I managed to get a last minute early reservation here while in LA for work. I was excited to try it as I haven’t done much Southern California dining. Overall I thought it was excellent. Everything was perfectly cooked, sauces on all dishes had wonderful depth of flavor and complexity.
Honestly, the highlight of the night for me was not on the menu. The A5 Wagyu “cracker” amuse was one of the richest and most wonderful bites I’ve had in a long time. Then, the supplemental truffle courses were also spectacular, especially the egg ravioli with an almost criminal amount of truffle.
Interestingly, if there was a disappointment in the night it was the duck which was good but not particularly exciting or inspiring. Nothing bad per se, just average. I ordered it because I wanted to break up seafood course after seafood course, but maybe I should have stuck to seafood (the final savory course was a choice between swordfish, the duck, or A5 Wagyu).
Service was warm, overall excellent (no complaints or flaws), but perhaps not as mind reading as at some of the top end stratospheric places (my main barometer of that is if they notice that I’m left handed and adjust the silverware accordingly… they didn’t notice). One major compliment is that they got the pacing dead on. 8+ courses that didn’t drag or feel rushed at all. That’s not easy to pull off and they did it.
All in all, I think that the ** designation is right on. Really excellent, faultless cooking but perhaps lacking that certain je ne sais quoi of mind reading service and food that takes your breath away that’s a hallmark of the best places. Definitely worth a stop if in LA, but wouldn’t plan a trip just to go here either…
missjaniexo on
Great photos! Haters will say Providence is overrated, but I strongly disagree. Been 3 times and the tasting menu and wine pairings always exceed expectations.
2 Comments
I managed to get a last minute early reservation here while in LA for work. I was excited to try it as I haven’t done much Southern California dining. Overall I thought it was excellent. Everything was perfectly cooked, sauces on all dishes had wonderful depth of flavor and complexity.
Honestly, the highlight of the night for me was not on the menu. The A5 Wagyu “cracker” amuse was one of the richest and most wonderful bites I’ve had in a long time. Then, the supplemental truffle courses were also spectacular, especially the egg ravioli with an almost criminal amount of truffle.
Interestingly, if there was a disappointment in the night it was the duck which was good but not particularly exciting or inspiring. Nothing bad per se, just average. I ordered it because I wanted to break up seafood course after seafood course, but maybe I should have stuck to seafood (the final savory course was a choice between swordfish, the duck, or A5 Wagyu).
Service was warm, overall excellent (no complaints or flaws), but perhaps not as mind reading as at some of the top end stratospheric places (my main barometer of that is if they notice that I’m left handed and adjust the silverware accordingly… they didn’t notice). One major compliment is that they got the pacing dead on. 8+ courses that didn’t drag or feel rushed at all. That’s not easy to pull off and they did it.
All in all, I think that the ** designation is right on. Really excellent, faultless cooking but perhaps lacking that certain je ne sais quoi of mind reading service and food that takes your breath away that’s a hallmark of the best places. Definitely worth a stop if in LA, but wouldn’t plan a trip just to go here either…
Great photos! Haters will say Providence is overrated, but I strongly disagree. Been 3 times and the tasting menu and wine pairings always exceed expectations.