Before anything else we had an array of amuse-bouches. The first presentation was a Mojito cocktail bubble that just slid from mouth to esophagus to our tummies. This was followed by a Scallop Tartar with nasturtium (leaf) & Sushi Rice. Then there was Cured Saba followed by Smoked Halibut Fumet (reduced and seasoned fish stock) with mushrooms at the bottom. Next we had the Potato with Smoked salmon egg & dill powder. It was presented in a big ceramic egg container which looked like a dinosaur egg and inside were the delicate potatoes. The next amuse bouche was my favorite. A cigar box was laid on our table. Our server opened it and inside were 4 Wagyu cigars with a plum mayonnaise. After eating our cigars, we had Foie Gras Ravioli with a 50 year aged balsamic. That was delicious as well. I have to remind you that at this point, we have not started on our first course.
The Kaluga Caviar was wonderful but I have to tell you that the blinis they served was the best I have ever had. My only regret was that I forgot to ask for the left overs. It must have had a ton of butter. It enhanced the whole caviar experience with the creme fraiche and all the trimmings. The only way this could have been better is if someone prepared each serving for me as it was time consuming preparing each one without everything falling off the blinis. When we finished the whole 30 grams of caviar, they presented the Uni Egg; Santa Barbara Uni with champagne butter in a poached egg yolk with brioche croutons. I think I could have drank a good 8 ounces of this!
The first dish was a Fluke Sashimi with blood orange, pearl onion followed by Sea Scallop with cauliflower, vadouvan (Indian curry blend spices). The third dish was the Maine Lobster with eggplant and smoked sesame, miso. The fourth was a Wild Striped Bass with squash, nasturtium and shitake. We almost forgot one other thing we ordered which came just before the entree. The Pasta alla chitarra with Italian White Truffles. Another treasure box was set on the table. When opened, there was the truffle on white linen. The server very carefully picked it up and started shaving it onto the pasta. The portions were not big but we all could not finish the serving even if it was way too good! The Moscato, pomegranate and grapefruit came just in time to cleanse our palate just before the main entree.For the main entree, we had a choice of the Wild King Salmon with pancetta and black truffles. The Liberty Farm Duck with Japanese turnip and tangerine or the A5 Wagyu with sweet potato, aged vinegar and parmesan. One of us had the Wagyu Beef. We were informed and educated on the grading of Wagyu beef. Apparently the highest score is A5-12 which can only be found in Japan. Outside Japan, the highest is A5-11 which is what they serve. They even brought a piece of the Wagyu to show us the beautiful marbling of the beef. By the way, the wagyu was an extra $25-$50 depending on how many ounces you want. Three of us had the duck but by the time we got the entree, we were all too full. I had one bite of my wonderful duck and had to take the rest home.
The finale was our dessert. It was Sonora Wheat Feuilletage with hazelnut and an orange sauce. We didn't have any difficulty consuming that. Because we finished our desserts, they came with more desserts of macarons, and something with chocolate and marshmallows and jellied candies. Before we left they handed us something that resembled a coffee cake/muffin wrapped and bagged beautifully ....that's in case we get hungry on the way home.
The Premium drinks served with each course were served by Josh, the sommelier. They were well picked. We particularly enjoyed the German Riesling and Gewurztraminer. We made note of all the wines but if I listed them all, you would probably fall asleep. Our server, Katherine took very good care of us answering our numerous questions and patiently repeating things we asked her to explain. It is possible not to do the wine pairing if you do not drink alcohol. They have a non-alcoholic drink pairings. There were numerous virgin cocktails and fruit drinks. It was a bit overwhelming. The best one was the Calamansi which we were all familiar with as it originated in the Philippines.
We were all very happy and stuffed after this feast. It would have been nice to be able to move to another room to relax and maybe even take a nap. I always thought this to be a great idea because who wants to get in a car and drive after all that?
Providence is not the type of restaurant you would go every week unless you have unlimited funds or you just received your tax refund but definitely for a special occasion. They are located at 5955 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles.
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