Melisse
1104 Wilshire Blvd,
Santa Monica
CA
90401
TEL: (310) 395-0881
Hours
Dinner: Tuesday – Thursday: 6:00pm -9:30pm, Friday: 6:00pm - 10:00pm, Saturday: 5:45pm – 10:00pmServing
DinnerPayment
VISA,MasterCard,Discover,Amex
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Ratings
based on 1 reviews | |
| Food | 5.0 |
| Service | 5.0 |
| Atmosphere | 4.0 |
| Overall: | |
| Price: | |
Features
Date PlaceCuisine
American New,FrenchUser reviews
Embarrassed
Reviewed on Tuesday, 16 September 2008 — Last updated: Tuesday, 16 September 2008
I am embarrassed... simply embarrassed. This was my first visit to Melisse Restaurant and it's just shameful that I hadn't been before. With all the press and chatter about French eats in L.A.... from Comme Ca to Anissette... why hadn't I dined at Melisse before? It took two recent food festivals to open my eyes to this gem... a gem that's been open for almost TEN YEARS! My first taste of Chef Josiah Citrin's cooking was at the James Beard "Chefs and Champagne" event in May. Melisse served a Spring Veal with Anson Mills Polenta, Morel Essence and Red Wine Jus. I went back several times for more bites. My second encounter with Chef Citrin was at Taste of the Nation. Melisse's Liberty duck breast... tender, juicy and like no other duck I'd had before. This time, I sent my husband back for seconds and thirds. After making our restaurant dinner reservation (for 4), I hopped online to read reviews about Melisse. The majority were fantastic, positive reviews but the thing that made me pause, was that it seemed to be more of an "event" restaurant... a place to celebrate anniversaries & birthdays. After reading this... I sort of panicked. The reservation date wasn't near my birthday or my husbands. Our anniversary was 6 months away. Almost every review I read started with "I took my wife here for our 10th anniversary" or "I surprised my husband for his birthday". What if the server asked what we were celebrating? What if we had nothing to celebrate? NOTHING TO CELEBRATE? I wanted to smack myself in the head. How about just being grateful that we can even GO to Melisse without it being a "special occasion". Duh. Life is good. Life is TASTY. Needless to say, dinner was fantastic. The Sweet White Corn Ravioli was my favorite... it was so good I ordered a second plate. Our server, Douglas, was attentive, fun and a great help going over the menu. He really made the evening special... even though we seemed to be the only folks there not "celebrating" anything in particular! AND I loved that my handbag had it's own seat. Why don't restaurants do this more often? When we sat at the table, a server swooped in with a vintage stool. Even my little handbag felt special at Melisse! We will be back soon... Photos of what we ate on my website http://www.Food***s.com or via http://www.MyLastBite.com
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What I Ate: Spring Veal with Anson Mills Polenta, Morel Essence and Red Wine Jus
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