Melisse Restaurant Review
1104 Wilshire Blvd. (11th St.) 
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Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-395-0881 | Make Restaurant Reservations | Menu
Melisse Restaurant is one of our 2012
| Top 10 LA Food Rating Restaurants
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| Top 10 LA French Restaurants
| Top 10 LA Romantic Restaurants
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| Top 10 LA Wine List Restaurants
| Top 10 LA Special Occasion Restaurants
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Go behind the scenes of Melisse restaurant! Watch our exclusive interview with chef/owner Josiah Citrin. Watch our exclusive video interview with chef Josiah Citrin to learn more about his new cookbook, In Pursuit of Excellence.
Cuisine
Open
Dinner Tues.-Sat.Features
- Romantic setting
- Private room(s)
- Full bar
- Reservations suggested
- Valet parking
- Casual dressy
Wine
Great Wine List* Click here for rating key
 Mélisse has distinguished itself as the sole top-end French gastronomic experience in Los Angeles. The elegant dining room is filled with beautiful beige chairs, and a purplish-smoke tone shades the walls. Everything achieves a high level of quality, from the service overseen by maître d's to the food presented by chef Josiah Citrin and his culinary team, including chef de cuisine Ken Takayama. Being half French (on his father's side), born and raised in Venice (California) and partially trained in Paris, Citrin has integrated the two cultures to create his own modern melody with the choicest produce and herbs from the famous Santa Monica farmers market. A meal might start with an amuse-bouche procession of three or four carefully created bites, followed up with a first course of lobster bolognese with fresh cappellini, black truffles and basil. Liberty duck breast and confit arrives with roasted turnips, and wild loup de mer pairs with king oyster mushrooms and kabocha squash. Meanwhile, the great French restaurant tradition of tableside carving is carried on with dishes like the côte de boeuf for two. The format is prix-fixe, with menus of four courses ($115, with wine pairings an additional $75) or ten courses ($150, with wine pairings an additional $95), plus the chef's "carte blanche" menu and a special tasting designed for vegetarians ($105). You'd be remiss to pass on the wonderfully well-stocked cheese cart. From the desserts, we suggest the millefeuille of fruit rouge and vanilla ice cream. Your voyage through the comprehensive wine list will be made easier by sommelier Brian Kalliel, who will not only pour a Grand Cru Classé from the comprehensive list, but also suggest something that's fun and a good value.
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DINING ON A BUDGET
Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area. Also, check out our picks for the Top 40 Cheap Eats in the U.S.
