Dine in LA Week at Providence

Monday, July 15, 2019

Going to be a bit more restrained this time around for Dine in LA Week. Only booked one dinner this time. Our selection was Providence restaurant. www.providencela.com.  One of the best restaurants in Los Angeles. Prix Fixe menus only. And Monday's no corkage on the first two bottles. Otherwise $50 per bottle. Service is superb.

We got there early and had to wait for our dining companions so headed to the bar for a cocktail. I had some concoction that was really good. Can't remember all that was in it but it had vermouth and brandy also with a fruit enhancement. Their cocktail menu changes every few months.

Dinner started out with an array of five  amuse bouches. A "Summer Soup", made with tomato and lime. Had a slight fish taste to it. Very slight, not off putting but interesting. Served in a type of shot glass. Next was mini quiches made with fresh crab. Just a bite or two.  An tray of  cracker topped with salmon and salmon roe with horseradish. Two bites. Then the best mussels I have every had. Small, steamed, black mussels. Never had a mussel taste so good.  A semi rolled nasturtium leaf filled with Kamachi collar. Again just one bite. Everything was excellent and very well presented. Almost like an art show.

Then on to the Dine in LA menu. Started off with Amber Jack sashimi with creme fraiche, rice crackers  and nasturtium leaves.

Next was a piece of black cod that melted in your mouth.

For my main I chose Liberty Farms Duck, a nice piece of breast with a cherry sauce and a piece of duck sausage rolled in pastry.   Excellent quality and cooked perfectly and seasoned correctly.  You  had a choice of salmon, duck or with an $40 supplement you could have A5 wagyu beef.

I opted for an extra - a piece of truffle brie cheese with a truffle infused dressed greens and toast.  Cheese was just a bit cooler than room temperature and was perfect consistency for spreading on the small pieces of toast.

Other add ons a couple of people opted for was the Risotto with black truffles and the soft poached egg in the shell topped with Uni. Served in the cutest cup that was on a replica of a duck foot.

We had a loaf of Red Fife sourdough bread served with a salted butter from Normandy infused with kelp foraged from Santa Barbara.

Desserts were an assortment. Milk chocolate peanut butter mousse, pot a chou, tomato jam. basil infused white chocolate.  Then a plate of hand painted bon bons.

We all got a housemade apple muffin to take home. This is a tradition at Providence.

All the food was excellent. Innovative, great flavors and just top notch quality. You pay for it but it is superb.

I brought a 2009 Domiane de Montielle, Les Sizies, 1st Cru, Beaune, Burgundy. Decanted it at home. Excellent wine  A 2009 Sea Smoke Southing, Pinot Noir opened up quite nicely after being poured.  Probably should have been decanted before.  We had a 1995 Blanc de Millenaires, sparkling wine which was a bit yeasty which I like.  Since there were two Pinots on the table Stan decided not to open the pinot he brought and purchased a wine off the list. NV Camille Saves, Grand Cru Rose Champagne. Outstanding wine.  He said the wine list price was what the stores were getting retail on it so that is what he thought it was a bargain on the wine list.  Since he bought a bottle from the wine list they did not charge us corkage for the third bottle.

Nice to go to a high end restaurant where the wait staff and sommelier's know your dining companions. I always feel we get extra attention. Maybe not because the attention that the staff gives to each diner is outstanding.

Baci Restaurant

Saturday, July 13, 2019

A very small group tonight for Margie's monthly dinner selection. Baci Restaurant in Huntington Beach. www.bacirestaurant.com.  With the small group it made for much better conversation during dinner. We were in the back room away from the live music. Band that was playing was good and it was nice to have it as background instead of in your face.

'I started out with a spinach salad with bacon and mushrooms.  Decent but it could have used a bot more dressing .On the dry side.  My main course was Risotto All'aragusto. Risotto rice with garlic, lobster, asparagus and fresh tomatoes.   It was OK but not great. Seemed to lack seasoning of some sort. I just felt something was missing. Next day I had the leftovers for lunch and added some salt and more parmesan cheese. That seemed to help.

I brought 2010 Roar, Garys Vineyard, Pinot Noir. Excellent wine. Soft, elegant not in your face fruit. Someone at the table thought it was going bad but I disagree. Still have good structure, well balanced, soft tanins, good fruit but restrained.  Finished it off the next day and I thought it was even better after sitting 24 hours. I had decanted it for about 90 minutes before dinner. Maybe it just needed another hour of decanting

Other wines brought.

2013 Assolati, Montecucco, D'Orcia, Italy, Sangiovese Reserva

2016 Brick Barn, Vermentino

2016 Peltzer, Barbera

NV Ditalian Canella, Rose Brut S/W

2014 Navarro Vineyards, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, Gewurztraminer

2015 Fesstivity, Sta Rita Hills, Blanc de Noirs

2015 Stolpman,Ballard Canyon, Sangiovese

Lunch at the Diamond Palace with the boys

Saturday. July 6, 2017

Impromptu, unplanned lunch today with the boys. Off to the Diamond Palace in Westminister. They still have not changed their menu. Using the old Seafood Place one.  Busy setting us for huge parties tonight. One smaller room with a stage and small dance floor and the really large room that holds hundreds of people. Seems to be their thing to cater to big parties. Make a lot more money that way.

We started out with egg drop soup. It is good but  needs more seasoning. Does not compare to the spicy sour soup we used to get.

First dish is  sautéed scallops. Fresh and moist with  mushrooms and snow peas. Nice flavor. Then we got a plate of Shrimp with lobster sauce. Coud not taste much lobster in it. Shrimp were moist and tender. Cooked correctly. Both dishes were good.

Orange peel beef was next. This is always a good selection. Meat was very tender and the sauce had a slight kick to it.

A regular dish for us. Sautéed beef with fat noodles and baby bok choy. Last dish was  Thin Rice noodles with chicken and salted fish.

Wines were an odd assortment today.  2017 Viu Manent, Sauvignon Blanc from Chile was the white selection. A nice clean wine.

2007 Barr, Central Coast, Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2017 Hahn, GSM. Both wines were showing nicely

I brought a 2013 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir. Showing very well.