Providence

I  am basically going to let the photos tell the story re the food. My husband did an extensive review of the wines we had and so the main focus of this post will be mostly about our wines we brought.

2008 Launois Champagne—consistently excellent. It drinks very straight forward and clean. Not as much bubble fix as some champagnes. It was an excellent start. It was especially good with the uni spring roll.

Uni Spring Roll

Watermelon

Order of tasting:
Drew (sommelier) tasted both the Lopez Heredia and the Lizette so he could recommend which white to have first. He suggested the Lopez to go with the scallop and sword squid dish. The Lopez Heredia showed very well. It was the 2003.

Scallop  and nasturtium

Sword squid and daikon radish

2014 BOSCOE Wine Co. Lizette—this wine shows beautifully. Nose very clean and solid. The flavor is real grenache blanc solid, no bite on the finish. An absolutely fine wine to be enjoyed with special dishes like the spot prawn and the porcini.

Santa Barbara Spot prawn, jimmy nardelo peppers, cilantro- an outstanding dish

Grilled porcini, summer greens, black winter truffles

1995 KenWright Pinot Noir, Carter Vineyard. This is an absolutely outstanding wine. The well aged pinto shows very clearly. The nose is beautiful. It doesn’t jump out of the glass, but it is assertive. The flavor is raspberry/blackberry and very full. The finish is absolutely clean and long lasting.

King Salmon, miso mustard, apricot, pork belly

a5 wagyu, shunkyo radish, spring onion, bone marrow

1991 Ridge Zinfandel Essence—I was looking forward to tasting this as I haven’t had it in years. Drew suggested the chocolate dessert in lieu of the chamomile hone, pistachio, dijon mustard. The Essence was lighter than I remembered. It is not as dense as I thought it would be. Ridge only makes it in years when they get superior maturity on some of their Zin grapes. I’m not sure which vineyard these grapes came from. It is worth having now and then.

mcgrath strawberries

Chocolate dessert

Petit fours

Providence is definitely the best restaurant in LA. The creativity and care are second to none. The service was absolutely perfect. It is great fun to dig out special
wine to pair with Providence food. We are very fortunate that we can get to this wonderful restaurant a few times a year. We wish it were closer to home. How about a branch in Brentwood, Michael!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Providence

Providence is the best restaurant in Los Angeles. I can’t think of any misses whether it be sourcing of ingredients, execution of dishes, creativity, service – this is just a perfect restaurant. We brought special wines as this was a special occasion.

Wines – Champagne – Bellecart- Salmon……..1982 Corton Charlemagne – Dubreuil-Fontaine …..1982 Corton Clos du Roi – Dubreuil-Fontaine

Cocktail – cremant de bourgogne, st. germaine, yuzu, basil seeds

Uni – white garlic chip, wasabi, serrano chili

Lox – caviar, gold leaf, dill powder, egg yolk

Abalone – hot to be dipped into wagyu fat fondue

Tuna sashimi, oro blanco (grapefruit), shallot yogurt, nori rice cracker, shiso

Royal Oscetra caviar, rose gelee, lemon creme fraiche served with

Grilled brioche spread with wagyu fat, lime slice

Prawn tartare – ebi furikake, smoked sesame, prawn roe, freeze dried mandarin, nori

foie gras terrine, mulberry puree, nasturtium leaves, foccacia

not pictured – white asparagus, morels, fava beans

Wagyu – smoked miso, smoked sesame, onion, radish, turnip, smoked mustard sauce

It doesn’t get better than this – great good, extraordinary wine and perfect service.

Providence

I am beginning to sound like a broken record but I have to say it again Providence is the best fine dining restaurant in Los Angeles. Chef Michael Cimarusti rightfully deserves all the accolades he has received. This meal with friends was stupendous, We were lucky to dine at the chef’s table.

Our view of the kitchen from the chef’s table.

BYO Champagne

Alder smoked wild king Salmon gougere, lemon creme fraiche, caviar, dill – just a perfect first bite

Uni with coconut, and tapioca puffed rice –  Chef knows we love uni and this was an innovative and tasty rendition

BYO 2nd wine

Grilled Japanese Goma Saba —  Sesame Mackerel (Goma is Japanese for sesame seed).  Saba is a syrup made from freshly squeezed grape juice, also known as must.

