Food Adventures: Dining at Providence, LA’s Seafood Gem
Food Adventures: Dining at Providence, LA’s Seafood Gem
Los Angeles’s 2-Starred Michelin Restaurant, Open for More Than Ten Years. Come Along As We dine for our Anniversary dinner.
Numerous restaurants in LA come and go like passing fads - a sudden burst of popularity followed by an inevitable closure. However, Providence stands out as an exception to this trend. With over 18 years in the business, it has proven its enduring appeal. I still recall dining there on special occasions many years ago, and back then, I never imagined it would withstand the test of time. I had concerns about their expensive $200+ prix fixe menu and wondered if there was a sustainable market for them. But time and again, they have demonstrated their value.
In light of our 10th wedding anniversary, my partner and I made the decision to revisit Our previous fine memories played a role in this choice, but more so, we wanted to celebrate a restaurant that has weathered every challenge that came its way.
More restaurants than I can count are a passing LA fad. They spring to life, are extremely popular for a time. But in the end, it is not sustainable and they eventually shutter. Then years later, it’s “remember [insert name of former favorite restaurant] to be here? They were good!”.
When we first dined at Providence, I never in my wildest dreams imagined it would withstand the test of time. I was worried about their (then) $200+/person prix fixe menu would not survive. I worried if there was a niche for them. But wow was I glad to be wrong!
Many new restaurants do not survive their first year much surpassing a decade years to become a classic. Thus, we saved our paychecks to book the fanciest seat in town; at the lavish Providence for our Wednesday date night.
Did we see anyone famous? Alas, not on that day.
Was the restaurant packed? By the time we left at 8 pm, every table was booked. I wouldn’t say packed the space as appropriately spaced, with limited seating!
What makes Providence special?
Helmed by chef Michael Cimarusti
Focus on sourcing sustainable, regional food. Our waiter can name the fisherman who caught the fish that was served to us that night! They even knew the boat's name (which escapes me now but it was incredibly clever).
If you care about accolades…
Listed amongst the Top 50 Restaurants in the USA by Gourmet magazine
Awarded the Best Seafood Restaurant by LA Magazine
From eating there, I would describe them as:
Innovative - the food they serve is unique and familiar. I think they try hard to be popular amongst their target audience, but also not stray too far. At the end of the day, it’s still food that we want to eat.
Memorable - The entire experience, service, and attention to detail is next level. It’s an experience that other restaurants cannot recreate. I’ve eaten at many places, but Providence stands out as memorable. It’s a small detail but worth mentioning, they wrote “Happy Anniversary” on the menu and even gave it to us as a souvenir.
My partner and I dined there nearly ten years ago! Back then, the dining room had hues of yellow and deep blue velvet lounge chairs. Today, I felt like I was stepping into a classy Little Mermaid cavern. The walls are awash in blue, green hues that change depending on the angle, the light. There’s a silver-orbed chandelier that reminds me of underwater air bubbles - both modern and organic. The carpet distinctly looks like oceans, waves, and seashells with several more colors of aquamarine. Oh and the tables, they are solid walnut and appear custom made as I’ve never seen anything like them, rounded tubular bases which carry a visual and physical weight.
I overheard the staff explain the restaurant was closed the entire month of April 2023 for renovation! I say, good for you. It must mean they’re doing either very well or struggling and doing very badly! My vote is for the former.
The Menu
The Menu at Providence
Poem to celebrate wine (to kick off the wine menu)
Camera Eats First
What the heck did I eat? Yessss, let’s jump in because I am still dreaming about this meal :) Scroll on for delicious food porm (drool)!
Cocktails
Mocktail - their version of a negroni (I would say it tasted 70% like a Negroni), garnished with thyme and flowers.
Bee pollen themed cocktail with a honeycomb ice cube (wow making heart eyes at this drink). Very good, would 10/10 drink my partner’s cocktail again :)
Amuse Bouche
Raw fish in a crunchy rice paper wrapper, topped with a shiso leaf. Very refreshing like biting into the ocean + cucumber
Their version of lox and cream cheese. A sliver of raw salmon on a rye cracker, topped with a fruity jam, creme fraiche and a little crunch from the bubbly lace topping.
Their version of a crab cake, wrapped in a crunch rice wrapper, pistachio cream and slivered almonds. My husband and I agreed, this amuse-bouche was our favorite.
Beef tartare between two cheese crackers, and with a final roll in parmesan cheese. I’m told, the crackers taste like an extra cheese version of Cheez It’s!
1st: Potato and Cavier
1st Course: Potato Cream and Cavier
2nd: Shima Aji with cucumber and basil
2nd: Shima Aji with cucumber and basil (all veggies and herbs grown from their very own roof top garden)
Bread Bread Bread
Carb load: Red Fifi Sourdough (red fifi is the heritage wheat which the bread is made of)
3rd: Hokkaido Scallop
Hokkaido scallop with summer squash (middle is fish, cannot recall sorry :) ) However, it was all VERY tasty!
4th: Halibut with clam bouillon and romano beans
Halibut
5th: Rockfish with morel, sorrel and miner’s lettuce
Rockfish with morel, sorrel and miner’s lettuce
6th: Japanese King Mackerel with parsley pistou
Mackerel
Mackerel plus baby corn (they did a variation without mushrooms for him)
7th & 8th: Dessert, Peaches, Chocolate and Tea Time
Boiled peach with vanilla gelato, best part was the drizzled syrup (not pictured). I feel like they were inspired by canned peaches :)
Chocolate overload! Mousse was inside, and the swirl is chocolate ice cream. They drizzled a coconut cream sauce to lighten the flavors.
Our own personal tea-time dessert. My favorite was the flower shaped one which tasted like pralines. Second favorite was those long sticks of chocolate, filled with black sesame cream!
Small touches like animal utensil rest (I believe this one is a horse)
In the end, I was so full - I felt like roll-y polly! My partner and I both agreed it was an amazing night and we should eat there again - sooner than once a decade! LOL. If you have the money and want an experience along with the best service LA has to offer - and you’re a huge seafood fan, I highly recommend Providence. It’s a traditional serving experience with both modern and traditional foods. I love how they’re always evolving, changing the menu. We both agreed, that they offered significantly more food than the last time we ate there - so we were for-sure impressed.
Drinking my mocktail (fake Negroni) at Providence
Hello! I’m L (Elle) and I love exploring Los Angeles and sharing my experiences. I hope this post was helpful. I have a background in photography so am obsessive about photographing everything. I love sharing it with y’all. If you eat a Providence let me know what you think. Feel free to say hello! linhdy@outlook.com.
