TBA
Providence
Having just been awarded two stars by Michelin, dineLA Restaurant Week seemed like an ideal time to try Providence.
The dineLA menu is a good bit shorter than any of the regular menus, so this review is short of the full experience. Adding the salt grilled Santa Barbara spot prawns (carved table-side, good but not worth the price) and the uni egg (overrated) was actually costly enough that splurging on the signature & seasonal tasting menu would have been the way to go?
The chilled tomato soup is unique and delectable, the amuse brouche are a bit more inconsistent. All four were at least okay, the cornmeal wrapper crab quiche perhaps the weakest. Kanpachi (yellowtail) sashimi is quality but ordinary. The vermillion rockfish is very, very good, pan finished just right. Along with the duck, perhaps the highlight of the meal?
The duck was almost amazing- among the best duck I've had but just a smidgen short due to some gristle or connective tissue at the end, probably my fault for not cleaning it out. Can't forget, the Red Fife sourdough was excellent, however this is an uneducated opinion as the whole dry-raised grain is something I am unfamiliar with?
Desserts were straightforward with the only surprise being the chocolate-covered marshmallow included at the end. The 70% chocolate cake dessert itself was decidedly not a surprise, and while solid, "merely" solid might be considered disappointing. They wrap things up with the bill and a zucchini muffin to take home, mmmmmm.
The service is excellent, the price for a 2* is actually very reasonable, but ultimately Providence the 2* rating means very high expectations, and there, they fall short.