Providence

Our bouche was definitely amused!
SPECtaCULAR! We opted for the 7 course menu with the wine pairing. Yes, agree with other diners that the wine pours are generous.
Good to know: The gratis appetizers (Amuse Bouche) don’t come with a wine pairing; so unless you have a carry over from the bar, you’ll want to do a glass of wine to get through the MULTITUDE (5) of artfully crafted appy’s.
Mojito in gelatinous egg starts the WOW factor.
Worth it add on: Risotto with the tableside shaving of fresh truffles; So decadent.
Loved the duck as the main entrée. Cheese course before dessert was exceptional but probably not needed. Chocolate mousse desert and plate of macaroons and pâté de fruit are a nice way to end the meal.
Time to save our pennies so we can come back again; for the Chef’s Tasting Menu.
Special shout out to the fine staff at Providence; so attentive, so friendly and especially knowledgeable (the food, the commentary about the preparation process, the wine/​regions, etc).

Excellent food. Excellent service. The maitre was very helpful and nice.
Started with Kumamoto oysters
4 course meal
And added the crab and the uni.
Great experience. The food was not only creative but very delicious.

First off, either get the $ 220 Chef’s Tasting or the $ 160 full-​length seasonal. I highly suggest skipping the $ 110 short seasonal menu, as you’re going to regret it around three courses in.
I got the full seasonal. I messed up. I should have gotten the Chef’s Tasting. Next time, I promise.
People will tell you the seafood is great. Well, it’s pretty great.
But, as good as it is, it’s not why I adore this place.
It’s the creativity. More than once, my party was downright surprised at what came out. A couple times, after the dish was described, we just busted out laughing, the description was so insane sounding. Like, who would bother doing that? These guys, that’s who. And the results are spectacular.
More than that, it’s the service. For this reason, I highly recommend going in a party of four or more to experience just how well choreographed the service is. I started messing up my «mise» to see if I could trip them up. Nope. The staff here is awesome.
This was just a verbose was of saying Providence is not the best place in town for seafood, it’s the best place in town for food by any measure. Unless you have a finfish allergy, at which point you should probably go somewhere else.
I’ll end with this: I grew up in Ohio, which might as well be landlocked as far as seafood went. My childhood is laced with memories of that «bass» flavor that the smallmouth from Lake Erie had. The Asian community back then (and maybe still is) was a heavy connoisseur of the bass from that lake. It tasted rather horrid. But it’s one of my strongest taste memories.
Providence gave me a current version of that memory, minus the yuck. It was the flavor I remembered, except the gentle, blissful version. Bass and I are buds now.

Hello Providence,
I’ve tried many French cuisines globally. However, I may have too high of the expectation on you… has been told you are a Michelin Restaurant…
I agree your appetizers is very unique. Taste and presentation is very outrages. It was quite an experience. However the main course and the wine paring was not met my expectation.
The food does look pretty and presentable. However, not all the taste met my expectation! Also, I did the wine pairing (as I expect too much again). I was hoping you can pair with some better choices (vs. the price)… the fish was on the fishy side, not fresh to be exact, on both serves… desert was so-​so, to me it was a disappointment. Sorry!

Good food, but to be honest, I can’t say it was the most memorable I’ve had, for a 2-​Michelin star attaining joint. Getting the tasting menu, and be entertained with the mix of seafood and modern gastronomy touches. The breads are probably some of the best I’ve had of any place ever. Fresh, warm, fluffy. The menu is changing, but when I came the amberjack and sous vide veal were the stuff of deliciousness. Whimsical texture with a gummy screwdriver, gushing with orange filling.
And service is beyond adequate. Anytime you leave, some will be spying and waiting to fold that napkin back up for you. It’s a very pricy experience, but it will be a very memorable experience. I’m glad I went, maybe my 5^th or 8^th choice for a delicious dinner in LA, were money to be «no object.»

We came here a few nights ago for my BF’s birthday dinner. My second time here; his first time.
The amuse buche made N burst out laughing. «This is so good!» he said. Granted that it doesn’t take much to make N laugh, this was still a fantastic start to our meal.
Every plate including the complimentary small plates in between the courses was amazing and delicious. The sashimi, the scallops, the Wagyu cigars (which came in a cigar box!), the birthday-​candle-​lit apple-​caramel crème-​fraiche ice cream dessert… were all amazing. Even the tiny pineapple jujube (final dessert course) that burst with REAL pineapple flavor in your mouth (you will know it when you taste it… it’s not fake pineapple flavor) was phenomenal. They also gifted us with cinnamon apple muffins for breakfast!
The service at Providence is like nowhere else. Friendly, attentive, unpretentious. Sadly, I will have to make a lot more money to be able to afford to dine here again.
Memo to self: When you see «market price» on the menu (ahem, «white truffles»), ask first what this price is, before ordering. Oy.

