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LiquidSmoke
My title's cooler than yours DBK

Registered: 09/04/01
Posts: 25,335
Loc: S.A.G.G.Y.B.A.L.L.S.
Last seen: 6 months, 26 days
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Providence Chef's tasting menu
#10977177 - 09/01/09 01:28 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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So this was my second visit to Providence, simply declared, my favorite fine dining restaurant.

Now this time around, since it was only a week ago that I came and ordered the tasting menu, I asked the waiter if it was possible to have a different degustation....something completely off menu.
So the waiter first tells me that usually they get advanced notice for these kinds of requests, and asks if i have any kind of perference over what kind of food i'd want to eat.
I did the smart thing, and left the whole meal into the hands of the head chef, Michael Cimarusti.
I think the restaurant took notice that I was becoming a regular, and because of it, I did get some sort of special treatment that I really was not expecting. And as histrionic as this sounds, the proof is in the dishes.
Every single plate of food which came out, was an original. None of the dishes presented here are available on the menu. Not a single one of them. All the food was a seasonal improvisation by the chef. People dining around me were asking what kind of menu I had ordered because nobody else was getting the same dishes.
So lets begin....
Amous Bouche #1:

Right to left, Mojito sphere, gin and tonic gelee, Greyhound vodka and grapefruit juice sphere.
The first two amous were the same as last time, but the third was an original. All tasted delicious, tart, and definitely could feel the buzz from the alcohol.
Amous Bouche #2:

Right to left, smoked salmon on a bed of oyster creme fraiche, topped with crunchy brown rice, soy marshmellow with crushed wasabe powder (top), baked gruyere pastry stuffed with melted gruyere cheese, and again the carrot soup.
The first amous was reminscent of a clam chowder for some reason, although with the nice additional flavor of the smoked salmon. The soy marshmellow was just plain awsome, the slight saltiness and the outside sharp powdered wasabi...
the gruyere pastry was also rediculously tasty, a nice fresh baked outer crust encasing a hot inside of melted cheese. Bite into it and the hot melted cheese flows into your mouth...
First course:

King crab legs, grape cores, cucumber, sour cream-shellfish emulsion, fried shallot bushels.
Just a great first course, light on flavor but still incredibly complex and harmonious. The sweetness of the grapes, the freshness of the cucumbers, really played nicely with the subtle flavor of the king crab.
Second course:

Egg custard with pacific sea urchin, abalone, chives, brioche bread crumbs, topped with Alaskan caviar.
Every single spoonful was just powerful with flavor. As good as the urchin and abalone were, i think it was the crunchy brioche breach crumbs and chives that brought the dish together, adding a crunchy exture and tart-savoriness from the brioche.
Third course:

Grilled halibut, bruleed fig, on top of hazelnut puree, grilled scallion bulbs, and a balsamic reduction.
Again another masterfull interplay from the sweet, savory, salty, and delicious. The fig paired with the halibut worked so well here simply because one flavor did not overpower the other. The hazelnut puree, again, was one of the best single garnishes i've ever had on any dish. The flavor in itself is just sweet, earthy, nutty, and perfect with a number of proteins. The fish was cooked perfectly. And by that i mean the skin was crispy, the flesh flaked apart with the stick of a fork. Perfectly moist flesh.
Fourth course:

Roasted fatty pork belly on carrot-ginger sauce, braised carrot, crushed black peppercorn, and orange citrus salt off to the side.
The sauce is packed with flavor, the sweetness of the carrots hits u but then the finish of the ginger and rich spice seasoning lingers in the back. This was a great way to experience the fatty pork belly, which melted in your mouth with every forkful. The citrus salts, the crushed black pepper, and everything else on the plate was just wonderfully harmonious. My tastebuds were in love with me.
Fifth course:

Fillet of lamb, grilled artichoke heart, white beans, natural ju, chimichuri, and underneath the beans was a San Marzano tomato compote.
I think I jizzemed my pants a little while eating this. I can't even begin to describe how the flavors matched or why everything worked so well together. All i can say is, with the beans, lamb, and especially the delicious tomato compote, just an orgy in my mouth. Even with the addition of the chimichuri, everything played on each other just so perfectly.
First desert:

Poached lechee core topped with a green tea and lechee sorbet, surrounded by a bed of white chocolate sauce, tapioca pearls, thin toasted almond rings.
Again, complex as ever, but surprisingly harmonious, sweet and earthy green tea/lechee sorbet, tangy and sweet lechee, and the pure goodness of the hite chocolate sauce and tapioca.
Second desert:

Bailey's irish cream sorbet, coconut juice sphere, baked chocolate crumbs, on a bed of chocolate pudding.
Very straightforward flavor profile, but the coconut juice sphere was a pleasant extra touch.
Now this was a special meal. I've never gone to a fine dining establishment and had the chef making a complete tasting on the fly. It's experiencing the true genius of the chef first hand.
I will savor this meal for the rest of my life hopefully. And it reaffirms my belief that Providence is the best fine dining restaurant i've ever been to.
After the meal was over I spoke with the waiter, telling him how I had been to several 2 star establishments across the area, and somehow Providence was still a notch above.
I mean, earning the second michelin star this year isn't only an indication of high quality, but also a recognition of a restaurant's upside, and hopefully acknowledgments to come.
-------------------- "Shmokin' weed, Shmokin' wizz, doin' coke, drinkin' beers. Drinkin' beers beers beers, rollin' fatties, smokin' blunts. Who smokes tha blunts? We smoke the blunts" - Jay and Silent Bob strike Back
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Chespirito
Stranger



