THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Melange

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Melange Restaurant Review:

Cheery mustard-colored walls greet, large wooden tables and high-back chairs add rusticity, and chef-owner appeal lends warmth to this very unassuming corner of Lighthouse Avenue. Service gets the homespun touch, too: the chef’s fiancée, Dorothy, welcomes customers. Start with a complimentary “splash” of Charles de Fère and chef-owner David Frappiea’s festive amuse of the day. Forget bottled still or sparkling---Mélange's local water undergoes reverse osmosis for purification. Choose between two tasting menus (one a quick three-courser) or go à la carte and pair with your choice of wines in two- or six-ounce pours. Frappiea gingerly spices piping hot carrot and coriander soup. Translucent chunks of Maine lobster claw their way out of a hand roll, its wrapping a thin crêpe halfway dredged in a thick Cognac cream sauce; the murky tint somewhat takes away from the desirable contents of the role. His Hawaiian sea bass falls tenderly apart in a pool of warm broth---crispy skin on top seals in sweet juices, though the rice cake adds nothing to the dish awash with flavor and fragrance. Large shrimp crown a creamy risotto ratcheted up by Asagio cheese. You won’t find capricious squeezes of sauces, aggressive flavors or over garnishing on Frappiea's plates. Desserts are gracefully understated.