I came here with my wife to celebrate her birthday. Being #1 on Johnathan Gold’s Top 101 LA restaurants list, we had very high expectations for this place.
They offer 2 types of tasting menus. The Signature Seasonal Menu is 7 premium courses ($ 115 or $ 160 w/​wine pairing). The Providence Chef’s Menu is 20 courses that will take 3 hours ($ 220 or $ 325 w/​wine pairing)!
I think you know which one we chose =p
Being 1^st timers and wanting to experience as many varieties of dishes as possible, we both chose the Chef’s Menu.
First and foremost, the meal was amazing! I loved everything from the flavors & presentation to the timing & execution of the dishes. Each course came out perfectly timed. Imagine two waiters, one standing next to me and one standing next to my wife; each holding a plate. With military precision, both set their plate down at the same time. One proceeds to describe the dish with great description and eloquence. He bids us to enjoy our dishes and proceeds back to the kitchen. Within a few minutes, he returns to check on us and then heads back to the kitchen. This performance continues on for the next 3 hours! Anytime one of we would get up to use the restroom, a waiter would appear out of nowhere to replace our table napkin with a new, perfectly folded one. My favorite items of the meal were the Santa Barbara spot prawns, diver scallop, A5 waygu beef, foie gras, and waygu beef cigars.
They have an impressive wine list that offer wine by the glass or bottle. If you are not super familiar with wine, don’t worry! Their in-​house sommelier was very knowledgeable and helped us choose a bottle to accompany our meal. We explained that we were looking for something that wasn’t sweet and not too acidic. We also mentioned that we preferred something with nice complexity and a longer finish. The sommelier gladly brought us a few samples to try until we found one we liked.
Overall the entire experience exceed our expectations. Knowing that the Providence menu changes seasonally, we will definitely be back to celebrate another special occasion. Yes, it will have to be a special occasion, because I would be broke if I ate there every day.
BTW: There’s valet parking in front ($ 10).

