Melisse - The Amuse Bouche Says It All

The amuse bouche really set up expectations for the entire meal. We were given a shot glass with three layers of some tasty goodness. The top layer was a cashew foam. I couldn't even tell you what the other layers were except that it tasted sweet, warm, and inviting. There was also a small spoon with a mouthful of Ahi tartar. I knew I was in for a really good meal. One that combined traditional French techniques with modern ones and flavors from the old and new world.

To back track a little, when we first arrived were treated to 1/2 a purple grape coated in chevre cheese and rolled in crushed pistachios. We were also given some butter, but no bread. We requested the bread, and later we were "educated" by the head waiter that the chef prefers bread to be served after the amuse bouche. Oh, my faux pas. But, why the butter so soon when there's nothing to eat it with?

We chose to do the prix fixe menu for $105 with a dizzying array of combinations. Some items had an additional charge, such as the Egg Caviar +$20, which made it even more confusing. But, it was nice having the options. I'd rather have more choices then less.

Appetizers
Four Classical Oyster Perparations. The one I tried was in a shot glass with melon juice. The oyster had a mild taste of the ocean. The texture was soft and clean (meaning no sediment). The juice added a beautiful sweet and citrus combination. I didn't try the other three oysters, but my mom really enjoyed the oyster Rockefeller. She thought it was the best she's ever had.

Seared Foie Gras. It came with small carrots, some brown bread with some spicy red stuff. The foie gras was perfect. Not too oily or overwhelmingly heavy. The edges were crispy with a touch of salt. In my mouth the mouth felt soft and smooth with a bit of firmness. There was also a small melon sorbet to use as a taste cleanser.

Egg Caviar. The presentation was very cute. I was given a small egg in an decorative egg cup with a small spoon and a flaky cracker. The egg was soft boiled and cracked open at the top. It was piped to the brim with a rich creme fraiche/egg mixture. On the top was a sprinkling of American Osetra Caviar. The cracker was clearly too small for the amount of egg and caviar, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. I was licking my tiny spoon of every last morsel.

1st Course
Maine Lobster "Thermidor" The lobster that was presented in a metal pan on top of a spinach mash. It was very light and creamy and just the right portion of food.

Shrimp and Abalone. The shrimp were perfectly tender and not overcooked. I thought that I've had perfectly cooked shrimp before, but I was wrong. This was the definition of perfectly cooked. I couldn't believe it. The shrimp were not butterflied and as such did not appear to be deveined, but they looked clean. I want to learn that trick. The vegetables were also perfectly cooked. The lemongrass foam added complexity to the texture of the dish, but I could barely taste it. The abalone was cut up into tiny pieces and was hard to find.

Crispy Rouget (Red Mullet). It came onn a bed of mashed potatoes. This was one of my favorite dishes. The green sauce with fennel worked very well with the fish.

Main Course
Trio of Prime Beef : The filet mignon was perfect. I didn't like the beef that was braised overnight until it was fork tender. I felt that it was overcooked and the flavor of the marinade overwhelmed the flavor of the meat. We thought it was a trio, but I only noticed two cuts of beef. Maybe I lost my interest after the braised piece. The sides included a potato boulangere, which were slices of potato baked, stacked, and covered with a glaze. The spinach was layered with white asparagus. It looked very tempting, but I was too full to eat anymore. In retrospect should have tried it.

Veal Loin, Spare Rib and Cannelloni of Shank: Veal shank wrapped in pasta. Veal rib and loin. I didn't try it, so I can't comment. It looked pretty. The Cannelloni looked the most interesting. From my mom's reaction, I wasn't really missing out.

Sonoma Spring Lamb: My dish was piled high with lamb. The sauce on top was sweet and light. There was a green onion and a green onion puree. I enjoyed the squash.

Dessert
Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate (,Chocolate). The chocolate soufflé was made with high quality chocolate. The pot de crème was creamy. The "pop" was milk chocolate ice cream covered with white chocolate, with a little lollipop stick. Creative, but I'm not a huge white chocolate fan. Finally, a little chocolate peanut butter crunch, which was quite tasty.

Passion Fruit Parfait. It was described as fresh and light, and that's exactly what it tasted like. It was really delicious. I wanted to dislike it, but it was sweet, bright, and fruity. My dad even liked it and he usually isn't a fan of fruity desserts.

I ordered the Selection of Fine Cheeses. The waitress came by with the cheese cart, which had a huge assortment of cheeses. She dished out some pickled kumquats and pears. She even cracked open fresh walnuts for me. With her help, I made 4 cheese selections. I chose a sheep's cheese, a double crème brie-ish type one, a creamy cheesy flavorful one, and a standard blue (I'm not very good with the names of cheeses, I should have written the names down). The kumquats and pears went really well with the cheeses, or alone.

Finally, we were given little cookies from the chef. They were crunchy and reminded me of Danish Butter Cookies I used to get in a big blue tin. But, not as good, and definitely not buttery. They were more along the lines of a dry chips ahoy. I was bummed to end the meal on a down note like that.

Service: The servers were really nice, polite and professional. It was definitely fancy with multiple people coming to the table to serve the dishes (first to the women) at the table at the exact same time. The waitress was always on hand and described every dish in detail as it arrived.

Wine: Extensive wine list. Pages and pages. I chose Wine 8832 at a reasonable $45. I think it was from Provence. 2005. Delicious. Pleasantly surprised for a lower end wine. They decant wine in decanter. Wine glasses were filled at the beginning of each course.

Little details: Each course had some type of special plate with special utensils. Some utensils I'd never even seen before. It was fun and a new experience. I also liked that a few dishes had a small pile of kosher salt and pepper. I believe that even at the best restaurant, a person shouldn't feel guilty if they want to season their own food. Everyone's palate is different.

Surprisingly, formal dress or even business casual is not required. There was one young guy in there on a date with a ratty UCLA t-shirt and jeans.

Besides the cookies and a mis-charge for water on the bill (which was quickly corrected), it was an amazing experience. I can't wait to go back.

*****

Mélisse
1104 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: 310/395-0881
Fax: 310/395-3810
www.melisse.com