Provenance — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Provenance is an extraordinary experience from start to finish. The restaurant’s charming exterior in Queen Village set a warm, historic tone, while the upscale yet intimate interior welcomed us with dim lighting and a modern vibe.

We were seated in the back room, which, although well-appointed, lacked the refined aesthetic of the front dining area. If I had the choice again, I would prefer the front.

Our meal began with a stunning seafood course featuring four dishes: rich fatty tuna with foie gras, a delicate Hokkaido scallop with uni, a blue prawn with light vinaigrette, and a mussel dish with almond filling alongside an oyster topped with a sweet mignonette. While beautiful, the truffle on the oyster was a bit understated, yet the course set a wonderful tone with its diverse flavors and artful presentations.

Next came an intricate salad of edible flowers and herbs over garlic aioli with gelatinous vinegar cubes, a complex dish best enjoyed in moderation.

A standout was the razor clam dish with turnip and green apple, where the turnips mimicked the texture of clams. This was followed by a unique preparation of fatty tuna—a trio of belly, lean, and another fatty cut—paired with julienned black truffle and popped sorghum, with citrus varieties providing a refreshing contrast.

One memorable dish was the fluke pinwheel in cucumber jus, combined with candied sunflowers and peppercorns, evoking an elevated whitefish salad. A simple pull-apart bread with gochugaru butter served as a palate cleanser, though it wasn't particularly remarkable.

The asparagus course featured perfectly blanched spears with whipped potato puree, honey, black pepper, caviar, and savory salami, though it could have used more acidity to elevate its flavors. A highlight was the steelhead trout over a rich potato puree, with sunchokes and chive oil adding depth and flavor.

The lamb course was the pinnacle of the evening—a masterclass in balance, featuring medium-rare lamb loin, tender sweetbread, and tenderloin, accompanied by kohlrabi, mustard greens, and a creamy risotto-like Golden Queen rice. The accompanying mushroom and cheese broth added remarkable umami.

For dessert, the duck fat canelé was a delightful risk, with savory-sweet notes. The strawberry cheesecake and dirt pudding were enjoyable, but the Dubai-style chocolate soufflé with tahini ice cream truly stood out, balancing indulgence with sophistication.

Beyond the extraordinary food, the service was impeccable. Engaging conversations with the staff (shout out to both Emily's), including Chef Nick, revealed the depth of passion and creativity poured into every aspect of Provenance. The willingness to take risks, embrace vulnerability, and push culinary boundaries without pretension was genuinely inspiring. While fine dining is not a frequent indulgence for me, this is a place I would return to for life’s special moments. Next time, I will explore the wine pairings to appreciate the sommelier’s meticulous craftsmanship fully.

Provenance embodies the future of fine dining—bold, innovative, and deeply personal. It champions individuality while embracing global inspirations, creating an experience as warm and inviting as it is world-class. I urge anyone passionate about culinary artistry to visit, engage, and become part of the family. Here, dining is not just a meal—it is a story, a journey, and an unforgettable celebration of food...

20-25 courses over 2.5 hours, 2 seatings a night.

Loved all the workers here, great people. The vibe and atmosphere with the open kitchen was very fun, intimate, and interactive. The food was overall good. Some dishes were excellent but others missed the mark for me.

Highlights: First dish with 5 raw fish bites (very nice presentation and flavors), caviar dish (full of flavor and then foam and tofu were delicious), seabass dish, cooked trout with roe, and then the tuna/foie gras/mushroom dish was really weird but I liked it actually. Sweet potato souffle was the best dessert for me.

Lows: salad (just kinda boring and lacked flavor), milk bread (it was just average bread that was kinda dry and no spread to help it..seemed like it was there just to make sure we got full), the 2 pieces of fish with the basil leaf that we were supposed to wrap the raw fish in…the leaf completely overpowered the delicate fish), rice dish was just a little bit of decent rice in a big bowl…would be a decent side but is not a dish, duck dish was a little chewy and skin was not crispy, and then besides the souffle all the desserts were just okay. I’d rather have 2 really good desserts than 4 okay ones.

All the other dishes were pretty good, in the middle.

Wines: $150 for 6 roughly half pours - some wines were good but 2 of the 6 were in amphora which was weird. Overall wines were just okay and some pairings worked well but others not too much. Way overpriced for what you get.

Worst mistake of the night: Pairing champagne with dessert - while it’s fun to sometimes break the rules…. you’re not supposed to do this for a reason. The sweetness of the dessert makes it so you can’t detect any residual sugar in the champagne and so the champagne just tasted flat and totally fell apart. Dessert would have been much better with a dessert wine or any wine sweeter than the dessert itself - it was a bad way to end the meal and so we left a little underwhelmed.

Overall it was a good experience. Interactive and lots of interesting bites, some good and some not so much. It is not on the same level as Michelin places in nearby cities NYC and DC (yet) but this is Philly’s first attempt at a fine dining experience. Missed the mark a little for but has potential and the staff was fantastic.

I do appreciate how it seems they change up their menu pretty often so I think they will get better over time as they experiment and explore more. I think they need to edit a little bit, it’s like they are trying to do too much and then some mediocre dishes come out.

I will come back in a year and hopefully they have found their groove. Would still recommend checking it out. However, it is widely overpriced compared to other fine dining experiences that are much better and cheaper.

Of note - it is annoying to be called days before your dinner (just to ask about dietary restrictions) and also after your dinner in the middle of the day during your work week. They have to stop doing that,...

Omg y’all the hype is real. We got lucky enough to get a Rez for my wife’s birthday. From the moment we walked in, I knew we were in for a good night. The host took our coats and wished her a happy birthday. We sat down and awaited the first course.

Chef Nich puts the plates together with perfect precision, thought, and creativity. Clear talent and imagination comes across with every dish and bite, because with every new bite, comes new flavors.

The raw portion hit every note, even got me to like a mussel because of the sunchoke blanco and almond. The oyster was delicious as well and I’m basically never into oysters.

Ingredients are presented so artfully and delicately it seems shameful to eat them. I know it’s commonplace in these kind of places to use garnish, but they designed the plates to pop and boy do they ever.

I do believe that the fish selection is used to propel the other tastes forward, because the fluke with mustard greens was such an interesting combination and the beets kind of overpower everything (in a good way) and become the star. Certainly one of the best things I’ve ever had, and I’m only usually a golden beet fan.

The smoked trout needs to be higher on foodies lists as well. We had the temperance pairing (non-alcoholic) and the drink they served it with was an unbelievable collaboration. The sauce, I guess a coriander jus, on the scallops (perfectly cooked, best I’ve ever had, a previous spot reserved for commanders palace) was to die for.

The desserts are delicious as well of course! Chef Abby really hit the ball out of the park. The meal would not be complete without it, and it completes it in a way that is so simple, yet so genius. I loved how they used the end of the meal to shock your taste buds with more fruity flavors. My favorite was the coconut soufflé with chocolate sorbet. Out of this world.

Of course we felt welcome by everyone, all questions were answered professionally but friendly, and water glass was never empty. Within seconds our dishes would be taken, but we never felt watched.

I would mention that when you order the temperance pairing, the $90 is just for one person, not for two. I don’t think this was made clear when ordering it. Not the biggest gripe, just something I feel worth mentioning. They give you a big enough pour for each glass that my wife and I ended up sharing and each glass lasted each course, which is just another thing this place did to make it seem completely cohesive.

My only wish would be either a) some more of that marvelous milk bread to sop up the remaining sauces or b) a world where in a fine dining restaurant I can take the plate up to my face and...