Blogger Meetups

Today I am guest posting over at Blonde Episodes. Please stop by and check out my Christmas in LA post!

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The last few days I have been lucky enough to do two blogger meetups. One was with Claire of Bicoastally last week while I was vacationing in San Francisco and the other was this weekend in Los Angeles hosted by Joelle of Something Charming.

Joelle arranged for several L.A. bloggers to meet at Taste on Melrose (one of my fav places to dine!) for brunch. It was wonderful! Good food, great conversation, and meeting ladies who love blogging. Also in attendance were Julie of Smitten Mintons, Amanda of Beginning of Everything, and a non-blogger, Tiffany. Here are a few group photos courtesy of Amanda:

Me, Tiffany, Joelle, Amanda, Julie

Tiffany and me

Amanda, Tiffany, me, Joelle, and Julie

And take a look at what I ordered. Bottomless mimosas for $14 and the porcini mushroom omelette yum!



As for my meetup with Claire, it was more of a reunion. I met Claire in person earlier this year and we really hit it off and bonded right away. She's amazing and I highly recommend you check out Bicoastally if you aren't familiar with her blog.

Since I was in her neck of the woods we went to a restaurant that she recommended, farmerbrown. It was the perfect Southern meal. I ordered the ribs and a side of cheese grits and really enjoyed it. But even more than the food, I enjoyed my company! It was like Claire and I were old friends that had never been apart.

Claire and me

Looking forward to many more meetups with these wonderful ladies in the future!

The rest of the week will focus on my San Fran trip. So I hope you're ready for photo overloads ;)

Taste on Melrose

Last week I was fortunate enough to be invited to Taste on Melrose for a meal and to learn about the current restaurant specials and upcoming events. Situated on Melrose, just below La Cienega, and just past swanky stores like Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, and Diane von Fürstenberg, the establishment provides the fine dining that you'd expect in a relaxed, yet upscale setting. But, to my delight, I found that all of the eatery's prices are extremely reasonable!

For example, there is a lunch special that consists of pasta and salad, or soup or salad and a sandwich for only $8.50. That's a full meal at a great restaurant for about the same as what you'd pay for fast food. Also at the top of my list, the ability to build your own grilled cheese sandwich and the prix fix menus (because let's just be honest, sometimes we're all indecisive and it's nice to let someone else pick what you're going to eat!).

ahi tuna tartare

thai chicken cups

side salad

white truffle oil and mushroom mac & cheese

chocolate decadence cake

My host ordered the kobe beef cheese burger and it looked delicious. I haven't eaten red meat in nearly two years but I was about five seconds away from snagging that burger right off his plate!

kobe beef cheese burger

And what goes better with great food than booze?! Every month Taste has a "featured cocktail" - this month is a Pomegranate Basil Sangria served with raspberries and blueberries. This drink combines all of my favs: sangria, champagne, and fresh fruit. The best thing is it tastes SO good without tasting like alcohol and does the trick about halfway in. That's my kind of drink!

Happy hour happens Tuesday through Sunday 4pm-6pm. Well drinks are $4 and specialty cocktails are $6. As for happy hour food, small plates are $3.50-5. The thought of that sangria is enticing me to happy hour as I type!

Obviously, I am all for Taste and can't say enough good things about the restaurant. I highly suggest this place to everyone. For those of you who live in the LA area (or even those who plan on visiting) and would like to learn more about Taste, here are some cool tips:

- There are actually two restaurant locations: Taste on Melrose (8454 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA, 90069) and Taste in the Palisades (538 Palisades Drive, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272).

-Bottles of wine are 1/2 off on Wine Discovery Mondays (Melrose location) and Wine Discovery Tuesdays (Palisades location).

-Brunch every Saturday and Sunday - and with your purchase of a $13 entree you can also buy bottomless mimosas or bubbly for an additional $13 fee.

-Have Thanksgiving dinner catered by Taste. Pick the items off their Thanksgiving menu and let the restaurant do all of the cooking for you.

For up-to-date info, be sure to check out Taste's facebook page and twitter account!

Photos courtesy of: Taste and my camera

Disclaimer: My meal was provided for free; however, this review is completely accurate. In no way was my opinion of the food and restaurant swayed.