Way Up the Freeway, There’s Something Cooking

Chefs with fine-dining restaurants have it tough. Overhead is high, labor costs are even higher, and all that foie gras, caviar, lobster and truffles add up--not to mention the considerable costs of dressing up the table in crystal, porcelain, silver and linens. With the economy uncertain and reservations slow during the middle of the week, what’s an ambitious chef to do?

Open another, more casual place, one where people can afford to eat more often. It’s nice if you can do it right next door, or at least in the neighborhood (like Fred Eric with Vida and his 24/7 diner Fred 62), or even down the freeway (like Piero Selvaggio, who commutes from Valentino in Santa Monica up the 405 to Posto in Sherman Oaks).

Josiah Citrin, however, has gone all the way to Valencia to open Café Mélisse, an upcountry spinoff of his Santa Monica French-California restaurant Mélisse. When I called for directions to Café Mélisse, the perky voice at the other end of the line explained that the cafe is in the “town center.” I immediately pictured the quaint charms of Monrovia’s old downtown and figured it would be a cinch to find. Instead, Valencia Town Center turns out to be another mall, this one with a “downtown” theme.

Old-fashioned street lamps, empty wooden bus benches and streets lined with familiar chain stores give it such a Las Vegas gloss that I began to wonder if the sky is real or painted. And those shoppers, are they bona fide or alien look-alikes?

But where in all this sprawling mall is Café Mélisse?

“This must be it,” our driver piped up. Where? “There--the one with the ‘sensitive’ plants,” he said, gleefully. Nonsense, I was about to tell him, when we turned the corner. Good spotting: He was right.

Café Mélisse is, in fact, no demure little cafe, but quite a big operation, which seats up to 280 and includes a large bar and a takeout section. Designed by Ralph Gentile and Sophie Harvey, it has enough polished brass, etched glass and banquettes to easily play the part of a grand Parisian cafe or brasserie.

Couples snuggle in booths, savoring the moments before they have to get back to the kids. Weeknights, friends socialize after work at the bar or grab a quick supper before heading home. It’s not often that a name-brand chef will venture this far from L.A., and the neighborhood is turning out to see what Citrin and chef de cuisine Mario Perez are cooking.

The cafe’s menu delivers with a mix of classic bistro dishes and current California favorites. Starters include oysters on the half-shell, steamed mussels served with a fiery rouille and house-cured salmon with warm potato salad.

The kitchen sometimes tries too hard to dazzle the locals with startling, fussy presentations. Chilled leeks vinaigrette, for example, arrive as a vertical sculpture sprouting from a deep lake of sauce.

My Idaho trout is stuffed to bursting with spinach, tomato and chunks of preserved lemon. The whole thing is wrapped in pancetta and browned, making an ungainly package.

The best thing I tried was a perfectly lovely roasted chicken served in its juices with mashed potatoes. Those same fine spuds come with braised-beef short ribs too.

Of course, since this is a French cafe, steak frites is a given; in this case it’s a decent rib-eye with bearnaise sauce.

There’s even a menu pour le petit gourmet, i.e., kids. The little ones can dine on pizza, spaghetti with meatballs or deep-fried chicken tenders with French fries and corn on the cob.

For dessert, no contest: Dip your spoon into the classic crème brûlée.

Café Mélisse, Valencia Town Center, Valencia; (661) 255-2233. Dinner appetizers, $3 to $12; main courses, $13 to $23; children’s menu, $5 to $6. Open for dinner daily and for lunch Monday through Friday.