Providence had always been on The List ever since I moved to LA a couple of years ago. In case you are wondering, The List is a list of restaurants that I want to check out, updated continuously and segmented by new openings versus tried-and-true establishments. I keep The List very near and dear to my heart. When I read that Providence was closing for a makeover in May, I knew I had to check it out when it reopened. Below is a picture of the interior of the restaurant:

It’s certainly a different type of feel for a fine dining restaurant. I personally enjoyed the Art Deco style, as it brought plenty of natural light into the dining room.

Overall judgment: 5 of 5 stars

Let’s put it this way: Providence was the best fine dining experience I have had in LA thus far, beating out Melisse by a fair margin. The service at Melisse was superb, while the service at Providence was noticeably more reserved, but the food at Providence was better. The entire meal was well thought-out and delicious.We decided to go with the Providence Chef’s Menu, which is 16 courses, priced at $210 a person ($305 with the wine pairing). Below is our meal in a nutshell:

“Dark and stormy”. Providence’s take on the classic rum and ginger beer drink. We found “elBulli” engraved on these fancy spoons.

Scallop “tacos” with sushi rice. These bite-sized treats were very tasty, and the crunchiness of the leaf wrapping paired well with the sushi rice. I could be perfectly happy eating just a bowl of sushi rice for a meal, so this was a delight.

Little neck clam peppers in gelatin, with chorizo foam. This amuse-bouche was one of my favorite dishes of the night. The unique gelatinous texture contrasted nicely with the chorizo foam. The peppers added a welcome touch of spiciness.

Shigoku oyster, with whipped milk butter and caviar. I had never tried shigoku oysters before, so I was intrigued as soon as they brought out this amuse-bouche. The whipped milk butter and caviar were both interesting complements to the oyster, which was good, but ended up not being especially memorable.

Abalone and miso, squid and chorizo. The abalone and miso was delicious. Both the squid and chorizo were a bit on the salty side, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. The chorizo, in particular, was packed with loads of flavorful spices.

Chips with dip. Salmon skin, salmon roe, salmon mousse. This course was also one of my favorites of the night. The crunchy salmon chips paired perfectly with the tasty cream cheese dip. Even after we had finished the chips, I found myself wanting to scrape every last bit of the dip.

“Cigars”. Wagyu beef, filo pastry, ume.  The presentation of these “cigars” was interesting. Unfortunately, I don’t think I fully appreciated the wagyu beef that was wrapped inside. They could have given me regular angus beef, and I don’t think I would have noticed the difference.

Sashimi. Calabrian chiles, lemon, mint. This mackerel sashimi was the first non-amuse bouche course of the meal. The sashimi was solid; it was fairly standard fare for a high-end restaurant. The spicy sauce was a nice addition, but the sashimi would have benefited from being served at a cooler temperature.

Salt and butter.  I know it’s not a course. But the salt and butter were so excellent that I felt compelled to take a picture. The butter was warm and soft, perfect for smoothing over a piece of bread.

Uni and abalone. Egg sabayon, morels. I went right for the uni, which was fantastic. The egg, in comparison, was a bit of a letdown right after finishing the uni.

Spot prawn. Spring greens, miso. The presentation of this dish was excellent. I am not the biggest fan of prawn, but in this case, the prawn was tender and the mild miso flavor was suitable.

Sea scallop. Porcini, salted butter, lemon, chive. I really enjoyed the addition of porcini to an otherwise typical scallop dish. The scallop was rich and citrus-y.

Sardine. Artichoke, summer vegetable jus. The sardine was good, but the real star of this course was the jus, which was incredibly flavorful, with a kick of spiciness. I would have gladly drunk a small bowl of the jus by itself.

Wild king salmon. Chanterelles, haricot vert, almonds. The salmon was tender, but not particularly memorable. I employed heavy usage of the white sauce to try to give the salmon more flavor.

A5 wagyu. Pee wee potatoes, shallot, mustard, wild asparagus. Despite being better known as a seafood-centric restaurant, the wagyu beef was excellent. It was tender, juicy, and extremely fatty, with just the right amount of charry bitterness. The unexpected purple pee wee potatoes made for a strong side as well.

Artisanal cheeses. The servers then came over with a selection of artisanal cheeses. This is one of the few LA restaurants that have exceptional cheese selections.

Artisanal cheese spread. We allowed our server to prepare a selection of cheeses for us, as we weren’t particularly picky.

Masamoto nectarine. Buttermilk sorbet, yogurt. This light dish made for a nice palate-cleanser prior to the two heavier dessert courses.

Strawberries. Vanilla rice pudding, vanilla ice cream, streusel. The strawberries were brimming with rich, sweet flavor, and the vanilla rice pudding and ice cream were delicious complements to the strawberries. I gobbled this up.

Coconut nougat. Guanaja brownie, coconut sorbet. Rarely do I order chocolate (with the exception of chocolate souffles) or coconut-based desserts, as they tend to be too rich for me at this point of a meal. This coconut nougat was refreshingly light, though, as the richness of the chocolate was offset by the mildness of the coconut.

Petit fours. As is par for the course, I went straight for the chocolate macaron first. I might have had both, actually… The macarons were delicious, the highlight of the petit fours.

Overall, I had a great experience at Providence. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Providence to friends searching for an excellent fine dining restaurant in LA. It doesn’t really compare favorably to the best fine dining in New York City or Chicago, but it’s probably the best of what LA has to offer. I have classified Providence as a Michelin-Starred restaurant for blog purposes, as it was awarded 2 stars in the 2009 Michelin Guide for LA, the last time the guide was published for LA. I think the 2 star classification is fair, as the meal was incredibly strong, but was not as memorable as certain 3 star restaurants I have been to…I’m looking at you, Alinea.

Providence, 5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038