I'm a really lucky girl. Really. I always think to myself I live the best life ever. Jesus and I aren't even tight like that but he never fails to hook me up like crazy. If you believe in karma, don't. cuz truthfully. I kinda suck as a person.
After a disappointing meal at Bazaar, I was excited to find out that my best friend in the world was taking me to Melisse as his departing present. I've been eyeing Melisse for half a year now so I am excited to finally try a 2 Michelin star restaurant.
Dinner was at 8 and I didn't think it'd be adequate time for us to do the chef's carte blanche tasting. I would want to reserve a least a couple hours for the full experience plus Happy Wednesday doesn't call for THAT extravagant of a celebration especially when it's not on my dime.
We started with the wild mushroom ravioli and the maine diver scallops. Upon first taste, I understand why Melisse is lauded as one of the best restaurants in LA. After tasting mushroom ravioli at Jiraffe, I'm already in love with mushrooms in general but Melisse blows it out of the water. I just can't understand how something so simple can have so many levels of flavors. Amazing. The scallops were fresh and cooked perfectly. To be honest, there's really no way I can use words to describe the food aside from telling you...go now.
HIghlights - the lobster thermidor. I love lobster. Melisse does this dish so well. It's creamy, its rich, it's heavy but not overpowering. The portions are generous. I can say its the best lobster I've had. Bold statement i know.
For our mains, I wanted to get the duck (its a habit i know) but i also wanted to get the steak because i really messed up last time at Anisette and missed out on the best rib eye ever. Luckily my dining partner was OK with getting the duck so i could try it. HA WIN! I wish we had a third so they could get the truffle crusted lamb and i could steal bites off that. MWHAHAHAHAHA. (creepy. i'll stop). As soon as my plate came, I knew I made the right choice. Getting a good piece of steak is so important, it was cooked to perfection. Nice and bloody. The sauce was a bit strong but didn't detract from the meat.
While the duck was delicious, I'm glad I went with the cow. I didn't really enjoy the sauce accompaniment (tastes like Maison Akira's) though i must point out getting the skin crispy is something not every place can do well (2117 does it well too).
We ended with the passion fruit parfait. I'm not a big dessert person so I thought it was ok. Nice, light end to a satisfying meal. Oh perfection.
To my credit, I'm pretty sure I must have saved handicaps from rolling into swimming pools in a past life.
Pros: 2 Michelin star experience.
Cons: none.
more