American

Divine Providence (Is that too cliche?)

My husband and I managed to survive being married for six years recently, and we decided to celebrate that momentous occasion by going to Providence and feasting like kings and queens. This was the second time we had been to Providence and so far both meals have been some of the best I have ever had.

Both times we sat out on the patio area. The patio does not feel like an outdoor area, since it is surrounded by a high stone wall and covered by a canvas roof. The weather, however, feels like outside. We were nice and cozy next to the inside wall with a heater, but two parties seated near the outside wall requested to be moved inside due to being chilly, so something to remember when making reservations in winter.

We reluctantly had to set aside the cocktail menu, as we knew we were going to be getting the tasting menu with wine, but the cocktails looked excellent. On one page was classic cocktails, along with a credit to the inventor. On the other page were house cocktails. All looked delicious and the house cocktails looked very unique. I would have had a hard time deciding between old favorites and trying something new.

But we steeled our will-power and set it aside so that we could order the nine course full tasting menu with wine pairings, and then we commenced to eating. The meal was well-paced so that I never felt full or overwhelmed. However, it also took over three hours, so make sure you have time to spare if you do this!

The meal started with an amuse bouche that lived up to its name by being very entertaining. It was our substitute for cocktails - there were three small bites. One was a gin and tonic gelee candy, then a “mojito”, which was a sphere with a rush of minty, rummy liquid in the center. Finally, there was a fennel and saffron soup with the fennel bisque on top of a saffron syrup underneath. You were to eat it by downing it like a shot, so that the flavors mingled. The saffron was a little much, but other than that the amuse was very fun.

(Bold = food; Italic = wine)

bigeye tuna (hawaii)csergszegi fuszeres, craftsman 2006: I’m normally not much of an eater of raw fish, but I make an exception for really good tuna. This tuna was thickly cut and lightly seared, and came with a sauce of blood orange and jalapeno-infused olive oil, green onions, and little pearls of avocado. The heat of the oil was perfect - surprising at first, but not overwhelming. The wine was a Hungarian white, made by a female winemaker. It was what I would call a friendly wine. It’s not expensive and is easy on the mouth - fruity, crisp and floral.

nancy’s down-east scallops (deer isle, maine)sauvignon blanc, craggy range 2006: The scallops were fat and buttery, and they came with zuckerman farms delta asparagus, and a sauce of almond infusion and pedro jiminez sherry. Wine Spectator has called Craggy Range one of the best all-around wine producers from New Zealand. I also appreciated that this was another wine choice that I could go on to purchase for myself. A bottle is in the $20 range. The zesty citrus flavors went well with the scallops.

razor clam and japanese sword squid risottochablis, domaine william fevre 2006: Next up was a bright green risotto, served in a bowl that as whimsically large compared to the food. The color appeared to come from parsley, and also in the dish was preserved lemon which gave it a nice tang. The risotto was served with a chablis that while probably very good, was not my thing. I am not so much a chardonnay fan, unfortunately.

cod (chatham, mass)jurancon sec, charles hours 2005: I am afraid the cod has been completely obliterated in my mind because of what it was served with. The cod came with basil, spring onions, and courgettes and a puree of artichokes. The puree of artichokes was somehow so intensely flavorful that it was a shock to my system. I wasn’t expecting so much flavor and it was a little like getting shot in the head. The whine was a white bordeaux, that was a mix of two somewhat obscure grapes. It was again a decently priced wine that was unique and therefore something to remember for wine shopping, which I liked in the wine pairings.

arctic char (new zealand)pinot nero, j.hofstatter 2006: The artic char was nice, but not as memorable as some of the other dishes. It came with shimeji mushrooms, radish, cinnamon espuma and mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley). The mushrooms were amazing - really savory with a nice soft/crunchy texture. I did not get the cinnamon flavor though, which was a bit disappointing. I was happy to start on the red wines, this was a Pinot Noir from the Alto Adige region of Italy, also known as a Blauburgunder, which is just fun to say. It means “blue burgundy.”

tenderloin of vealcotes du rhone, montirius 2006: The final main course was a tenderloin of veal with roasted salsify, petit pois (peas), himalayan truffle, and jus de veau (veal stock). This was the highlight of the meal for me. I am not normally a veal eating person but this was … well … a tiny log of tender, juicy, pink veal. I hate to use on internet meme in my sophisticated restaurant review, but I think NOM is an appropriate way to describe this dish. OMNOMNOM. I was getting a little full at this point, but I ate it all anyway. The wine is a biodynamic wine from old vines (1947) near the village of Sablet. It is 100% grenache and unoaked. And like the others, very affordable.

market cheesescorvina, palazzo della torre, allegrini 2004: The next course was the cheese course, and I’m afraid to say I went a little nuts with the cheeses. But he let us pick out whatever we wanted? And then anything I even expressed interest in he would cut off and put some on the plate. But we ended up with a nice mixture of soft, and hard, pungent and mellow. The wine is a huge big juicy tannic red that was nice for the strong cheeses.

tangerine and vanilla: This tasted like a fancy creamsicle. Need I say more?

milk chocolate-passion fruit chantilly banana and spiced peanut pureetaylor fladgate, 20 yr tawny: This dessert was basically the best thing in the world. You could smell the passion fruit from across the room, and it blended well with the chocolate and banana. The spicy peanut was something I’d love to learn how to make for myself. And the port was a nice finish. I’ve not had a 20 year before, and to be honest, I’d drunk so much that I can’t say I noticed the difference between 10 and 20 year. I would probably have to taste side-by-side.

Whew. And that was it. We stumbled out into the blessedly crisp and cool night in a cloud of wine and food satisfaction. It’s definitely the kind of think I’d reserve for special occasions, but we also thought that going to the bar for a cocktail, some clam chowder, and fries would be a fun thing to do for a regular night.

Providence
5955 Melrose Ave.
(323) 460-4491

By KT (see more of her posts). You can find more of KT's writing at her own website Gastronomy 101.

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