I have always loved Providence in LA, a beautiful setting under the Relais et Chateaux banner where elegance, service and food are all at the forefront for a fabulous evening.
Whether vegetarian or not, Providence cooks up and amazing 8 course menu for $295 and then has more options and supplements such as cheese (we could not manage it), Wagyu (not needed) and white truffles (as it is the season, but wow they are soooo expensive, I went into shock!). There are two wine pairings for $145 or $290 and we chose the lesser and it was quite good for the most part.
We started with a drink called Rabbit Season which was a tad fruity and made with Pueblo Viejo Blanco Tequila, Habanada(a not spicy pepper--spicy would have been better), Red Bell Pepper, Carrots and Citrus. Sam said his Catalina Garibaldi with St Agrestis phony Negroni, orange strawberry and shiso was "alright." We marveled at the hanging metal art object above us in the 2-story atrium and Will called them metallic butts, one of the servers corrected him to metallic pumpkins; they were a tad weird.
Multiple amuses arrived(photos of both the veggie and regular menu are on Facebbook) and they were all delish. We had Hiramasa with a shiso vinegar spray (proffered in a perfume bottle), Alderwood Smoked Salmon on Pumpernickel with Beet Gelee, Vegetarian Ficelles(crispy filled cigar pastries) with an intense mushroom filling. For the two fish amuses, Sam got veggie versions. Another adorable and yummy amuse arrived in the form of a Parmesan cracker(more like cookie) with A-5 wagyu beef tartare and a smoked mustard that served as a "glue" to hold the cracker perched on a wooden cube. Again, Sam had a veggie version. Our wine was a sparkling Schrambsberg Blanc de Blanc.
Course I was called "One potato, two potato" and was nothing what I expected. There was a potato mousse with crispy potato croutons inside and the whole dish was covered with a huge gob of gorgeous Golden Kaluga Caviar and Garden Herbs (flowers and herbs from the restaurant garden were used on every dish). Sam had onion soubise and white truffles on his potato instead of caviar. We got a tad more Schramsberg as well.
Course II was Tai Sashimi made from Japanese snapper with Celtuce(this was an odd cross between celery and lettuce), Jicama, Passion Fruit Vinaigrette and Pickled Ginger. Black Olive Oil from Portugal was poured over as well, and we loved the slight sweet from the fruit that had tons of tart from the ginger and vinegar. Sam had a gorgeous Hande-made Silken Tofu with Gingko Nut & Celtuce as well. Our wine was a Chateau de Villeneuve 2021 "Les Corniers" Chenin Blanc from Saumur. This was a superb pairing, as were most, but this one excelled.
Course III for us was three parts and called Salt Spring Island Mussel featuring the mollusks from a small island in British Columbia. A shell had an aerated mussel broth foam which was novel and then next to this was a Gratine mussel chopped up and served like a farci or stuffing. There was a covered bowl of Chawanmushi or fermented custard that was divine and had kombu and other ingredients that I failed to capture. the wine was an Arbe Garbe 2020 Malvasia, Chardonnay and Tokai Friuli blend. Sam got a Cauliflower Mille Feuille with 50-year Balsamic, veggies and white truffle (again--glad we didn't pay the price tag for the a la carte truffles) which even the staff marveled at as it was not on the menu and was something completely new from the chef.
When the magnificent loaf of crusty Red Fife Sourdough Bread arrived with an explanation of the Tehachapi Grain arrived, we all went into a tizz and immediately were addicted. It takes 3 days to make this tasty treat and the Normandy butter and sea salt were the perfect touches.
Course IV was Scallop(from Hokkaido, Japan) with a black truffle roulade, cauliflower puree, Scallop XO sauce and an aerated scallop tea on the side! Sam had chanterelles tortellini with tomato and black truffle. Our wine was Alexander Zahel 2022 Gruner Veltliner. I seem to have lost track of Sam's course here!
Course V was Vermilion Rockfish from Santa Barbara with a matching Santa Barbara Rose of Grenache 2022 from Zotovich. The fish had Oregon Matsutake mushrooms and Carrots from "The garden of..." which is the name of the provider all in a white prt carrot sauce. Sam had an Artichoke dish with Scarlet Runner Bean Ragout and preserved Black Truffle.
Course VI was an option for us, and Will chose the Swordfish from Gloucester, Mass. with black coco beans, smoked swordfish belly and black winter truffle and ginger. The wine was a 2018 Gamay Beaujolais from Blain in Brouilly. Sam's main was the Sunchoke with Tetsukabuto Squash and Pear Vadouvan while I chose the meat option(there was also a wagyu option) of Liberty Farms Duck from Sonoma with Ground Cherry(Gooseberry), Vadouvan, Chidori Kale, Celery Root, Duck Sausage and Swiss Chard. It was divine and cooked to perfection and served with a 2018 L'Arge d'Or Grenache from Santa Barabara which was akin to an orange wine, and I quickly got it replaced with a El Rapolo 2020 Mencia red!
Concord Grape, Mint and Cognac Granita was fun with shards of apple cider candy.
and the yummy but simple dessert that followed was just right after the huge meal. House-Made Hawaiian Dark Chocolate was smoked in house and served with coconut and Indonesian long pepper in a chocolate mousse with coconut milk fig-leaf infused gelato that looked like a chocolate version of the winged victory of Samothrace in the Louvre! A chocolate mint tea was on the side. The sweet dessert wine was a Trebbiano, Sauvignon Blanc & Moscato blend from Marche in Italy called La Montata Passito that we loved.
There were more chocolates and homemade granola to take home as we could not face another bite! What a great first dinner here over the long holiday weekend with Samuel!
