Vanbrosia: Providence

November 16, 2014

A5 Wagyu w pickled bitter greens, caramelized onion puree, carrot - 2+

J's comment > incredible wagyu, intensely flavored, excellent marbling; not a fan of the accompanying sauces though, they detracted from the beauty of the wagyu which can more than stand on its own

Scallop w curry, makrut lime, mint - 2+

J's comment > excellent rendition of a fusion thai curry; very mild but distinct green thai curry flavor; scallops cooked to perfection; not a fan of the noodly looking green papaya though, it was fine, but was too much in ratio to the curry

Amuse bouche: Fish smoked halibut bones in Tahitian broth - 2+

J's comment > lovely broth, a smidgen too salty, but very creamy and the flavor of the halibut was enhanced in the best way possible

Uni Egg: Santa Barbara sea urchin hiding beneath soft scrambled eggs - 2+

J's comment > the first uni dish I've every liked; beautifully cooked egg melding w the creaminess of the uni that for the first time in all my uni experience, made the uni yummy

Maine lobster w matsutake mushroom - 2+

J's comment > perfectly cooked lobster, absolutely delish; flavor of the mushroom wasn't as strong as I'd hoped for though

Amuse bouche: Wagyu cigar rolls - 2

J's comment > not bad; nice thin and crisp exterior, loved the beef on the inside, but as G. put it, in a blind taste test, wouldn't be able to taste the difference between a wagyu roll and a 'regular' beef roll

Amuse bouche: Crisp salmon skin and salmon roe - 2

J's comment > not bad; thinnest and crispest salmon skin I've ever had, and like the uni above, the first time that I actually enjoyed roe of any kind

Sashimi perch w cucumber, yuzu - 2

J's comment > lovely rendition of a ceviche, but the perch texture was bit chewy for my liking; extra nods to the use of cucumber which in my experience highlights the fishiness of a fish in raw form if the fish is bad - no such thing @ Providence :D

Striped bass w turnip, brown butter, smoked sesame - 2

J's comment > bass a touch overcooked; the topping on top was salty, but I liked the nori dusting that lent an extra oomph

Amuse bouche: Brown derby grapefruit honey - 2

J's comment > lovely combo of the alcohol, grapefruit and honey, a really good palate cleanser for the start of a meal

Wild black bass w la quercia bacon, savoy cabbage, sunchoke - 2

J's comment > as w the other bass above, was a touch overcooked, but loved the crisped cabbage leaves and the bacon - funny, I just realized all of the fish dishes had some component that I wasn't fond of

Liberty Farms duck breast w buna shimekji, smoked apple, celery root - 2

J's comment > duck breast OK, better than the Gordon Ramsay one, decent flavors but nothing spectacular; funny, both duck breasts are from Liberty Farms, but Providence's here has a much thinner layer of duck fat between the skin and the meat which was better in my books

Scallop rice leaf taco - 2

J's comment > didn't really get the scallop at all, really just rice in a leaf albeit a subtle and nicely flavored rice

Beurre de baratte of Rodolphe Le Meunier - 2+

J's comment > YUM!!!! butter was salted even though more salt was provided on the side; creamy yet not heavy, very yum butter

Complimentary rolls

French roll
Brioche
Seaweed focaccia

J's comment > slightly hard crust on the french roll but the center was pillowy, just the way I like my rolls; brioche was beautifully done, very soft and buttery; very mild trace of the seaweed flavor in the focaccia, texture of this particular bread also stiffer than I prefer

Cheese board

Artisanal cheese

J's comment > sorry, didn't get the names of these, but one particular one that stood out was the one on the bottom right hand corner that tasted like manure. Really.

Elderflower Sorbet w champagne, persian lime - 2+

J's comment > beautiful palate cleanser and wake me up; just enough tartness to refresh the palate; didn't get the elderflower flavor but then it is inherently subtle

"These pretzels are making me thirsty" chocolate & peanut butter ganache w stout ice cream - 2

J's comment > intriguing stout flavor on the ice cream, you can actually taste the stout! chocolate and pb ganache good, but too heavy for a dessert at the end of a 9 course meal; something like the sorbet would have been preferred