As a surprise for my birthday, my dear husband took me here to celebrate the special occasion. Upon seated, our server Katie arrived with a customized menu that’s printed with my name on it (what a nice touch.) Though this was the first time we dined at Providence, I had read about their dining experience in the past. Thus, it was a no brainer for us to go with the chef’s menu with the wine pairing, as well as the Alba White Truffle risotto.
And here are the highlights of the evening:
— Pineapple with sea salt: Served as a gelatin with fresh pineapple juice in the center, very refreshing palate cleanser.
— Scallop Taco: This was actually sushi rice mixed with scallop and wrapped by a piece of nasturtium leaf, very light.
— Tuna tartar: The tuna was wrapped in a raw root vegetable (I’m guessing beet?) Thus, it gave an interesting contrast between crisp and soft upon mastication.
— House Cured Salmon: Providence’s in-​house smoked salmon was behind amazing, it was not overly salty nor fishy. Rather, I could actually taste the sweetness of the fish that’s brought out by the wasabi and onion that came with this dish.
— Japanese Mackerel: Presented on top of crispy rice, the mackerel was so fresh and sweet, I did not taste any unpleasant fishiness, even my husband who has renounced fish pretty much since the day he was born was impressed.
–Maine Oyster: Who would’ve thought that oyster can taste so good when it’s cooked, served with cheese and macadamia nuts.
— Foie Gras Ravioli: The ravioli was served with 50-​year-​old balsamic vinaigrette and 3-​year-​old parmesan cheese. The texture and the richness of the foie gras was beyond this world. And what a great idea of wrapping it in a ravioli, one gets to enjoy its jus without wasting a drop.
— Wagyu Cigars: Crispy and crunchy minced wagyu beef in a shape of cigar, stunning presentation.
— Geoduck: Despite geoduck’s grotesque appearance, Providence managed to pull it off by presenting this dish in a delicate yuzu cup with fresh zucchini. The result was light and refreshing.
— Santa Barbara Uni: Instead of spot prawns, we were served with this amazing uni lied atop of tofu with white truffles. Though my husband did not enjoy this dish (and I got to have his portion,) I thought the uni was fresh and sweet. With that being said, I also thought almost as if uni’s sweetness was fighting with white truffle’s intense aroma, those two just did not go together.
— Norwegian Red King Crab: The crab came with intensely creamy sauce topped with bellini, caviar, and edible gold. I made sure I was eating it with the smallest possible bite so I can enjoy it for as long as it lasted.
— Seashell Scallop: This dish was prepped freshly on the spot and served with black truffle shavings. Unlike Santa Barbara Uni, I thought the mildness of scallop went very well with the black truffle.
— Italian white truffles risotto: I almost jump out of my chair when the plate was presented on our table. And just as I anticipated, the taste of white truffle was intense and orgasmic, albeit the risotto was rather undercooked.
— John Dory: The fish was cooked to the right amount of firmness, with a hint of sweetness, much like tasting a shrimp.
— Wild King Salmon: The salmon was unbelievably soft and flaky at the same time, and the most impressive part? It practically melted in my mouth.
— Foie Gras: Initially, I thought the foie gras was overcooked due to it’s exterior’s firmness. However, I happily learned the interior was tender and soft. It was perfectly seared, the buttery taste was heavenly.
— A5 Wagyu: As someone who’s not too crazy about steak, to me, A5 wagyu is just extra fattening. With that being said, my husband was on cloud nine, he kept on telling me how the meat was melting in his mouth. Naturally, I gave him the rest of my steak.
— Artisanal Cheeses: We were first assessed by the staff regarding our preferences in cheeses and then she meticulously curated a plateful of soft and firm cheeses, just phenomenal.
— Malted Rice Sorbet: A quenelle of rice sorbet that was served with pignoli nuts and Asian pear, creamy and not overly sweet.
— Okinawa Black Sugar: Buckwheat cookie on top of soy marshmallow and illanka cremeux. Ok, that sounds pretty fancy (the presentation was on point as well, especially when they also included a candle for me.) But, I honestly thought this was probably the weakest dish out of the entire Chef’s menu, it was rather bland.
With 20 dishes and 11 various wines that we’ve served, this meal took almost as long as three hours from start to finish. Providence’s culinary skill and their level of service were truly amazing. The presentation and plating of each dish was visually stunning. I highly recommend those who truly appreciate fine dining and wines to treat themselves with this phenomenal establishment. And, if you do decide to go with the Chef’s tasting menu, make sure you come hungry.

Truly a birthday treat! My hubby made reservations and we got a personalized «happy birthday» name card in our menu. Four course menu takes about 1.5 hours and they give you plenty of extra goodies in between. Providence truly take pride in their ingredients, many imported from far away lands. Butter from France, truffle from Italy, beef from Japan and their touted sustainable seafood! Service was outstanding, waiters describing every detail multiple times since I’m super curious. Ambiance was great, packed house on a Friday night!
Highlights from the menu, entrees were amazing, salmon for me and Wagyu beef for my husband. House-​made pasta with shaved truffle on top! Bread selection, I would definitely recommend the Brioche and they give the creamiest butter to spread and sea salt crystals which you can sprinkle on top.

Holy. Cow.
I think this was the best meal I’ve ever had. Granted, it was also the most expensive (at $ 220 per person pre-​tax for the 12-​course tasting menu), but worth it for a once (hopefully more!) in a life time experience. My boyfriend was awesome and treated me here as an early birthday dinner with our friends. We were celebrating three birthdays that night (7 people total), and they sure did make this dinner special :)
Early in December, they had a 10% off special so we all got gift certificates and made reservations a month in advance. Parking was easy and free– we just parked on the street in some of their designated parking spots.
The food was AMAZING. I don’t have any complaints about any of the food, really. They say it’s 12 courses, but it’s really more like 20 with all of the little appetizers they give you before the meal, which are so, so delicious. I love eating a little bit of everything. The portions for each course are pretty small, but adding up 20 small courses sure does fill you up! I left here STUFFED.
The menu changes constantly, so I won’t go into details, but we got the following for the 12-​course tasting:
— geoduck
–santa barbara sea urchin
— wild japanese tai snapper
–australian spanner crab
–main lobster
–wild john dory
–nancy’s downeast sea scallop
–a5 wagyu
–another fish dish (replacement for artisanal cheeses)
malted rice sorbet
–chamomile
–okinawan black sugar
This does NOT include the amazing bread (omg the brioche and seaweed bread) and little appetizers. If you love seafood, you’re in heaven if you come here! Also, the dessert was to die for! I cannot rave enough about the malted rice sorbet. It was so refreshing and the highlight of my meal even though it was one of the last dishes and I was already super stuffed.
The service was also spectacular. The waiters/​waitress explained all the dishes, constantly refilled our water, etc. They gave us as much bread as we wanted! They even gave us candles on our dessert to celebrate our birthdays =)
The meal lasted a total of 4 hours. I know $ 220 is expensive, but it’s really for the experience :) I had a great time celebrating my birthday with my friends at Providence!

