I realize that not everyone scours epicurean magazines as avidly as I do, but any Californian can appreciate that of Gourmet’s Top 50 Restaurants in America, the golden state is home to nine of them, with nearby Providence grabbing 35th place. Located at 5955 Melrose Ave. right by Paramount Studios, it is an Eden for sophisticated diners and celebrities. At $35 an entrée, it may require some saving or some whoring yourself out on the street. However, the artful plate designs and inventive ingredient combinations at Providence make it worthwhile, even if it’s reserved for special occasions.
Satin pillows adorn burgundy couches in the entryway and ceramic petals are clustered into the corners of tall ceilings. The kind host escorts you around the wet sand walls and dimly-lit white table cloths to your seat. There is an eclectic blend of mature touches, from dark wood to frosted glass panels in white frames. The waiters, dressed casual but chic in tan robes and black t-shirts, are available to answer any questions about the unusual menu items while Beck, Fiona Apple, and Neil Young emanate softly from the speakers.
I started with the Maine Lobster Bloody Mary, a salad of lobster and grape tomatoes with a tomato and celery gelee. It was joined by a celery sorbet with horseradish crème fraiche that highlighted the horseradish flavor without the painful, nostril-flaring heat it usually packs. I also tried the Foie Gras Parfait, which had a gel layer of Hungarian sweet wine and came with poached Asian pears, curry pear au jus, toasted brioche and foie gras powder. This all sounds kind of intimidating, but it’s good if you can handle that much foie gras—I thought the buttery texture was too rich after awhile.
Before the appetizers, the considerate wait staff brought us some spectacular amuse-bouche—free creations to sample while you wait. What looked like a mini mug of beer turned out to be a divinely rich melon soup with flavorful lime foam, paired alongside a soy marshmallow with crunchy wasabi seeds. The chef tries some wacky things, but you’re in good hands here. Our attentive waiter always came by between bites, when our mouths were not full, and the staff was conversational without being annoying.
Providence specializes in seafood, so for dinner I tried the Sea Scallops and Pacific Big Eye Tuna. Santa Barbara raw pistachios and Tahitian squash joined the scallops in a dish that plays mind games with your fork—think you’re stabbing into another pistachio or squash chunk? It’s actually sweet pistachio cream or squash puree. The scallops were velvety and nothing was overcooked, as squash and scallops can easily be. The tuna came with small chunks of chorizo, Japanese sword squid, fennel, and oven-dried tomatoes. The chorizo was very cured, which gave a strong flavor to everything, even the tuna. It was the heart of the dish, so make sure you really like chorizo before ordering this.
With such amazing savory samplings, one might expect a skimp on dessert. Not here, where I was shocked to find bizarre flavor combinations pleasing my palate. The Chocolate Mousse with Horchata ice cream and green avocado-banana puree had glazed sliced almonds and cookie crumbs as a garnish, and a brown sugar crust on the mousse. This mix seems to lack focus, but put a little of everything on a spoon and you’ll be astounded at the premeditated medley of textures and flavors. The same can be said for the Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta, with mini house-made marshmallows, cocoa-coconut streusel, and Kahlua sauce, where the creaminess of the panna cotta holds the family of ingredients together.
The chefs at Providence are truly inspired, but they check themselves. They don’t go out on limbs without knowing the delicious results and it shows. Ordering these types of dishes can be scary at first but doubt fades with every course here, all the way up to the dessert amuse-bouche that accompanied the check—orange spice caramels, dark chocolate peanut butter cups with sea salt, and raspberry gelees. These chefs never skip a beat, though with that chocolate mousse, my heart surely did.
