Melisse
Average user Rating: 93
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Mélisse combines the sophistication of traditional French cuisine with contemporary American sensibilities. The menu reflects seasonal and specialty items carefully selected and intricately prepared by Chef Josiah Citrin. The wine list may be extensive but still easily accessible. Citrin's emphasis on display influences remarkable plating designs.
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93
1/9/2010
Fanciful settings are in short supply these days, and in Los Angeles, they tend to border on the garish or are riddled by Phillipe Starck or B-list celebrities. Fanciful food settings know no different though the next new imaginitive "best thing" in Los Angeles has likely taken up shop in a roving food truck or taco stand. Now, more than ever, new and interesting brick and mortar restaurants really have their work cut out for them. Working hard to invent is one thing, but to survive, continue to innovate and maintain that certain level of “new and interesting” is another thing. And when you add to the equation Michelin's now departed but ever looming shadow on the city, perfection becomes an important variable in the equation.
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89
7/27/2009
In Los Angeles, where restaurants are continually turning over with name and ownership changes, a revolving door of management/chef swaps and unfortunately closing altogether, it's pretty impressive that an eatery will last more than a couple of years. So when Santa Monica's Melisse announced their ten-year anniversary, it was definitely good reason for them to celebrate their longevity and being a quintessential fine dining establishment. And celebrate they did -- by offering a special menu in July highlighting ten favorite dishes from their decade in business for $150/person.
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Recommended Dishes
mandarin tomato soup, "egg caviar", the cheese cart
93
7/22/2009
The entire month of July Melisse celebrated their 10 year anniversary with a prix fixe menu of their ten favorite dishes. This was Melisse in full form.
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Recommended Dishes
lobster bolognese, chocolate souffle
96
7/20/2009
If I ever had a best meal of 2009 award, this place easily deserved that honor. Great service throughout the night with each passing dishes progressing better and better. It ended with a big bang in the final course and closed out with a flurry with the excellent desserts.
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93
Mélisse (Santa Monica, CA)
3/10/2009
Mélisse had been on my radar for what seemed like forever, but for whatever reason, I'd never got around to going, until now. I had the Carte Blanche menu, at a hefty $210 per person.
Amuse Bouche: Grape, Goat Cheese, Pistachio
Sort of Mélisse's signature amuse, we have here a single grape, covered in goat cheese, and coated with pistachio bits. The cheese was the first thing to hit me, with its creamy, slightly sour flavor. This was followed up by the sweet, juicy flesh of the grape, which subsequently gave way to a lingering finish of salty pistachio--an interesting way to kick things off.
1: Ahi Tuna
Yuzu Emulsion. This was a very straightforward looking presentation of ahi, but surprised both of us in terms of flavor. The initial taste was light, clean and fruity, quickly leading to a salty zest. However, the tuna left a surprisingly strong lingering fishiness, which was rather unexpected for the normally mild ahi.
2: Fennel Flan
Orange Gelée, Cashew Mousse, Vanilla Essence. We were instructed to eat this from bottom up, in order to properly embrace all the elements at play here, to experience the transitions from sweet to savory, from warm too cool. The result was quite satisfying: a multi-layered, multi-faceted study in temperature, texture, and taste.
3: Artichoke Soup
Confit Roma Tomatoes, Parmesan Reggiano Croquette, Lemon Essence, Shaved Black Truffle. The croquette here reminded me of a Tater Tot(!) and really complemented the hearty artichoke soup, while the freshly shaved truffle provided an overarching, earthy aroma that tied everything together. The tomato confit, meanwhile, added a marked tartness to the dish to counteract all the richness. Very nice.
4: American Osetra
Arctic Char, Potato Blinis, Lemon Crème Fraîche. The Arctic char is closely related to salmon, and thus unsurprisingly, worked beautifully here. The amalgam of the blini and char formed a delicious combination that was further accentuated first by the tartness of the crème fraîche, then by the salty tang of the caviar. A classic combination, perfectly executed.
Supplement: True Japanese Wagyu Beef "Kobe" Tartare "Potato Millefeuille" [$45.00]
Traditional Garnishes. This was a superb tartare; I loved the contrast between the crunchy potato chip and the soft Wagyu, and how the richness of the beef was further heightened by the creaminess of the egg yolk. The only problem was that the beef wasn't uniquely Wagyu; it really could've been any quality cut of beef--that is, the superior marbling and texture of Wagyu wasn't apparent here.
