I’m a LA native and former follower of the original 90210 show who had never explored Beverly Hills beyond Rodeo Drive until Six Taste’s memorable media preview of the limited edition Valentine’s food tour with fab bloggers like e*star LA, Backyard Bite, and The Dating Advice Girl. Our lovely tour guide, Celeste, took us on a culinary stroll, mainly along Canon Drive’s restaurant row, to six indulgent stops for delicious cheese, wine, spicy hot chocolate, oxtail, house-made spaghetti, truffle popcorn, lamb ribs, handmade chocolate, meet and greets with the chefs, private kitchen tours, and more. The Six Taste experts are not kidding when they tell you to come hungry; everyone was stuffed by the end, and we still had the rest of the gorgeous day ahead. What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day next year with old and new friends or a sweetie?
Here’s a recap of the fun and food and a preview of what Six Taste offers!
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, one of the oldest cheese stores in the US that opened in 1967, offers gourmet items like Turkish olive oil, caviar, and over 600 cheeses from around the world, including Australia and Canada. Owner Norbert Wabnig engaged us with his humor and cheese knowledge while serving fig cake with Bavarian double crème bleu cheese, white truffle honey and Parmesan, and a variety of goat, cow, and sheep’s milk cheeses.
We sampled warm, toasty handmade tequenos (cheese fingers, a staple wedding snack) with guava dip and spicy Maya hot chocolate (kicked up with cayenne) at the Venezuelan Coupa Café. The first Coupa Café started in Palo Alto, CA and became an organic breeding ground for new business ventures.
My favorite of three dishes at the romantic Erbe Matte (which means crazy herb, a nod to Korean Chef Louis Kim’s Italian creations fused with Korean spices) was the flavorful penne oxtail.
The house-made, signature spaghetti at Scarpetta was the best I had ever tasted. The pasta, which is finished with butter and coated with the perfect amount of sauce, was accompanied by red wine and fresh bread baked with gourmet meats. There were so many leftover spaghetti servings that some of the participant foodies took some home.
Thomas Keller’s French-inspired neigborhood Bouchon Bistro treated us to lamb ribs, truffle popcorn, and red wine on the sunny patio, and a private tour of the squeaky clean kitchen where no pan is used for more than one thing at a time. Fun fact: Keller was a consultant for Ratatouille and made a cameo in the film as a restaurant patron.
We sampled luxurious, handmade Belgium chocolates at last stop Madame Chocolat, whose owner and chocolatier, Hasty Torres, is happily married to chocolatier Jacques Torres, her former teacher. Jacques Torres’ father served us freshly made hot chocolate as we noshed on sweet gems like dark chocolate with amour liquid caramel and a splash of rum while staring at chocolate high-heeled shoes covered with edible glitter.
The start and stopping point of the incredibly indulgent food tour: the beautiful fountain courtyard of the Beverly Canon Gardens at the Montage. Thanks to the talented Howard Lee for the photographs!
Although Valentine’s Day is over, Six Taste offers other specialty and ongoing food tours that are perfect for a date or a celebration with friends!
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