Providence Restaurant Review
To celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary we visited LA’s Two star Michelin restaurant, Providence. Providence has been on our list of places to try for sometime, as it always seems to top every list of best LA restaurants and after seeing Michael Cimarusti appear on Top Chef Masters I knew this was the next place in LA I would be trying.
We were initially seated on the enclosed patio which was nicely lit and very quite however, the heater located above our table was not working and Megan was a little too “chilly bones jones” so we asked to be moved inside. After a quick check with the maître d’ our server promptly moved us to a new table that was in the warmer albeit louder interior. There was a chef’s table that had a view of the kitchen, which at the list minute I requested but it was already reserved for the evening (maybe next time).
We had decided we wanted to due a tasting menu this evening which left us with 4 options to choose from:
Five course limited tasting
Nine course full tasting
Five course white truffle tasting
Twelve course chef’s tasting
Not wanting to spend too much of our life savings, we opted for the nine course full tasting with one wine paring to split between the two of us.
The gustatory festivities got started with the bread service. As the bread server made his way to out table carry a basket of 3 different varieties he asked Megan which she would prefer: French Roll, Bacon Brioche, or Nori Focaccia? No surprise to me, Megan confidently responded with what has become her standard answer to this question, “I will have one of each.” Not about to be outdone before the meal had even started I followed suit. The bacon brioche was the highlight, light and fluffy and with succulent specks of bacon scattered throughout. The Focaccia was our next favorite with the nori strands providing a nice twist to an otherwise nicely executed focaccia. The French roll was also very nice, although did not stand out as much as the other two.
Before any of the official courses arrived we were presented with a series of three amuse-bouches.
The first amuse was a gin and tonic gelee. This was basically a gin and tonic that has been emulsified into the gelatin square and was sever with some fresh lime juice squeezed on top. It was fun and tasted just like a gin and tonic.
The second amuse was a mojito ravioli. Similar to the first in that It was a cocktail that was repurposed into a new form. This however was enclosed in a thin skin layer and remained liquid on the inside.
The third amuse was a carrot soup shooter. I nicely executed carrot soup with a dollop of crème fraiche on top.
The first official course was a japanese kanpachi with crispy rice crackers, flowering coriander, soy crème fraiche. This was a marvelous way to start the dinner. It is seems like variations on this dish are becoming very popular as we just had something very similar at another restaurant. However, this version blew other one previous one. It was very nicely balanced and I was intrigued to see the use of flowering coriander, which has a drastically different flavor after it begins to flower.
The second course was a Santa Barbara sea urchin served in a farm fresh egg, containing champagne beurre blanc and herbs. I think it was the was the first time we have had sea urchin and it was very good.
The third course was a hand harvested Main sea scallop with chanterelles, haricot vert, applewood smoked bacon, jurançon sec. It was beautifully seared.
The fourth course was a Black Bass with crisp skin with tomato, micro greens and lemon. This dish was one of the highlights of the evening. The contrast between the crisp skin and the soft flesh was wonderful.
Next came a Columbia river wild king salmon severed with bloomsdale spinach, root vegetables, red wine gastrique. Another excellently executed fish dish.
The next course was the first and only land animal of the evening. A roasted tenderloin of veal severed over crushed butterball potatoes, spring onions, hazelnuts, spring garlic confit. The tenderloin was perfectly cooked and not too heavy considering the all the seafood we has leading up to it. We especially liked the crushed potatoes, which were a nice alternative to mashed.
The cheese course came next. The waiter wheeled out a cart containing about 20 different cheeses, all of which we got a short biography on. After weight all our options we decided on a raw England Cheddar, french chèvre, Rogue River Blue Cheese and a truffled semi-soft cow’s milk cheese. The cheeses were accompanied by figs, candied walnuts, apricot-black pepper jam, apple jam, and walnut bread:
After the cheese course we were presented with a palate cleansing cucumber sorbet on top of compressed cumbers, lime, juniper berry & yogurt.
Lastly our dessert arrived. It was a mexican bread pudding with corn gelato, avocado mouse and graham cracker crumble. Honestly one the best desserts I have had. I had heard great things about the pastry chef here and it really exceeded my expectations. I noticed that they have dessert tasting menus also, we will have to some back at some point try one of those.
Just when we thought we were done there was a few more treats brought out for us to try: Chocolate truffles, cookies and gelatin squares.
It was a long and wonderful meal and the perfect way to cap off the fifth year marriage with my lovely wife.
Old Vine Cafe Restaurant Review
Tonight we had dinner at the Old Vine Cafe in Costa Mesa. It has been somewhere we have been meaning to try for some time but just now got around to it.