Supplement: Truffle Egg [$55.00]
Melting Organic Egg, Shaved Black Truffles, Truffle Sauce, Jus de Rôti. An absolutely fascinating dish; I've never had anything quite like it before. The first thing that hits you is the intense, earthy aroma of the freshly shaven black truffle. The truffle then takes a back seat as you taste the egg. The egg "white" had a positively unique texture; it was light, airy, fluffy, ethereal, with a very subtle egg flavor. Inside was the runny yolk, which contrary to the egg white, was a rich, creamy base that integrated the various aspects of the dish, moderating the truffle, egg white, and jus. My dining companion even stated that it was "like eating breakfast."
5: Duo of Mélisse Foie Gras
Pink Lady Apple, Broccoli, Truffle Essence, Tarragon-Sauternes Gastrique. Regular readers will know that when it comes to foie gras, I'm definitely a terrine guy. So imagine my surprise when I actually preferred the seared presentation here. My usual complaints are attributable to either an overly strong flavor of the liver, or to the overt sweetness of the foie's accoutrements. Neither case was present here; instead, the flavor was delicate and subtle, with the essence of foie gras coming to the fore in just the right amount. The lentils, meanwhile, proved to be a superb contrast to cut the richness of the foie. Simply one of the best seared presentations I've had in recently memory. The terrine, on the other hand, fell a bit short, as the foie's natural flavor was somewhat subdued, instead replaced by a salty finish. The pâté was also served warmer than I prefer, with a consistency that was slightly too mushy.
6: Maine Diver Scallop
Arugula, Endives, Fumet d'Oursin. The scallop itself was just about perfectly cooked, with a lovely charred, flavorful exterior surrounding a cool, delicate, sweet interior replete with the essence of scallop. Meanwhile, the fumet d'oursin, basically a sea urchin roe sauce, lent a rich creaminess to the dish that nicely accented the mollusk. A very nice presentation of scallop, though a bit boring according to my dining companion.
7: French Turbot
Sweet Pea, Morels, White Wine Mousseline, Pea Shoot Purée. Turbot is an interesting fish. The example here had a firm, flaky texture that was somewhat dry. The fish can be very delicate, but the morels and mousseline gave the turbot a creamy, buttery, rich flavor that was a bit surprising. The use of peas here was a wonderful and necessary contrast to the gravity of the fish.
8: Trio of Berkshire Pork
Meyer Lemon Stuffed Dates, Braised Cabbage, Sauce Aigre Doux. The trio consisted of pork belly, leg, and loin, as pictured above. The belly was what you'd expect from pork belly--sweet, smoky, fatty, and rich as it should be; it was my dining companion's favorite, though it was perhaps a bit blunt for me. I preferred the leg, which had a much more pleasing herbal and spicy flavor to go along with the sweetness from the agrodolce, while the flesh was noticeably less fatty; it was my favorite of the troika. Finally, the loin was sort of a like a cross between the two, tasty but a bit nondescript. I found the date unnecessary, though I enjoyed the braised cabbage, which was reminiscent of sauerkraut.
9: Prime Beef Filet Wellington
Potato Pavé, Swiss Chard, Perigordine Sauce. Interestingly, the last beef Wellington I had was also prepared under the auspices of Chef Citrin (at the 5x5 Chef's Collaborative dinner at Providence). In any case, this version had a layer of braised short rib between the tenderloin and puff pastry surround. The end result was quite pleasing, with the short rib lending a richer flavor to the subtle flavor of the filet. This was further heightened by the heady Périgueux sauce. My dining companion described the taste as "familiar."
***Please refer to the review linked below for courses 10 through 13.***
I came into Mélisse with pretty high expectations, and much to my surprise, they were met, perhaps even exceeded--it was certainly one of the top meals I've had in Southern California. My dining companion mentioned that Mélisse was one of his favorite restaurants in the city, and I can see why. Urasawa's easily my number one, but I'd place Mélisse no lower than third. It's a solid Michelin two-star establishment, but to gain that one more coveted étoile, Mélisse needs to step it up a notch. I cannot fault the quality of ingredients, or the precision of the preparation. However, what I want to see is a little more innovation, creativity, and risk-taking (especially with regard to dessert). I get a feeling of complacency, of settling into routine. I know Citrin and company are up to the challenge, but how bad do they really want it?
Full review with photos:
http://www.kevinea ts.com/2009/02/melisse-sant a-monica-ca.htm
89
Good, but over-rated
6/26/2008
I was really excited to go to Melisse, considering that it got two Michellin stars, but I left a bit disappointed.
We ordered the tasting menu, so it should have been a sample of everything good. The food was nice, but not as precise as I would have expected. Maybe it was due to the crowd factor -- it was packed -- as well as the above-average noise level.
The waitress seemed rushed and eager to sell the most expensive things on the menu. We also got the wine pairings, and that saved the evening. The sommalier was friendly, generous and knowledgeable.
If it wasn't for the high expectations, I would have called it a good evening. But with a hype, we left disappointed.
100
6/24/2009
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