I had very high expectations of this place, but I simply did not like this restaurant at all. Here are the reasons why:
1.) No chef tasting menu after 9pm? I got a reservation (via phone) for 9pm. And when I started ordering food, I was told that it was too late for the chef tasting menu. I have never heard of a «high end» restaurant not offering certain menus after a certain time because it was too inconvenient for their staff? Even if they dont, they should have at least told me that when I made my reservation over the phone. It was a huge disappointment to fly all the way from San Francisco just to be told that I couldn’t have their «best» offering.
2.) Overcooked food. For my entrée, they overcooked the duck. Not just a little bit overcooked… but the duck meat with dry and brown… It was the first time I sent food back in a tasting menu…
3.) Ugly interior design. They try to mimic a sea or beach atmosphere in the restaurant, with barnacles and shells on the wall, but to me it looked very inconsistent. Not all the walls had the theme and it just looked cheap.
4.) Overall food. Nothing stood out to me overall. Compared to SF restaurants or other restaurants in similar price points, Providence is barely 1 Michelin star quality.

Tasting Menu only here — it’s a great experience! Make a reservation prior. I think this type of dining is too luxurious and I would only come here for a special occasion. They have the complete menu (5 – 6 courses) or the four-​course menu. The third option is the chef’s menu, I believe. Lastly, they offer caviar, uni egg, foie gras, and white truffles in addition to the menus. I highly recommend!
For my quarter century birthday, my significant other treated me to Providence for the complete tasting. (In hindsight, this was a lot of food. I would probably stick with the four-​course menu in the future.) They take you through several amuse bouche («amoos boosh») first. You can browse through the pictures — they almost all looked too perfect to eat. The first few dishes were eaten without utensils. Eating with my hands was an interesting way to start the meal. Before they served the tuna, our uni egg came. It was so delicate and tasted warm. I never had this before, so I do not have anything to compare it to. I’m glad we took the server’s recommendation of getting our own serving of it. One order is not enough to share for two. We were served some bread and German butter. The brioche was the best one, but it was also really buttery. One of the servers told me it’s like 90% butter, haha! I think the scallops were my favorite, but the wagyu beef comes closely second. By the time the foie gras was served, I was getting full. This was my first time having foie gras also, but I enjoyed it. I think they paired it well with the cranberry and miso. One order of foie gras is good for two people; I recommend sharing this one. In addition to the pomegranate dessert, we had some chocolate peanut butter pieces and macarons. I took these desserts home along with the coffee cakes they packed for «breakfast in the morning tomorrow». That was cute. I really liked the jelly drops because they were a delicate amount of sweet after all the savory foods. I think the overall menu was too salty/​flavorful. I do not normally drink water during meals, but I found myself getting refills after refills.
Parking: There is a $ 5 valet, but there’s also plenty of spots down the street. It’s not hard to find. I love that about Providence. Give yourself at least 10 – 15 minutes for parking just in case though.
Fun fact: I spotted a celebrity dining at the table next to me!

I was really excited to try for obvious reasons, and while it didn’t blow my mind (like I hoped it would), I was still really impressed. I had the four course seasonal menu while the BF had the complete menu. Everything was cooked and executed perfectly. The wagyu supplement was, of course, melt in your mouth perfect. The only negative for me was our added Santa Barbara prawns. It was 6 prawns baked in sea salt and served with lemon juice table side. Simple, and maybe too simple (especially considering the price). I wouldn’t get that again. A great choice for a special occasion in LA.