Wild Tasmanian Abalone Yuzu

Third BYO wine

Ficelle (cigars) – Red wine braised Wagyu, feuille de brick, ume aioli (Japanese plum), celery leaf – just delicious

4th BYO wine

Squid Bolognese, chopped swordfish, squid, parsley, basil, tomato compote – this was stupendous

John Dory, English peas, lardo de bellota, black truffle, fume de poisson

Japanese Cod, roasted sweet potato, pickled turnip vinaigrette

5th BYO wine

YIPPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Foie Gras Grillee, sour plum powder, mulberry puree with port, nasturtium leaves tossed in foie gras fat

Wild Line-caught French Loup de Mer- turnip puree, brown butter foam, nori powder, smoked sesame seed, puffed buckwheat

Chocolate Frenet Branca Cremeau, tarragon ice cream, roasted lemon puree, chocolate cake crumbs

This was a fantastic meal. Our friends were as impressed as we were. My grade for the meal – A+

Providence

I have said this many, many times and I will say it again I consider Providence to be the best fine dining restaurant in Los Angeles.  Chef Michael Cimarusti was not there and GM/Partner, Donato Poto was also not there. You would think our dining experience would be mediocre, NOT AT ALL!!!!!!!!! Chef de cuisine, Tristan Aitchison did a terrific job, sommelier Drew Langley is a true professional and Molly our server was incredible – she wrote down every dish with every ingredient on note cards for me. That is why my descriptions are so precise – a huge thanks to Molly.

BYO Champagne to start

TACO – scallop tartar, sushi rice, seaweed, bubu arare (crispy rice crackers), nasturtium leaf – fantastic

Chilled Middleneck clams, chorizo and clam consomme, roasted red pepper, coriander, chorizo foam – a refreshing presentation of chilled clam

Presentation of next dish

Ficelle (cigars) – Red wine braised Wagyu, feuille de brick, ume aioli (Japanese plum), celery leaf – just delicious

BYO Wine

Uni presentation

Uni Yuzu, yuzu peel, uni, soy milk panna cotta, wasabi paste, caviar, gold leaf – a wonderful combination of flavors

Raw Nantucket Bay Scallops, lemon zest, crispy puffed rice, creme fraiche and shaved white truffles – absolutely A++

Presentation of the Geoduck Clam, julienne of cucumber, Ikura

Ponzu poured over the Clam – light and full of flavor

Squid Carbonara, egg sabayon, pancetta, white truffle – another winner

Dungeoness crab egg drop soup (dashi, bonito, sake), matsutake mushrooms, celery leaf, scallion, celery

New Zealand Abalone, puffed and braised buckwheat, brown butter foam, sea beans, borage blossoms

Duck Foie Gras, smoked apple puree, aged balsamic vinegar, sorrel – I do wish we could have real foie but this was excellent

We were suppose to have 3 more courses, John Dory, Black Bass and Wagyu – we just couldn’t we were full.

What a terrific meal. It just doesn’t get any better than this.

 

 

Providence

Providence is the best fine dining restaurant in Los Angeles. Chef Michael Cimarusti is a genius – his gift is taking the best ingredients and combining texture and flavor to highlight that ingredient. GM/Partner, Donato Poto is an extraordinary host and manager. When we arrived who was at the valet station? Donato!!!!!!!! He will do anything to run a tight ship. The service is extraordinary and sommelier Drew Langley is a true professional.

The restaurant has been completely renovated. It is beautiful, tasteful, elegant and very comfortable

The new wallpaper is perfect.

A section of the new room

We BYO our wine and I will just post what we brought.

2006 Launois Champagne

1985 Bienvenue Batard Montrachet, Henri Clerc

2003 Lopez Heredia Rioja Blanc

2011 Chateau Neuf du Pape Blanc Domaine du Pegau

1996 Beaune les Cras, Camille Giroud

1998 Mueller-Gators Eiswein

Now for our spectacular meal – A+++++++++++ We never look at a menu – we just let the Chef surprise us.

Scallop “taco” with nasturtium leaves, bubu arare (baby rice crackers), lime, olive oil

Clam Chorizo – littleneck clams, chorizo consomme, red pepper confetti, chorizo espuma

Japanese Tai Snapper, basil and ginger syrup, basil oil, pickled ginger

Goma Saba (Japanese mackerel), Calabrian chiles, cilantro blossoms, pickled red onions, cucumber, lemon, bronze fennel

Butter and salt for bread

Bread service – seaweed, plain, bacon

Unfortunately all you can see is the smoked halibut foam poured on  top – blanched English peas, olive oil, lemon zest

Santa Barbara uni, tapioca, coconut milk, red curry, basil, mint, peanuts – “Thai influence”

Poached Hairy Crab, lime, shellfish consomme. scallions, diced and sliced nectarines

 

Santa Barbara Spot Prawns, peas, pea tendrils, prawn broth made with fennel, orange, madeira and the heads of the prawn

Wagyu beef cigars, mayonnaise, celery leaf on top

Columbia River King Salmon, wild French asparagus, morels, ramps, radish foam, smoked butter

Japanese sardines, roasted artichokes, tomato compote, ratatouille,  basil oil

Black bass, porcini mushrooms – this and our cheese course have incomplete descriptions – a lot of wine!

Cheese Cart

Cheese plate – I do know we had Comte cheese

This was a spectacular meal – it just doesn’t get better than this – absolutely A+++++++