June 24, 2015: Mélisse

Since Christal was in the midst of some end of rotation tests during our second anniversary we ended up celebrating it a week late. I had been wanting to try Mélisse for a long time, probably several years before dental school, so we decided to give it a try. Mélisse has been one of, if not the highest rated restaurants in the Los Angeles area and the chef/owner, Josiah Citrin, has been highly acclaimed for all of his work at the restaurant. When I made the reservation I let them know that we were celebrating our anniversary and they gave us a nice box of chocolate truffles as a gift. We ended up ordering the four course menu instead of the ten course menu because Christal thought she would be too full halfway through the ten course menu, and she was probably right, since she was pretty full at the end of the four course meal.

Happy Anniversary!!!

The meal started with a couple of amuse bouches, the first of which was tomato, goat cheese and pistachio two ways. One way was a fresh cherry tomato with a thin layer of fresh goat cheese encompassing it and sprinkled with crushed pistachios. This preparation was very simple and highlighted the tomato with the goat cheese playing more of a complimentary role. The second preparation was a liquefied goat cheese enrobed in a tomato gelée and sprinkled with pistachios. With this preparation the goat cheese was the star and the tomato was the complimentary player. They were complete opposites of each other, one was the definition of simplicity and the other was the leading edge of modern cuisine. They both showcased the ingredients in extraordinary ways and the flavors were crisp and clean.

Tomato, Goat Cheese & Pistachio Amuse Bouche

The second amuse bouche was a ridgeback shrimp with espelette pepper and mint and a cucumber chawan mushi with orange gelée. The shrimp was super fresh with a sweet, bright flavor and a firm, crisp texture. I had trouble discerning the espelette pepper, but the mint added a nice complement to the flavor of the shrimp. The cucumber chawan mushi was the most enlightening thing about the whole dish. It had the perfectly silky, smooth texture of a great custard and was packed with cucumber flavor. It was sweeter than traditional chawan mushi and the sweetness of the cucumber stood out. The orange gelée added the savory element to the chawan mushi. It was a very thin layer, and it was so savory it almost had a tomatoey flavor to it.

Ridgeback Shrimp w Espelette Pepper & Mint and Cucumber Chawan Mushi w Orange Gelée

For her first course Christal chose the Santa Barbara spot prawns with crème d'oursins, celtuce and citrus chive butter. The prawns were cooked perfectly. They had a firm, yet tender texture and a sweet, briny flavor that really fresh seafood tends to have. The crème d'oursins, or sea urchin cream, gave the dish a smooth richness, while the citrus chive butter contributed the acidity and herbaceous richness to compliment the prawns. The celtuce added a vegetable crunch and green freshness to the dish. Everything married together seamlessly and after the prawns were finished we just wanted to soak up the remaining urchin cream, butter and broth at the bottom of the bowl with the basil brioche buns they gave us.

Santa Barbara Spot Prawns w Crème D'Oursins, Celtuce & Citrus Chive Butter

My choice for the first course was the egg caviar with soft poached egg, lemon-chive créme fraîche and American osetra caviar. This dish was one of chef Citrin's signature dishes for a long time. Caviar and eggs are a classic combination and it was easy to see why. The salty richness of the caviar with the soft richness of the soft poached egg meld together with ease and the lemon-chive créme fraîche provided the acidity to lift the whole dish. While I was eating it I was wishing I could just dip my spoon into the eggshell and scooping it all out endlessly.

Egg Caviar w Soft Poached Egg, Lemon-Chive Crème Frâiche & American Osetra Caviar

Christal ordered the Stonington Maine halibut with green chickpeas, Bloomsdale spinach and porcini mushroom velouté for her fish course. The halibut was cooked perfectly, bringing out the firm, flaky texture that is a trademark with halibut, and it was still extremely moist. The green chickpeas and spinach were minced into a course paste that added an interesting texture and nutty flavor to the dish. To me the mushroom velouté was the clincher for the dish. Maybe it's because I love porcini mushrooms, but the velouté sauce lifted the halibut with the earthy richness of the porcinis and its smooth texture mirroring the silkiness of the fish.

Stonington Maine Halibut w Green Chickpeas, Bloomsdale Spinach & Porcini Mushroom Velouté

My fish course was the lobster bolognese with fresh capellini, basil and brown butter truffle froth. This was another of chef Citrin's signature dishes and perhaps the dish he is most known for. When they brought the dish out the froth was piled high on top of a generous cylinder of the pasta and the waiter suggested cutting off individual bites so that the froth would keep its integrity. The capellini was nicely al dente retaining a nice chewy texture yet still tender at the same time and the amount of tomato sauce it was tossed in was just right. Each noodle was sufficiently coated, but the sauce did not overpower the pasta and you could taste just a hint of basil in each bite. The lobster in the dish was more than a sufficient amount, with each bite having several pieces of the sweet, succulent meat and the brown butter truffle froth added a nutty richness to each bite that helped balance the acidity of the tomatoes and the herbaceousness of the basil. Overall the entire dish was perfectly balanced and left me wanting more.

