Luxury Life & Style

delicious diversions Providence is oddly one of the reasons why I can so wholeheartedly endorse his talent; Wolfgang can cook, too, but when you’ve worked for someone, it kind of takes the shine off your recommendation. Pointedly in the kitchen and not in front of the cameras, Chef Cimarusti lets his seafood-inspired menu do the talking; as an alumnus of Downtown’s perennial favorite, the Water Grill, one senses that Providence is the apex of all those years of combing the fish market for what’s freshest. Providence makes me gamble recklessly with my cursed bivalve allergy. Really, how much damage can one little Kumamoto do? When Mr. Sexton’s former studio won the Academy Award for Best Picture, we were invited to dine at Providence with some friends from Variety to celebrate. It was a small group, and it was very kind of General Manager, Donato Poto, to give us the Chef’s Table, where we could glimpse the kitchen at work throughout the evening. I always hesitate when asked to pick the wine on someone else’s dime, so in this instance I was particularly glad to find such good-value treasures as a lesser-known Joly bottling from the Loire’s Savennières appellation and a northerly Marsannay from Meo-Camuzet in Burgundy. With the spectrum of Cimarusti’s tasting menu, chenin blanc and lean, herbaceous pinot noir proved to be very versatile accompaniments. More recently, I have also attended two media wine dinners held at Providence. With a new baby on the scene, it frankly takes a lot to get me past the iron artery of the 405. For good wine and a Providence meal, however, I remain more than game. One of the more promising winemaker peregrinations in the news of late is George Bursick’s transition from Ferrari-Carano to J Vineyards. Getting a chance to chat with George over dinner at Providence was a real treat. A notable pairing from this meal featured Dungeness crab with blood orange, vadouvan-spiced sorbet, cucumber and mizuna greens alongside J’s very good 2006 pinot gris. An unusual salmon set of kumquats, fennel, baby turnips, black olives and saffron provided more of a challenge to the 2005 J Russian River pinot noir; this dish was remarkably yummy despite the odd marriage of kumquat and olive. July found me trekking over to Melrose yet again, this time to celebrate all things Champagne with Daniel Lorson, the Communications Director of the CIVC in Champagne, representing all the growers and grand marques, or houses in the region. For me, the highlight of this meal was also exquisitely simple: gorgeous Harry’s artisanal strawberries from the market served with Moroccan-spiced ras al hanout sorbet and salt-encrusted pistachios. Teamed with a glass of Philipponnat’s superb brut reserve rosé, this pairing received universal praise from the assorted winos and foodies at the table. If you don’t know Philipponnat’s wines, by the way, you should. It’s the Champagne house poised to be the next big thing, so impress your friends by being ahead of the curve. Providence is not for everyday dining. It’s not inexpensive and it’s not ordinary. But if you genuinely enjoy restaurants where the food is center-stage, it’s a must. Extraordinarily articulate and affable servers glide in and out, wine is poured, glasses clinked, and dinner served in a setting that manages to stay remarkably serene. For me, it remains my personal culinary oasis in a desert of Los Angeles pretenders. I think you’ll love it, too. • Providence 5955 Melrose Avenue Los Angeles 323-460-4170, providencela.com Photo courtesy of Providence. 72 Luxury Life & Style September/October 2007 25C, 16M, 16Y 25K 50C, 39M, 39Y 50K 75C, 63M, 63Y 75K providencela.com

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