The dilemma was which prix fixe menu to order. The Providence Market Menu, The Signature & Seasonal Menu or the Chef's Tasting Menu which takes about 3 hours to consume. The birthday boy chose the Signature Seasonal Menu which list 6 items but we actually got a total of 11 courses with all the extra surprises.
They started us out with a Gelee with beer and rum. I must apologize for the dark pictures as I didn't have my flash on nor did I have my glasses on, so the picture looked good at the time. That slid right on to our throats. It tasted like jello but not like any jello you've had before. The first surprise was a Taco with sushi rice and scallop wrapped in a Kombu leaf. We all loved that one. We could have had a couple of those. They presented us next with a rock with 2 sticks and something at the end of them. It was Abalone on one end and Squid with chorizo on the other. The chorizo went well with the squid and the mighty abalone held up it's own. After the rock, came a box of cigars. No, it was not time for us to smoke....yet, the cigar box was filled with 3 pieces of rolled up beef with some cream.. The problem with all theses "extras" is, when they bring it to your table, they rattle the lengthy explanations while you get distracted by what is put in front of you. I wish they would include them in the menu so we can study and appreciate it before AND after. I would have those cigars anytime. After the cigars came a little bowl of Consomme Soup with mozzarella served with crackers with something creamy then topped with salmon roe. The soup and the salty cracker went well together. A small roll of Tuna Tartare with chives came along and went; inhaled it. I have to tell you that we had some of their rolls with butter and salt. So at this point we were already starting to get full and we haven't started on the signature menu yet!
The first thing on the menu was a Sashimi with basil seeds, jelly melon, celebrity tomatoes, (no paparazzi in site), ginger and finger lime. This was interesting as I have never had basil seeds. The presentation was beautiful as if the naked sashimi had to be dressed. It was as delicious as it looked.
The second item was called the Ugly Bunch though there was nothing ugly about them. In fact, it was the prettiest item on the menu. I guess they called it ugly because it was composed of ugly creatures like abalone, geoduck, and sea urchin. Chef Michael Cimarusti aka plastic surgeon did a great job! The bunch of assorted shellfish was swimming in creme fraiche panna cotta, dressed with gold and some edible flowers.
The Salt Roasted Spot Prawns had rosemary, lemon and extra virgin olive oil. This presentation was a show in itself. The salt is first baked to 500 degrees and the live shrimps are put in there just for 5 minutes then they are taken out of the salt bath and the server immediately scrapes the excess salt and goes on to make the incision to cut them in half which was good as we were not in the mood to peel shrimps. I think the shrimps were already comatose before they did the dive as I don't recall seeing squirmy shrimps. It reminded me of the time I had some drunken shrimps wherein the live shrimps were doused with beer and they got cooked that way. Deeeelicious!
It was now time for the fourth course which was Maine Lobster with slivered slices of mushrooms and I don't know what else. By this time, we were struggling as our stomachs were almost full to the brim and we had not had the wagyu yet. We did enjoy the succulent and juicy lobster. A few minutes past when they brought the final dish which was the Wagyu with some Japanese eggplant, okra and plum. I was only able to have 2 small bites which melted in my mouth. The okra was great. Sandi and I could no longer have another bite of food but Gary continued on! I guess he didn't want to hurt his sister's feelings.
Dessert arrived. We had the mascarpone with fig, cherry, fennel frond and pistachio. Somehow, we were able to eat that. Gary had a different dessert; I think it was a ginger panna cotta with pistachio ice cream and crumbled macaron. The macaron was good but we thought the pistachio ice cream had a peculiar after taste. The consensus was the desserts can and should be improved upon especially after an excellent meal! A plate of petit fours was served after our dessert. We did enjoy the caramels.
Providence is expensive but no doubt, you will get your money's worth. They even had printed next to the menu a "Happy Birthday Gary" which was a nice tough. They do go the extra mile and service was impeccable. Thanks to our server, Tavis who made sure we were well taken care of.
Providence is located at 5955 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles.
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