Lobster Bolognese w Fresh Capellini, Basil & Brown Butter Truffle Froth

For her meat course Christal chose the dry aged New York steak with braised beef cheek, sprouting broccoli, Nantes carrot puree, nasturtium and red wine herb jus. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare and it was packed with beefy flavor that only comes from dry aging. The only slight criticism was that it could have been a little more tender, but the flavor and succulence of the meat more than made up for it. The cube of braised beef cheek was fall-apart tender, yet it still held its shape with ease when we cut into it. The red wine herb jus was the perfect sauce for the steak. It had a deep brown color and it was full of the unctuous mouth feel of collagen from long simmered bones and the flavor was rich, savory and packed with meaty flavor. The broccoli and nasturtium added a nice bitterness to offset the richness of the beef and jus and the carrot puree added a refreshing sweetness to bring the whole dish together.

Dry Aged New York Steak w Braised Beef Cheeks, Sprouting Broccoli, Nantes Carrot, Nasturtium & Red Wine Herb Jus

I decided to go with the 21 day aged Liberty Farms duck with eggplant, black olives, young leek and black walnuts. The skin on this duck was probably the crispiest skin I have ever had on a duck dish that wasn't Peking duck. The fat was rendered out nicely so that the skin itself was nice and thin and the flesh was cooked to a medium rare with plenty of moisture still remaining in the meat. The black olives were neatly piled onto the eggplant, which made for a salty bite that helped cut through the rich duck meat. The young leek was nicely caramelized, and it brought out the sweetness of the allium and enhanced the sweetness in the duck. The black walnuts were ground into a black paste that had a musty, rich, nutty flavor that brought out the earthiness of the aged duck. There was also a seasoned salt and a spice mixture that were sprinkled on the plate that both lended an added complexity to the dish.

21 Day Aged Liberty Duck w Eggplant, Black Olives, Young Leek & Black Walnuts

For a side dish the kitchen sent out pommes puree, or mashed potatoes. They were luxuriously rich and you could taste that the potatoes were laden with butter. The texture was silky smooth and made you want to just keep spooning it into your piehole.

Pommes Puree

Christal ordered the apricot parfait with lemon verbena, lemongrass, ricotta and meringue for her dessert course. The parfait itself had a pastel orange color to it with a soft, creamy texture and a pure apricot flavor. The sorbet on top had a delicate lemongrass flavor that was very clean and refreshing on the palate. There was a "broth" that they poured around it that was yogurty with a lemon verbena finish. The ricotta was whipped and piped onto the plate in little dollops and when you ate them they had a fluffiness to them and then kind of melted away. The whole dish was topped off with crispy meringue sticks that added a really nice texture contrast to everything else in the dish.

Apricot Parfait w Lemon Verbena, Lemongrass, Ricotta & Meringue

My dessert was the "tarte aux fraises" with rose geranium, sheep's yogurt and graham cracker. It was basically a deconstructed strawberry tart and it was delicious. The strawberries were vine ripened and at the peak of their ripeness, which made the decision to leave them raw key to the whole dish. The rose geranium was used in something I had never seen before. It was white and it was like a cross between a marshmallow, a foam and a paste that had a slight chew to it. It provided a nice subtle accent to the dessert. The sheep's yogurt was used in the ice cream/frozen yogurt and it had a nice rich flavor while still feeling pretty light on the palate. The graham cracker was housemade of course, and the slabs were nice and thick with a substantial crunch to it and gave the dessert a perfect textural contrast. There were also shards of what seemed like strawberry glass sandwiched throughout the dessert, which had a really concentrated fresh strawberry flavor. The whole dish was garnished with a strawberry syrup, a vanilla pastry cream and of course the requisite leaves of mint, all of which added flavors to the overall dish as well as to the presentation.

"Tarte Aux Fraises" w Rose Geranium, Sheep's Yogurt & Graham Cracker

Lastly they served us mignardises and petit fours to finish the meal. The salted caramel bon bon had a luxuriously rich salted caramel encased in perfectly tempered dark chocolate. The orange pâte de fruit had a strong orange flavor that was followed with a citrusy tartness that gave it a pleasant balance. The canelé was deeply caramelized and crunchy on the outside and soft and custardy on the inside with a generous speckling of vanilla beans throughout. In my limited experience with canelés this one was flawlessly executed. The last bite of the night was a lavender macaron with a white chocolate filling. They did a great job in using the lavender flavor with restraint so that the macaron didn't taste like soap and the white chocolate also helped to dissuade you from having any thoughts of toiletries when you at it. It was a wonderful bite to finish with because it had just a hint of richness from the white chocolate and the lavender macaron had a crispy yet soft texture and was light on the palate.

Mignardises & Petit Fours

The service over the entire meal was superb. The wait staff did a wonderful job of showing up just before you thought you needed them and the whole staff did a good job of making us feel comfortable in a first class restaurant that could have easily felt pretentious or pompous.

Food 5/5
Service 5/5
Christal's Rating 5/5
http://melisse.com/