Very impressed!
Wife and I came for her birthday. Lacking the stamina to go for the full chef’s menu (or a babysitter that could stick around for ever and ever), we opted to go for the shorter signature and seasonal menu with wine pairings.
While each dish was fabulous, intricate, and curious in its own way, what really wowed us were the little touches and surprises that Providence always seemed to have. Like tossing our five amuse bouches instead of one. Each one was more substantial and interesting and definitely got us on the edge of our seats for the dinner to begin.
The relaxed formality was also a nice surprise. We expected the super formal fine dining experience. We were pleasantly surprised by the easy-​going attitude and slightly faster pacing of the meal (which we really liked).
Lastly, the doggy bag of muffins for breakfast was a nice detail that surprised us and gave us a chuckle. We first thought that everyone was taking things to go (but how do you take a small blob of food to go?), but when the waiter came back with our own bag and proclaimed «breakfast!» we understood.
Well executed and very tasty! We can’t say that we’ll be back soon (because that would break the piggy bank), but we will definably be back when we have another special day to celebrate!

Where do I start? My wife and I have been to this place a couple of times. Last time we were here was before social networks (i.e. FB, IG, TW, etc). I never imagined I’d be able to write my own review and be able to post it. Well, this restaurant Does NOT need my review. Seriously. The food and wines were great, the service was of course superb, something that you could expect from a classy restaurant. We did the 7-​course with wine pairings. From their tuna tar tar, to their scallops… big eye tuna to their lobster, everything was cooked to perfection. Lastly and most importantly, their Japanese WAGYU A5 Grade 11 beef… as soon as I put the little piece in my mouth, I felt like all the angels came down… it was so deliciously! They paired it with a 2012 JCR Pinot noir. It was a PARTY IN MY MOUTH!

3.5 stars
Two Michelin stars in LA is the equivalent of one star in NYC. The Signature and Seasonal tasting menu here was decent but most of the courses did not taste very good. The plating was nice and the service was generally very good.
Cocktail bite: a bit too sour/​sweet; not great
Rice amuse: crunchy and nice
Oyster amuse: OK; didn’t like the sauce
Wagyu beef cigar: good
Tuna sashimi: just OK; not a big fan of tuna unless it is very fatty tuna
Ugly bunch: everything on top of the crème fraîche panna cotta was good, but I did not like the smokiness of the crème fraîche
Added alaskan king crab: delicious and was the best course
Shrimp with roe and spinach: the shrimp tasted OK; the sauce was weird and the spinach did not add anything to the course
Palate cleanser: decent
Foie gras and porcini cigar: pretty good
Wagyu beef: everything else on the dish besides the wagyu beef was not great, but the wagyu beef was very fatty and delicious
Dessert course: not good
Expect to get a food coma after all this food.

