ashamed comma Taste should be

I am ashamed. There's nothing to blame but lack of time, diligence, forethought and wherewithal for the absence of my recent "blogging." A Good Friend of Mine from the Past alerted me to my failing entry-rate when she told me, "I used to look at your blog to check out movies and see what you thought." And I cringed. Used to.

Can I at least do a once-a-month summary of my movie-guided travels? I should! I see a lot of good stuff out there! And now that I've landed well in this new city, I also want to say what I think about this city and what's inside it when I can. For instance, I ate dinner tonight at a restaurant called TASTE.

TASTE was awful. TASTE left a bad taste in my mouth. It's on Melrose, it's trendy, and I'd been looking forward to dining there. Not because I'd "heard good things," but quite genuinely, I'd checked out the menu in advance and started salivating a little bit. That's a good sign. We started with the calamari--fantastic. Peppery, salted, nice sauce. But then we had the appetizer mushroom mac-and-cheese, which was too small to share, and then I opted for the starter crab cakes as my meal. That's when it went alllll downhill.

I judge restaurants on two things these days: their wine selection and their crab cakes. Honest. TASTE lost in both categories. Can I first say they didn't have ONE French wine by the glass? I know we're in California, but Sonoma Valley Chardonnay still pales to a bubbly Chablis. I know nothing about wine, and I still say this, so it must be true. I hate Chardonnay. I settled for a Marlborough Savignon, which was fruity and not bad (though I would have still preferred something French), so I decided things were looking upwards of mediocre at least. But then the crab cakes arrived.

On a scale of 1-10, they were...a 2. Only because the side salad with which they were served was quite tasty. What was that dressing? I was too busy frowning at my must-have-been-WalMart-freezer-section-bought crab cakes to take the time to ask the waiter. Not only were they served just under room temperature, but they were only crispy on top (strange feat) and...did I mention they were cold? And they gave me a dabble of aioli sauce that did little if anything to flavor their bland slightly burnt exterior. Damn you, Taste! You were foul indeed. Don't go to this restaurant.

On a scale of 1-5: 2.5 for decor, 3 if we include service, but back to 2.5 if you remember the crab cakes.

And if you're planning for guests here, please note that TASTE charges a $20 fee for every person who doesn't show up in your party--zing!