California, Epic Meals, Food & Drink, Local Flavor, Los Angeles

Epic Meals – Providence

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Restaurant:  Providence

Location:  Los Angeles, CA

Visit:  November 2019

Accolades:  Two Michelin stars (2019) – La Liste score of 90.50 (2019) – Part of Tier 6 of our Global 300 list (top La Liste score) – Top 10 LA Restaurants (FourStarLife) – Top 50 Restaurants in the US (Gourmet Magazine) – #1 Restaurant in Los Angeles (Jonathan Gold/LA Times) – James Beard Award

Providence is the brain-child of Chef Michael Cimarusti and front-of-the-house legend, Donato Poto. Cimarusti’s career started on the East Coast, attending the C.I.A. in New York and working his way through the fine dining scene in NYC, including a stint at Le Cirque. In the 1990s he came to the West Coast to work under Wolfgang Puck, at Spago, eventually leaving to be the executive chef at Water Grill and then opening Providence in 2015, which has become a staple of the fine dining scene in Los Angeles.

We had the opportunity to dine there recently and loved it. Here are the details of the meal and our overall review.

Providence has three versions of their tasting menu, as well as daily “add ons”. We opted for the lowest level of the menu, as it hit most of the highlights we wanted to try, and the higher-end menus rose in price pretty dramatically, especially with the wine pairings.

Pro Tip: If you aren’t going to a “Epic Dining” restaurant for the cuisine of a particular chef, you are probably fine avoiding the extended menus. The highlights tend to be included in the “basic” menus and you’ll save up to 50% vs. the high-end version.

The meal started with a series of amuse bouches. Each had a unique plating and most focused on Providence’s signature cuisine, seafood:

  • Mussel soup with cream & white wine
  • Deconstructed “clam chowder” in a cracker “bread bowl” over clam shells
  • Black cod tostada
  • Yellowtail “taco” with creme fraiche in a nasturtium leaf “tortilla”
  • Oysters (add on, not typically included in the normal menu)
  • Wagu beef “cigars” with plum marinade, in an actual cigar box
  • Mussel soup
  • “Clam Chowder”
  • Black cod tostada
  • Yellowtail “taco”
  • Oysters on the half shell
  • Marinated wagyu “cigars”

From there, we moved to the signature dishes of the tasting menu. Here is a full list of the extended menu. Items with an asterisk (*) are ones that we had as part of the smaller version of the menu.

  • * Buri with apple, shiso & lime – paired with Inama “Vigneti di Foscarino” Garganega, Soave Classico (2016)
  • Finley Farms Snap Peas with uni, box crab, and scallop – paired with Hartford Court Chardonnay, Russian River Valley (2017)
  • Spiny Lobster with carrot, coconut – paired with Zehnthof Luckert Silvaner, Franken (2018)
  • * Black Cod with soupe de poisson, jimmy nardello & cannellini – paired with Monte Rio Cellars “White Zinfandel” Zinfandel Rose, Suisun Valley (2018)
  • Vermilion Rock Fish with matsutake and lardo – paired with Harrington Wines “Tempesta” Corvina/Pinot Noir, California (2018)
  • * Liberty Farms Duck with quince, spigarello – paired with Lioco “Sativa” Carignan, Mendocino County (2016)
  • * A5 Wagyu with charred kamo eggplant and nori – paired with Kanonkop “Kadette” Pinotage/Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch (2017)
  • * Cheese plate: large selection from which we chose a hard sheeps milk, a goat milk and two runny cow’s milk cheeses, including an Epoisse – paired with an off-menu sweet Riesling.
  • Yellowtail with apple & lime
  • Black cod in soupe de poisson
  • Duck breast
  • Wagyu beef
  • Wines of the world
  • Cheese cart selection
  • Our final four cheeses

We ended dinner with a series of desserts including an apple tart, assorted small chocolates and bites and two apple muffin-cakes in a little to-go bag (the midnight snack, according to our waiter)

  • Apple tart
  • Assorted dessert bites

Overall, the meal was exceptional. All of the dishes were very good, although there were no standouts that we think we will remeber for years to come. The food is definitely comparable to many 3-star Michelin restaurants we’ve been to, and although the price point isn’t cheap, it certainly isn’t sticker shock, like at some places with longer resumes and more stars. Definitely a worthy member of the “Fine Dining” section of the “Top 100 Los Angeles Restaurants” and a great place for a special occasion or anniversary.

Price Neutral: 83 (Exceptional)

Four Star Rating: 74 (Fair Price)

Details:

  • Flavor: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)
  • Signature Item: 3 out of 5 (No standouts)
  • Consistency: 4 out of 5 (Almost all items were excellent)
  • Innovation: 3 out of 5 (Elevated versions of classic dishes)
  • Locality/Seasonality: 2 out of 5 (Some items sourced from a distance)
  • Tradition: 4 out of 5 (Mostly regional cuisine)
  • Service: 5 out of 5 (Exceptional)
  • Alcohol/Wine Pairing: 4 out of 5 (Excellent, including the cocktails)
  • Setting/Building: 3 out of 5 (Nice building in an urban setting)
  • Plating: 4 out of 5 (Innovative in some cases, classic in others)
  • Price: 3 out of 5 (Fair price)

The Champage Life on a Sparkling Wine Budget

“Top 100 Travel Tips“ included in this post: #12 – Experience epic meals; #65 – Eat well; #100 – Share your adventures