Melisse 5x5 Chefs' Collaborative Dinner - Perceptor's Report
thanks to kevin h's report on his Providence 5x5 Chefs' Collaborative dinner experience, i just had to book the next one... this time is held at Melisse...
5 Top chefs in LA + 1 rotating guest chef... tonight in the kitchen we have:
Michael Cimarusti from Providence
Walter Manzke formerly from Bastide
Josiah Citrin from Melisse
David Lefevre from Water Grill
Gino Angelini from La Terza
tonight's guest chef is from the michelin 2 star Sonoma restaurant Cyrus, Douglas Kean
The food was fantastic with each chef making 1 dish each... the service was impeccable.. and the wine pairing was spot on...
Enjoy my photo coverage - http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=9...
next one will be held at Water Grill at the end of August.. who's going???
- Perceptor
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JeffW
Jul 9, 2008 07:34 PM
My fiancee (yay, California!) and I were at this dinner with 3 friends. It was a wonderful evening. The Hamachi/Spinach dish from Douglas Kean was a particular standout for us. The spinach was addictive, as well as the deeply flavored broth. The Salmon and crispy skin was also amazing. The Rosemary infused peach made me forget that I ever loved chocolate---well temporarily, anyway! I love when these type of "fancy shmancy" dinners live up to their hype. I even managed a tear rolling down my face when a sweet young man came to our table who participates in the Special Olympics, to welcome us.The night was magic.
Cheers
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thanks for the report, Perceptor! you actually caught a pic of me & my parents in your 2nd photo (from behind). a nice souvenir :)
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re: Perceptor
yes, thanks for the shot! where were you sitting? great report. I thought Chef Manzke's dish needed an R-rating, that egg yolk was so amazing with the suckling pig...Mom loved the veal the best, while Dad was a huge fan of Chef Cimarusti's salmon. Was great to see him on Iron Chef the night before vs. Morimoto!
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re: wagamama3
Veal? What veal?
My faves were the caviar and the salmon (a tie), another ties for the pig and the venison, and in last place (but still very good) the hamachi and the canneloni, the hamachi being ever so slightly more interesting than delicisoso, and the canneloni's lobster filling could've been tastier. It may have sat a little too long. (I was in the second seating)
The wines were great. One thing about the sommelier at Melisse - you might not get the best stand-alone wines (where you and a friend would just pop open a stately bordeaux and drink it solo) with the pairings, but they're not always the best wines to be paired. But you'll get some wines which might be unusual, and even a little odd, but with the food become synergistic. Last time I was there he served a red with a big hit of bell pepper - strange on it's own, but with the course (which I have since forgot), it was brilliant.
Never had the Bruno Paillard Rose until last night - what a great summer champ!
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re: foodiemahoodie
Whoops, you are right, I meant the venison, not the veal! (side note: had the mkt menu veal at Providence a few weeks back, which was AMAZING). I loved LeFebvres' rabbit dish from the 1st 5x5, but found his venison at this one to be a little too earthy for me on its own. I thought Brian's pairing w/ the Verite was a perfect foil, though. Happy eating!
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