- Update 7/18/20
- Takeout Update 8/2/20
- Takeout Update 8/16/20
- Takeout Update 8/22/20
- Takeout Update 9/6/20
- Takeout Update 9/26/20
Providence had long epitomized the peak of fine-dining in Los Angeles. Ever since I made my first visit in 2011, I’ve been captivated by their culinary ethos and seafood-centric concept. In fact, this is the only restaurant where I made my annual pilgrimage since that time.
Dinner on this particular night was exceptional and bested my meals at Somni, Eleven Madison Park and Le Bernardin by far despite the fact that Sergio was nowhere to be found. Over the years, Providence had come a long way. Their menu, and especially the desserts, are more creative than yesteryears along with a new focus on delivering better bread service. Rather than offering a variety of good bread like they did before, only 1 (excellent stuff) is now on offer. It’s freshly baked in the beginning of service and served piping hot! For the time being, this will remain as my favorite restaurant in LA.
As far as service goes, it’s excellent by LA standards but still lags far behind that of NYC and SF’s. On multiple occasions, my wine pairing came after my course arrived. Moreover, the same food runner never got back to us, twice, about details of a course that he couldn’t answer when he told us that he would find out. Lastly, one or two servers were speaking so softly when describing each course as if they were whispering to us. Overall, these are minor quibbles, but I’ve never had that problem at the two aforementioned elite cities of fine-dining mecca so there’s room for improvement for Providence.
a christmas themed chef’s table
new and improved water cups (no cats were harmed)
amuse bouches #1: mushroom, cream, cayenne, white wine
highly refined campbell that tastes like a million bucks
amuse bouches #2: yellowtail, puffed rice, nasturtium, creme fraiche, chipotle
delicately spicy and smoky without overwhelming the fish
amuse bouches #3: cod, nori, saltine
smoky, buttery, and meaty
amuse bouches #4: uni, egg, and caviar tartlet
egg on egg on egg action but the saltiness of the caviar slightly overwhelmed the uni
amuse bouches #5: wagyu, ume, phyllo
a perfect interplay between the tart notes of the ume and shreds of braised wagyu stuffed inside the crunchy phyllo “cigars”
buri, tangerine dashi, compressed melon, fatalii
delightful notes of heat, salt, acid, and sweetness to go with the buttery fatty yellowtail
red fife sourdough, normandy butter infused with nori x4
this is actually less sour than the typical sourdough but the star here is the super crunchy outer crust and the crack-like nori butter. the inside is very moist but could be a touch more fluffy. when it’s all said and done, i ate 2 boules by myself!
aiori squid, squid ink mouselline, pickled ginger
the citrus scented ika is so meaty, it eats like a steak
spiny lobster, carrot, coconut, curry, puff sorghum, kaffir lime
a generous amount of sweet and succulent lobster sits on a curry sauce that reminds me very much of panang
bonus: spiny lobster antennas
smoky and perfectly grilled(?)
nancy’s down east scallop, turnip, black truffle, pea
textbook seared scallop sitting atop a creamy and decadent black truffle sauce and topped with julienned truffle
vermilion rockfish, spanish chorizo, tahitian squash
the saltiness from chorizo and sweetness of the squash complemented the meaty rockfish very nicely
swordfish, herb dashi, sunchoke, truffle
the perfectly cooked fish is crusted with truffle and eats like a steak while the delicate herbaceous dashi flavored the sunchokes 2 ways (fried and pureed)
a5 wagyu, slow-roasted and fermented cabbage, trumpet mushroom, sauce au poivre
absolutely scrumptious and melts in your mouth
cheese cart
cheese, guava & apricot jam, walnut, dried apricot
funky, smelly, and taste like feet
creme fraiche granita, ginger ice cream, pichuberry, apple
refreshingly pleasant ginger flavor goes excellently with the tang of the creme fraiche while the compressed apple and pichuberry lend a slightly spongey texture variation to this palate cleanser
pear, sponge cake, spice ice cream, caramel tuile, cream
this is much like an elevated poached pear dessert with a variety of textures and complexities (crunch from tuile, spongy texture from the cake, smooth mouthfeel from cream) added in to break up the monotony of the OG rendition
kouign amann, dulcey “foie torchon”, hachiya persimmons 2 ways
an ingenious dessert that blew me away! the dulcey “foie” flavor reminds me of the real deal and it’s a perfect spread for the classic crunchy yet chewy kougin amann. in between these rich bites, you can refresh your palate with either the fresh persimmon or the equally delicious persimmon sorbet that’s spiked with calamansi
the interior of the kouign amann can be softer and more buttery
mango gelee, creme brulee tart, raspberry chocolate bonbon
parting gift: cinnamon muffin
Providence
5955 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
has nothing to do with service and i concur after my excursion in hong kong and macau…service there is non-existent
