The Taste by The L.A. Times

Visitors can enjoy five distinct culinary events this weekend at The Taste, hosted by the Los Angeles Times, a Labor Day food fest at Paramount Studios. Opening night festivities will be held on Friday, Sept. 4 beginning at 7:30 p.m., with participating restaurants including Alma, Ayara Thai, BierBeisl Imbiss & Bakery, Coni’s Seafood, Eveleigh, Faith & Flower, Little Sister, Sotto Restaurant and Sushi Roku. On Saturday, Sept. 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Russ Parsons, food writer and columnist for the L.A. Times, and Gary Menes, chef of Le Comptoir, will host Field to Fork, an event spotlighting seasonal and sustainable dining. At 7:30 p.m., L.A. Times food critic Jonathan Gold, deputy food editor Jenn Harris, and Michael Fiorelli, chef/owner of Love & Salt, will host Dinner With a Twist, an event at which guests can enjoy unique dishes from some of the city’s hottest chefs and drinks that have brought Southern California’s cutting-edge cocktail culture into a golden age. Master mixologist Vincenzo Marianella will pour wine, beer and spirits. Boozy upgrades are $50 and include unique wine pours and a one-on-one session with experts in The Taste’s Secret Cellar prior to the event. On Sunday, Sept. 6 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., Noelle Carter, Times Test Kitchen director; Amy Scattergood, L.A. Times food editor; and Corina Weibel, chef/owner of Canelé, will host the Sunday Brunch and Barbecue event, featuring cooking and mixology demos, wine seminars and panel discussions. Flavors of L.A., hosted by Gold and Carlos Salgado, chef/owner of Taco Maria, will be held on Sept. 6 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. The event showcases the benefits of serving meals in a bowl. Guests will enjoy demos by Salgado, Curtis Stone (Maude), Wes Avila (Guerilla Tacos) and Suzanne Tracht (Jar). Participating restaurants include AKASHA, Artisan House, Border Grill, Chi Spacca, Hyde Sunset, Lukshon, Madcapra, Napa Valley Grille, Plan Check Kitchen + Bar, Proof Bakery, Taco Maria, The Springs, and Worldwide Tacos. Opening night tickets are $150. Individual tickets for Saturday and Sunday start at $100 per event. Patrons must be 21 or older; LA Times subscribers save $25 on tickets for Saturday and Sunday events. 5555 Melrose Ave. Tickets available at http://events.latimes.com/taste/tickets.

Ocean Prime Beverly Hills

Ocean Prime is featuring a new Flavors of Sonoma wine pairing menu during California Wine Month in September. One of the new seasonal menu items is heirloom tomato salad with arugula and Humboldt Fog goat cheese paired with Arrowood chardonnay. Ocean Prime Beverly Hills will participate in L.A. Times The Taste on Sept. 4 and Sept. 6, highlighting its signature dishes. On Sunday, Sept. 6, the restaurant will feature live cooking demonstrations and panel discussions. Ocean Prime Beverly Hills has also added two additional nights of music to its al fresco dining series on the terrace. Every Friday and Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m., guests can hear the acoustic music of Nick Boddington and James McNeiece. The restaurant has also permanently extended its happy hour from 4 to 8 p.m. every Monday through Friday. Diners can enjoy prime bites and half-off sushi, specially priced cocktails, wine, sake and beer. 9595 Wilshire Blvd. (310)859-4818.

Messhall

Messhall will be open for brunch Labor Day weekend from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Monday, Sept. 7, they’re open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with regular dinner service starting at 5 p.m. Additionally, for one week starting on Sept. 6, Chef Pritchett will prepare biscuits and gravy combos that include sweet potato biscuits with pulled pork covered in chocolate mole gravy, and green onion biscuits with creole shrimp covered with “hot mess” gravy. For those with a sweet tooth, Pritchett’s buttermilk biscuits are topped with chilled strawberry Romanoff gravy. 4500 Los Feliz Blvd. (323)660-6377.