My bf surprised me for my birthday since I have not had the pleasure of dining here previously.
Parking — They have valet but street parking is plentiful! Park on the street and get an extra drink instead of spending it on valet!
Our reservation was at 6:45 but we got there a bit early so we sat at the bar to enjoy cocktails. The bar is pretty small… maybe about 7 seats. We got the «This is just to say» and the «berried alive». Both cocktails were well made and I loved the cup my drink came in!
We were seated promptly at our reservation time and we opted for the Chef’s tasting menu. On the menu, there are 12 items but with the amuse bouche, it came out to be about 17 dishes in total.
1. Pineapple Margarita — these are jellies with a liquid center. According to my bf, they change the flavor of these from time to time.
2. Scallop tartare and crispy rice taco — the «taco shell» is a shiso leaf and the crispy rice added a crunchy textural component to the soft scallop
3. Mackerel on toast — WOWZA… one of my favorite dishes of the night. The toast is so crunchy and the roasted tomato on top added a little bit of acidity the dish needed.
4. Cured salmon on toast with salmon roe and a cucumber juice shooter
5. Wagyu cigars — I expected the outer layer to be crunchy but when I bit through, it was pretty giving. It had a rich, concentrated taste.
— a little break with homemade bread and butter. The waitor suggested that we do not eat too much bread since we still had a ways to go in our meal. The bread is so good though!
6. Sword squid and Daikon radish — the knife work is amazing. The precision that is needed to cut everything with that consistency is amazing… I consider it an artwork.
7. Australian spinner crab with champagne, terragon, caviar and GOLD leaf — so buttery I could feel my arteries getting clogged while I was eating it but I couldn’t stop. Luciousness to the max! Crab meat in a pool of warm butter, a crispy round (I forget what it was), topped with caviar, terragon leaf, and gold leaf. Another favorite of mine of the evening!
8. Salt roasted Santa Barbara spot prawn — They prep and serve this table side. The prawns come in the salt roast that it was cooked in and is served with the roe on the side. Definitely try the roe! I was expecting a salty taste but it was surprisingly sweet. I ate the whole thing!
9. Black bass with fisherman’s stew — the stew was jammed packed with flavor! Fish so tender. I wanted a whole bowl of the soup.
10. Big eye tuna with sauce vierge, artichoke, basil, and pickled root veggies — the tuna was wrapped with something so it made the outside crunchy. It was delicious. The pickled root veggies added a refreshing component to the dish
11. Foie gras, keitt mango, passion fruit, celery — another lucious plate. the foie gras had a crunchy exterior and the fattiness of the foie gras was cut with the passionfruit.
12. A5 Wagyu steak, summer squash confit, onion — so tender and well cooked. The onion was soft and melted in my mouth. The summer squash confit was my least favorite because it had a concentrated tomato taste (which I am not a fan of)
13. Artisanal cheeses — we got this wrapped up to enjoy the next day! We were so stuffed! They ask what type of cheese we preferred (mild or strong) and packed up a little box with jams and bread.
14. Melon sorbet, lemon thyme soda, rambutan — a wonderful, light and refreshing palette cleanser.
15. Chamomile panna cotta with honey, pistachio, and dijon mustard ice cream — honestly… I was a bit apprehensive when I heard dijon mustard ice cream. I took a bite of just the ice cream and yes. it tasted like mustard… not a good thing… but wait… when I took a bite of everything together… I was amazed at how well everything complimented each other. I wanted MORE!
16. PB & J with brioche ice cream — I am not the biggest fan of PB&J but I still enjoyed the little piece I did eat. However, I did finish the brioche ice cream
17. Jelly, macaroon, and peanut butter cups
Take home muffins
The staff were all very attentive… to the point that the moment we finished a dish, our plates were taken away immediately.
The only reason I docked 1 star was because our main waiter seemed a bit upset when we asked to take a few pieces of the bread home. And they didn’t bring out the cheese cart to explain the different types of cheeses and get the whole experience.
I absolutely loved the food and my experience here and can’t wait to dine again. I just hope our main waiter is a bit more pleasant next time.
The whole dinner lasted about 2 hours so if you decide to go for dinner, give yourself plenty of time.

SERVICE
Outstanding!
ENVIRONMENT
We arrived for a small party reservation and were fortunate enough to be offered the chef’s table. The view of the kitchen was incredible. I’m happy to report that everything is kept pristine. If you do the wine pairing, you should have an open mind. I didn’t care for all of the offerings, but I am very picky with wine.
FULL MARKET MENU W/​WINE PAIRING
Starts with three amuse bouche plates: an interesting shot, then a sushi rice bite and then a salmon, dill and cream nugget served with a watermelon soup.
SASHIMI — So fresh. Served with radish and shallot powder and paired with a crisp Portuguese white wine.
UNI EGG — Topped with champagne butter and brioche crotons and paired with an amazing sparkling wine from Burgundy. So good, so creamy and I HATE Uni, but love this.
MAINE LOBSTER — Smokey creamy goodness. These morsels are flavored with a cilantro herb, foam, mushrooms and smoke. Paired with a great Santa Barbara Pinot Grigio.
SCALLOPS — A MUST TRY! This is my favorite dish from the experience. Salty Japanese scallops perfectly paired with a German Riesling.
SEABASS — Atop a tomato sauce Paired with a Tibouren wine, which i did not care for due to it’s almost liquor quality.
MAIN DISHES
SALMON — Bites wrapped in pork belly with plum sauce and paired with a strong Riesling.
DUCK — Charbroiled flavor, so good.
CHEESE
Amazing selection of international cheeses based on preferences.
DESSERT
Strawberry mint delish.
Dark Chocolate — ONE OF THE BEST DESSERTS IN LA. Paired with a great port.
PB&J Macaroon — Oh. MY. Gawd.

