and Indian fusion restaurants were quite popular as well, such as Mayura, RockSugar and Saffron Spot. Additionally, Tamarind of London and Susan Feniger's STREET both served tasty and tangy variations of "aloo puri" and "panipuri."

9021PHO had a delicious custom-made mini pho bowl assembled on the spot for its hungry guests, and Ombra served a succulent slice of veal and garnished it with an edible flower petal.

For the more adventurous eaters, Wurstküche served its juicy rattlesnake and rabbit sausages with yellow and red peppers.

Ranging from $65-$75 per event for general admission, it was well worth it for the unlimited food, drinks and sun that made for a delicious and indulgent Labor Day weekend. Guests left completely full, but surely seemed hungry for next year's event.

You can reach Tanaya Ghosh here, or follow her on Twitter.