Registered: 02/13/09
Posts: 3,259
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Re: Providence Chef's tasting menu [Re: LiquidSmoke]
#10977513 - 09/01/09 03:17 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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LiquidSmoke
My title's cooler than yours DBK

Registered: 09/04/01
Posts: 25,335
Loc: S.A.G.G.Y.B.A.L.L.S.
Last seen: 6 months, 26 days
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Re: Providence Chef's tasting menu [Re: Chespirito]
#10977521 - 09/01/09 03:21 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Huh? I didn't get that Frazier reference. :P
all this fine dining's getting me pretty chubby.
Wednesday is the Dining Room at Langham.
-------------------- "Shmokin' weed, Shmokin' wizz, doin' coke, drinkin' beers. Drinkin' beers beers beers, rollin' fatties, smokin' blunts. Who smokes tha blunts? We smoke the blunts" - Jay and Silent Bob strike Back
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FoxFire
Energized Matter



Registered: 07/17/05
Posts: 1,281
Loc: PNW
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Re: Providence Chef's tasting menu [Re: LiquidSmoke]
#10977525 - 09/01/09 03:22 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Being a chef myself, I can tell you, you got hooked the fuck up!
-------------------- Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.
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LiquidSmoke
My title's cooler than yours DBK

Registered: 09/04/01
Posts: 25,335
Loc: S.A.G.G.Y.B.A.L.L.S.
Last seen: 6 months, 26 days
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Re: Providence Chef's tasting menu [Re: FoxFire]
#10977532 - 09/01/09 03:25 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Yeah, i definitely think they recognized me as a potential regular. I'm going back to that place every time they change their seasonal menu, for sure.
It's seriously a notch above any other michelin starred places i've been to in LA.
-------------------- "Shmokin' weed, Shmokin' wizz, doin' coke, drinkin' beers. Drinkin' beers beers beers, rollin' fatties, smokin' blunts. Who smokes tha blunts? We smoke the blunts" - Jay and Silent Bob strike Back
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FoxFire
Energized Matter



Registered: 07/17/05
Posts: 1,281
Loc: PNW
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Re: Providence Chef's tasting menu [Re: LiquidSmoke]
#10977539 - 09/01/09 03:28 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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You shoulda brought a chick with you, youd be up to your nutz in gutz by now!
-------------------- Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.
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Chespirito
Stranger



Registered: 02/13/09
Posts: 3,259
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Re: Providence Chef's tasting menu [Re: LiquidSmoke]
#10977545 - 09/01/09 03:30 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Eh hes a food snob, no real reference just a slight humorous twinge.
Anyways that looks great. I'm in the interview process at a job, so if that goes through Ill have cash to try this place out. Little do they know I plan on quitting in a year however
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LiquidSmoke
My title's cooler than yours DBK

Registered: 09/04/01
Posts: 25,335
Loc: S.A.G.G.Y.B.A.L.L.S.
Last seen: 6 months, 26 days
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Re: Providence Chef's tasting menu [Re: FoxFire]
#10977573 - 09/01/09 03:41 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
ManaShaman said: You shoulda brought a chick with you, youd be up to your nutz in gutz by now!
Who said i didnt?
-------------------- "Shmokin' weed, Shmokin' wizz, doin' coke, drinkin' beers. Drinkin' beers beers beers, rollin' fatties, smokin' blunts. Who smokes tha blunts? We smoke the blunts" - Jay and Silent Bob strike Back
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LiquidSmoke
My title's cooler than yours DBK

Registered: 09/04/01
Posts: 25,335
Loc: S.A.G.G.Y.B.A.L.L.S.
Last seen: 6 months, 26 days
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Re: Providence Chef's tasting menu [Re: Chespirito]
#10977588 - 09/01/09 03:47 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Chespirito said: Eh hes a food snob, no real reference just a slight humorous twinge.
Anyways that looks great. I'm in the interview process at a job, so if that goes through Ill have cash to try this place out. Little do they know I plan on quitting in a year however
Yes, you will love it, no doubt.
I mean i dont consider myself some sort of fine dining expert or anything, but i do know when i taste something that makes my heart flutter.
The most remarkable thing about the food is just how complex and diverse and original his flavor combinations are. You will absolutely fall in love with the hazelnut puree.
And the sauces he makes...you can tell they're prepared in the old school french style. Numerous steps, ingredients, and meticulous cooking methods to create the perfect flavor.
-------------------- "Shmokin' weed, Shmokin' wizz, doin' coke, drinkin' beers. Drinkin' beers beers beers, rollin' fatties, smokin' blunts. Who smokes tha blunts? We smoke the blunts" - Jay and Silent Bob strike Back
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dstark
Manifesting Minds



Registered: 02/27/08
Posts: 4,144
Last seen: 6 months, 1 day
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Re: Providence Chef's tasting menu [Re: LiquidSmoke]
#10977804 - 09/01/09 06:38 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Thanks for providing a nice read and drooling ^^ I wish i had to money for restaurants ... (i have but not that good xD) Ok lunch time!!
-------------------- What is a mind, if not something to be messed with? What is consciousness, if not a state to be altered? ~I Feel at Home~
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