The truffled egg actually looked better than the photo turned out. Alas, this could explain why I have no future as a professional food photographer. ;)

That aside, yes, the presentation wasn’t always so great. The plating for the butternut squash soup was actually okay. The bowl had some items, and then they did table side service and ladled the soup into the bowl, covering everything.

In general, I felt that the presentation at Melisse could have been better. Taste and quality wise, however, everything turned out nicely.

Thanks for the tip from Miss Manners. I will keep try to keep in mind to use a knife and fork for sopping in the future… though i really is more fun just using your fingers. :)

BUT - that truffled egg dish truly looks disgusting. I can only assume the fragrant perfume of the freshly shaved truffles and foam etc more than made up for its rather monotone and messy presentation.

Another word on presentation - I am struck by the inelegance of the disc of foie gras (or was that the pate? I can’t tell what’s what from your descriptions) slapped onto an oddly shaped slab of toast. With a smear of fruit almost as an afterthought [bottom left of the four dishes]. Was that really the best the kitchen could do when sending out their foie gras?!

Pauline, I’ll have to take your word that the meal was sensational and worth every penny because the presentation left a lot to be desired. And I expect a lot more from one of the top French restos in LA.

Louise - Trust me, it was really difficult to keep eating so much. The truffled egg was split 3 ways though, so I have to admit I didn’t eat the whole thing by myself.

mattatouille - I love truffles and foie gras, but I agree, there are tons of flavors to explore so one should not reside exclusively in a fine dining world.