"Sam D." wrote:

> I just read a glowing review on another forum from a poster who had
> just dined at a highly regarded, upscale restaurant named Melisse. He
> raved over the roast chicken he and his companion were served there.
> Prepared for two, it was priced at $84. Several weeks ago an article
> on the roast chicken served at Melisse appeared in the the L.A. Times
> weekly food section. According to the published story, the restaurant
> uses Ronco's Showtime Rotisserie to roast the chickens.

I've had the roast chicken at Melisse, and it is indeed $84
for two, worth every penny. It was so good that I asked if
they would give me the recipe. The waitress said with a frown,
"I'm afraid not". "Well", I said, "Would you let me buy the
recipe?" With a cute smile, she agreed. I asked how much,
and she responded "Twelve Fifty". I said with approval, "Just
add it to my tab".

Thirty days later I received my statement from Melisse and
it was $1334! I looked again and remembered I had only spent
$84 for the roast chicken. As I glanced at the bottom of the
statement it said "Chicken Recipe-$1250". Boy was I upset!
I called Melisse's accounting office and told them the waitress
said it was "twelve fifty" and did not realize she meant $1250
for the chicken recipe. I asked them to take back the recipe
and reduce my bill, but they said they were sorry, but all the
recipes were this expensive so not just anyone could duplicate
the chicken recipes...the bill would stand.

I thought of how I could get even or try to get my money back.
I just said okay, you folks got my $1250 and now I'm going to
have $1250 worth of fun. I told her that I was going to see
to it that every cookie lover will have the $1250 recipe from
Melisse for nothing. She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do this."
I said, "I'm sorry, but this is the only way I feel I can get
even and I will". So here it is, please pass it on to someone
else or run a few copies...I paid for it, now you can have it
for free!!!

One 3 1/2 to 4 Pound Whole Chicken
Minced Rind of 2 Lemons
5 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme, Finely Crumbled
2 Teaspoons Dried Rosemary, Finely Crumbled
2 Teaspoons Dried Sage Leaves, Finely Crumbled
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

In a small bowl, combine lemon, garlic, and herbs to form a
slightly moist paste. Wash the chicken and dry thoroughly,
inside and out. Loosen the skin across the breasts and then
down the legs and thighs using a chopstick or your fingers.
Work the seasoning mixture under the skin and into the meat
of the breast, legs, and thighs and all over the outside skin
as well. Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and
pepper. Using an Elastic Food Tie, truss the chicken. Place
the chicken on the Spit Rods for 55 to 60 minutes or until
the internal temperature reaches 180 F on a meat thermometer
inserted in the thigh meat. Remove chicken and cut into
pieces to serve. Hope this helps. :-)