The setting is unassuming, tuck away in back corner of The Camp shopping center. The menu’s are presented fastened to a small canvas paintinga and the decor is modern electric. The items are set up up in what seems to be becoming a popular style of smaller tapas style portions. Almost all the items on the menu had an intriguing quality to them, unique combinations of flavors that you don’t see everyday. In addition to the standard menu we were also presented with 4 fixed prix menu options that all included wine parings, starting at a $40 3-course meal and going up to a $65 four-course meal. After much deliberation we decided on one of the 4 course seasonal tasting menus and two salads that we would share.
The first course to come out was a Butternut Squash & Leek Bisque garnished with Fried Leeks. This also included a wine pairing of Abbazia malvasia Rose, from Italy. As a side note they were very generous with the wine portions and actually poured separate glasses for Megan and I, giving us what I believed to be double the allotted amount. The soup was velvety and brought forth a note of holiday ambiance. The wine was sweet and light and complimented the savory soup very nicely.
Along with the soup we also enjoyed a Crispy Blue salad, featuring organic greens, crispy prosciutto, fried onions & Maytag blue cheese dressing. The salad was lightly dressed, as we would have hoped with a rich dressing such as blue cheese.
Next we had a Caprese of Mozarella Buratta, with Flash Fried Arugula, Grape Tomatoes & a Citrus Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We have had several fantastic Buratta salads as of late and this one did not disappoint. I did think it could have used a touch of acidity and it was it a little on the oily side, but nevertheless delicious.
Getting into the substantial dishes now, we had an All Natural Loch Duart Salmon Filet, on a bed of Creamy Herb Polenta, with a Crimini Mushroom Nero D’ Avola Sauce. This came paired with a 2006 Mistral Nero D’ Avola from Sicily. This was easily the best polenta we have had. The salmon was cooked perfectly and that earthy mushroom sauce worked well in trying together the salmon and polenta.
The main course was a hand Made White Ricotta & White Truffle Raviolo with a Slow Roasted Maple Leaf Duck Ragu & Aged Pecorino. This dish came paired with a 2007 Casanova Rosso, from Sicily. This was the best wine of the evening and the Raviolo was rich and delicious. We appreciated the presentation of dish, making the raviolo the focus and the duck ragu the compliment. It is so often we see the protein take center stage, it was refreshing to see a delicious ravilio be the star.
For desert we enjoyed a Dark Chocolate Lava Cake with a hint of Espresso. This came with the final wine pairing of the evening a Non Vintage Old Codger Tawny from Australia. The wine was sharp and helped cut through the sweetness of the cake. This might have been the best chocolate soufflé we have had which is saying a lot. It was severed with some dried fig, apricot and fresh whipped cream. The soufflé itself was not too sweet and cooked to perfection with a soft cakey exterior and liquid molten interior.
Before we left we enjoyed a cup of tea and some house made pistachio biscotti. The fresh biscotti was delightful and we order a small bag to enjoy on the ride home.
All and all it was very satisfying meal, we will defiantly be going back. Each dish was carefully thought out and successfully executed. The wine parings enhanced each dish and were a steal considering the price and generosity of the pour (in our case almost two full glasses). It is sad it took us some long to give the Old Vine Cafe a try, but now that we have we will be back very soon.
Tabu Grill – Laguna Beach
We just went here for our anniversary diner. We were both looking forward to a fantastic culinary experience as Tabu has received a 29 out of 30 from Zagat! We have only dined at one other restaurant that received such a high rating and that was The French Laundry, so needless to say our expectations were set very high.
I most likely would have given this 5 stars if the did not a have any expectations going in, but in the end the food just did not live up to my expectations and the service was just so so.
Still a really good place some of the best soup I have had in a long time. I will be back, just with lower expectations.
What we ate:
Roast Beet and Mushroom Soup
Awesome color and flavor. A fun an inventive soup. I would go back just for this soup.
Yelllow Fin Poke
Nicely done. Taro chips were a nice touch.
Griled Ceasar Salad
I am a sucker for grilled romaine, throw on some citrus with a house fresh Ceasar dressing and it is hard to go wrong.
Rack of Lamb
Worst and most expensive dish of the night. Outside was overlay charred and started to take on a burnt taste (this was with it ordered med rare). The quality of the rack was also poor, small and fatty. One positive note was the mint jus it was served with.
Kobe Flat Iron Steak
The steak was done very nicely. It was perfectly cooked and very tender. It was accompanied by blue cheese macaroni that was unfortunately not up to par and brought down the overall experience of the dish. I was actually looking forward to the macaroni as I have recently been on a mission to find the best gourmet mac n’ cheese, but this feel way short. (in case your interested currently on the top of the list is Roy’s Newport Beach, it is not on the menu so you must ask for it).
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