Chose the Providence Market Menu w/​wine pairing for $ 220 + $ 40 Black Truffle supplement:
Amuse Gueule
1) Spoon of Yuzu/​Japanese citrus, elderberry flower, basil seed suspended in a viscous gel.
2) Kombu/​Japanese kelp marinated nasturtium Sushi rice which was over vinegared & mushy, soupçon of diced scallops in Yuzu, Tsubu Arare (ah rah reh)/Japanese rice crackers.
3) Salmon over crème fraiche crostini, green dill powder & leaf. Cup of watermelon, jicama, espelette pepper soup.
Main Course:
4) Buri/​mature yellowtail Sashimi, sliced & shredded radish, micro greens, liquid nitrogened goaty, funky chevre which didn’t really pair well w/​the Buri. I applied the sea salt used to flavour the bread instead.
1−4a) Vinho Verde Quinta de Azevedo 2013: mineral laden, chalky dry citrus flavour w/​bracing sour bitterness.
5) Uni Egg: creamy custardy yellow egg sprinkled w/​rich mini buttery croutons, unctuous sea Umami filled Uni at the bottom.
5a) Parigot Blanc de Blancs Bourgogne Cremant: Faintly golden, sulfur strawberry w/​bitter, sour, woody slightly earthy mothball mustiness.
6) Maine Lobster: summer greens, fennel leaf, truffled vinegrette. It was here I added a supplement of Australian Truffe Noir to add an acidic humus, earthy, fermented scent to add to the sumptuousness of the sweet lobster.
6a) Buoni Anni Bianco 2012: Scent of white flower; acidic, chalky, hint of apricot; clean finish.
7) Hokkaido– Scallops: lightly grilled on pureed sweet corn, haricot vert, diced summer vegetables, purple flower garnish.
7a) Saarburger Riesling Kabinett 2011: slight diesel scent, smooth, touch acidic, sweet pineapple
8) Wild Striped Seabass: steamed mussel, intensely caramelized cherry tomato, butterball potato, thin tomato coulis drizzled w/​sweet olive oil. Bland fish is barely cooked for extremely velvety almost creamy texture.
8a) Tibouren Clos Cibonne: rare varietal from Provence. Rose wine w/​earthy strawberry & sour, stony minerality.
9) Wild King Salmon seems almost pureed soft mushiness wrapped in thin, crispy flavourless pork belly w/​Miso mustard purée, grilled peach. Considering Chef Cimarusti is a renowned icthyophilic chef I found this salmon dish to be lackluster w/​poor mouthfeel & low flavour content. It didn’t seem well thought out.
9a) Chardonnay Paul Hobbs 2013: more typically Californian leaning slightly to Bourgogne where it’s not as buttery, but still is oaky w/​pineapple/​apple scents.
10) Cheese assortment. 10a) Domaine de Montbourgeau l’Etoile 2011: Chardonnay that is oxidized for nutty, caramelized Jerez-​like fermented woodsy, mushroomy dry complex flavours.
11) Harry’s Berries: strawberry but including ghost-​like translucent jelly-​like aloe leaf chunks.
12) Chocolate Cremeux base w/​mocha & white chocolate-​like glacé on top garnished w/​banana, buttery soil.
12a) Banyuls Domaine le Tour Vieille 2013: port-​like, chocolate undertones.
Unfortunately 3 out of the 4 times that I have been to Providence, it seems to suffer from the same malady that many of the waiters seem to have at Melisse. Just because the waiters work at one of the chicest restaurants in LA doesn’t mean that they are entitled or feel that they rate higher than the general paying customers.
All the successful high end restaurants seem to have the goal of making sure their guests are comfortable, catered to, and trying to ensure that their restaurant experience is nonpareil. I certainly didn’t get that feeling at Providence where many of the waiters were aloof, a bit smug, & a bit dogmatic. The lady who served the cheese just indifferently mumbled through quickly the names of the cheeses.
The sommelier was knowledgeable but certainly didn’t have the warmth & helpfulness of Silvestre of Patina, Fabio at Piccolo, Simon at Royce, Fred of Cuistot in Palm Desert. I have had far better restaurant staff experience in terms of their warmth, welcome, eagerness to ensure customer satisfaction in places like Patina, Urasawa, Gary Danko, Piccolo Venice, Cuistot, Sushi Iki, Royce, etc.
3+ Unilocal stars for the food this time, but 2 stars for service = 3– Unilocal stars.

Guess what, guys?! I managed to shove approximately 20 courses down my pie hole without barfing or crapping my pants mid-​meal! Do I get a prize?
The food was highly enjoyable, albeit some of the dishes were a bit too salty for my taste (I’m sensitive to salt). Instead of reciting the lengthy menu, I’ll do a comparison of my table vs. neighboring tables:
–We were fun, they were boring
–We ordered the extensive chef’s menu, they opted for lighter (and cheaper) meals
–We welcomed the cheese course with open arms and requested stinky varieties, they probably had diarrhea just by looking at dairy products
We win!