Melange

Here it is, the long awaited review...

Last night, our dining out group met at Melange for dinner. While down from our usual 16 bodies, to 9, we still, as usual had high expectations. When I first arrived, I noticed the atmosphere of the bar. It was very clean, sleek, and dark. I thought it would make a great “date” bar.Unfortunatelyly, Melange isn't on the bandwagon of the recent Pometini kick in St. Louis, so I had to settle for a Cosmo. Three drinks, and $40 poorer, we were ready for dinner.

We were promptly seated at our requested table in the middle of the dining room, instead of the long booth against the wall. We were very happy about that. We were also informed that separate checks would not be an issue. That was a breath of fresh air, especially since we usually have a hard time getting separate checks at other places. Our waiter was very attentive and made a special effort to take care of the ladies before the men. At first I wasn't really ready for this sort of service, but I soon relaxed and went with the flow.

The food was excellent. I had the signature chicken dish with mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was very delicious. Before the chicken, however I had the Green Goddess Salad. I wasn't very impressed with that. It tasted like lettuce and nothing else. One of my members had the Caesar and sent it back because the dressing was too full of anchovies. So, the salads need some work. A few people ordered steaks. Cooked perfectly and full of flavor. My friend Marty had the tuna. He described this dish as being "the most sassy tuna I've ever eaten." I had the pleasure of tasting this "sassy tuna" and I had to agree that it was indeed, the sassiest I've tasted.

For dessert, we ordered everything off their menu. Don't get excited, it's not all that much. I had the carrot cake, while Chris ordered the chocolate pot. The carrot cake slice was absolutely huge. It was the biggest piece of cake I've ever been served. Now, I will make this disclaimer. I'm know for my carrot cake. I do carrot cake, that's what I do. People ask for it, and I make it. It's moist and delicious and people love it. So, I knew it would be bad news for me to order the carrot cake. I did it anyway. Here is the outcome. When I first saw the icing on the massive slice, I thought that this cake was mass produced somewhere other than Melange. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. The icing was not good. I believe it was supposed to be laced with Grand Mariner. If it was, I didn't taste it and it didn't help. The cake itself was greasy and heavy. I wasn't a fan, and believe me, I tried really hard to like it. I wouldn't order it again.

The chocolate pot, however was delicious! Very smooth and rich. Order this! You won't regret it.

Overall, my impression of Melange was positive. I woudefinitelyely return, and I'm giving it my stamp of approval for all of you to check out. During our dinner, one of the owners stopped by to chat for a bit and make sure everything was going okay. That was a nice touch and we appreciated it. Of course, I guess it helped that one of our group members knew him. =) After dinner we stayed to chat for a while, and then left. Everyone was very nice to us and even walked us out. One more thing I might add is that upon entering, they have a coat check. Very nice, considering coat checks in the St. Louis area are pretty much nexistentant.