Cozy cousin to the chic

It takes deep pockets to hang at Koi or Dolce every night, as many a young hipster would love to do. For the pocket-impaired, there’s Taste, a new Melrose Avenue restaurant a stone’s throw from Ago and Lucques, just east of La Cienega Boulevard.

It has a sweet little patio in front and a couple of minuscule, but romantic, dining rooms inside. Stepping into the place now, you’d never guess that just months ago, this was a funky shrimp shack. It just goes to show what a savvy designer can do, even with limited resources.

Taste has something to offer that few of the big, brash places do -- namely, a cozy place to stop in for a light supper. And in this weather, the little patio in front is pure gold.

Twentysomethings, bangled and bejeweled, with gauzy summer skirts grazing their ankles, wait for a table, heads together, gossiping or flirting with that guy at the table in the corner (who is shortly joined by three other guys).

The staff is invariably pleasant, if harried, and the menu is priced to be affordable -- amazing, really, for this part of town, where $30 main courses are more or less the norm. Here, only one main course hits the $20 mark. Most are two or three dollars less. And first courses are mostly in the $6 to $10 range.

A pizzetta covered with roasted pears, caramelized onion and Gorgonzola scattered with walnuts is delicious. The crust is crisp and thin, the toppings very tasty. So we order a second, this one topped with smoked mozzarella, slow-roasted tomatoes and cremini mushrooms. I could eat this on my own for dinner with a salad, but we divide it four ways.

We also order a pleasant salad of shaved fennel, avocado and tangerines in a citrus vinaigrette. Pommes frites as a first course? Why not? They’re decent, and they come with three sauces: garlic aioli, remoulade and good old ketchup.

Unfortunately, on the night of my visit, nothing that followed was nearly as good. Salmon spring rolls were just a bit dull. Cappellini with artichokes was gummy and overcooked. (When we sent it back to the kitchen, the chef obviously agreed and we weren’t charged.) Sauteed wild salmon filet was overcooked; the risotto that came with it had nice flavors, though.

Chicken paillard dusted with Parmesan was OK. And I liked the way the New York strip steak was served -- with a pretty herb butter on top. Chuck roast braised in red wine and served with noodles and a bright-tasting gremolata was the best of the lot.

It could be that executive chef Cathy Halter was not in the kitchen this night. It could be any number of things. A single visit to a restaurant doesn’t give enough information to judge.

But certainly, the moderate prices and that breezy little patio where you can watch the West Hollywood world go by can soften the disappointment. It’s only dinner, after all, and look, Knit Cafe is still open across the street. Between courses, you could sprint across the street and pick up that new book or those ebony knitting needles you’ve been coveting. And be back in time for some ice cream or a big bowl of berry cobbler.

At Taste, it’s location, location, location. And sometimes that’s quite enough, when the location is the design-savvy end of Melrose Avenue.

*

Taste

Where: 8454 Melrose Ave.,

West Hollywood

When: 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 5:30 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Valet parking.

Cost: Starters, $6.50 to $11; main courses, $14 to $20; desserts, $6 to $7

Contact: (323) 852-6888