Labor Day at Terrine

On Monday, Sept. 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., the California brasserie Terrine will host a barbecue on the restaurant’s patio. Chef and owner Kris Morningstar, along with partners Stephane Bombet and François Renaud, will offer an all-you-can-eat barbecue featuring traditional, American-favorites prepared with Terrine’s French-California dishes. The menu features pickle brine fried chicken and swordfish brochettes with classic sides such as crispy potato and Hatch chile tacos, and Frito pie with Texas chili and cheese. Chef Morningstar will interact with guests from behind the grill and offer unlimited bites served on stations for $35 per person. Desserts include sticky toffee cornbread, blondies with pecans and magic cookie bars. Guests will also enjoy special beers and Ancient Age bourbon cocktails from head bartender Ryan Wainwright, including Kentucky mules with ginger, lime and soda; brown derbys with grapefruit and honey; and California golds with Dale’s Pale Ale, lemon, honey and atomized angostura bitters. Cocktails are $8-11. 8265 Beverly Blvd. (323)746-5130.

E.P. & L.P. special dinner

On Monday, Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m., executive chef Louis Tikaram will team with internationally recognized chefs and longtime Aussie mates Dan Hong, from Mr. Wong, Ms. G’s, Papi Chulo and El Loco in Sydney, and Jowett Yu, from Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong, for a seven-course modern Asian dinner. The three executive chefs met early in their careers in Sydney. They are joining forces to offer modern Asian cuisine with flavors of Fiji and the South Pacific, Vietnam and Taiwan. Each chef will bring his unique background and style to the table, with plates served family-style for guests to share. Starters include prawn toast and mini chicken katsu banh mi. Entrées include drunken cloudy bay clams, salt and pepper lamb cutlets, New Zealand snapper curry, roast short rib and steamed asparagus with oyster sauce and crab meat. The cost is $125 per person. 603 N. La Cienega Blvd. (310)855-9955.

Cur-ATE dinner at Ray’s & Stark Bar

In partnership with LACMA and ArtBites, the next “Cur-ATE” dinner explores the unique marriage of fine art and culinary art. ArtBites founder Maite Gomez-Rejón will lead a tour on surrealism on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m. Participants will discover the role of food in historical and social contexts as displayed in surrealist art, and indulge in a four-course meal with a French and Spanish flair inspired by Salvador Dali’s cookbook, “Les Diners de Gala”. Chef Viet Pham, of Ray’s & Stark Bar, will prepare a dinner with wine and cocktail pairings at an additional cost. Guests will meet at the BP Grand Entrance in front of Ray’s & Stark Bar. The cost is $90 per person for LACMA members; $100 for non-members. Reservations required. 5905 Wilshire Blvd. (323)857-6010.

Barbecue at the Hotel Bel Air

Hotel Bel Air presents a visiting chef series on Wednesday, Sept. 9 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For the first time, renowned master chefs Wolfgang Puck, Francis Mallmann and Adam Perry Lang will unite to celebrate their distinct styles and unique preparations of barbecue. The front lawn of the hotel will be transformed with communal tables among the gardens. The special dinner includes pairings from Argentine winemaker Bodega Catena Zapata. L.A. Specialty, Newport Meat and champagne producer Henriot are sponsoring the event. All excess prepared food will be redistributed to people in need through the Chefs to End Hunger initiative. The special evening is $175 per person. Guests can purchase signed copies of each chef’s most recent cookbooks, including “Wolfgang Puck Makes It Healthy: Light, Delicious Recipes and Easy Exercises for a Better Life”; “Mallmann on Fire”; and “Chef Lang’s Serious Barbecue”. Attendees who already own the cookbooks may bring them to be signed as well. 701 Stone Canyon Rd. (310)909-1644.

Garden to your glass at Tanzy

Tanzy Restaurant, a garden-fresh Italian dining concept helmed by James Beard Award winning chef Sherry Yard, is celebrating garden-to-glass cocktails in September with a flight of four priced at $11. Tanzy’s master mixologist and advanced sommelier Adam Seger will create a flight of four, five-ounce cocktails using garden-fresh ingredients that include basil and fennel, and garnished with fresh herbs and fruits. Fennel gin and tonics, apple margaritas, vodka spiked strawberry lemonades and basil rum punches will be served. 10840 Wilshire Blvd. (310)307-7004.

New tapas hour at smoke.oil.salt

Consulting executive chef Ricardo Zarate has launched a tapas hour menu featuring a selection of new small plates available every Monday through Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tapas can be ordered a la carte, or diners can enjoy three dishes for $19. The menu includes crispy chicken with serrano ham and brava sauce, and grilled scallops with pea puree, hazelnuts and lemon aioli. The tapas can be paired with sangria, cava, kalimotxo and a daily selection of wines for $7 per glass. 7274 Melrose Ave. (323)930-7900.