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| - I had been here during the week for lunch a long time ago, and we came in again for brunch yesterday. It was pretty empty, though a few more parties trickled in while we dined. Perhaps it was because it was brunch as opposed to weekday brunch, but there was no bread service this time. This was a bit disappointing because I recall my son really enjoying the bread last time.
At first, the restaurant reminded me of some of the museum restaurants in NYC, like the Modern inside MoMA or Untitled inside the Whitney Museum, but less pretentious and with fewer offerings. There is a nice clean look to the restaurant with a few tastefully picked pieces of artwork throughout. We sat in the main dining area, but I believe there is another sitting area inside.
While the feel of Provenance reminded me of the Modern, the food does not compare. It is far from being of Michelin quality; other than being prepared well (technique and seasoning were spot on), there is nothing particularly special about it. They do pay attention to the presentation though, which is only fitting for being located in a museum of art. My mother-in-law's latke came with a few slices of smoked salmon, shaped into a pretty pink rose. While tasty, the food is not Michelin quality like the Modern but is still very good. Prices are a bit high and the portions can be small, depending on what you order. I had the szechuan trout, which despite being the most expensive item on the menu was definitely the smallest and left me hungry. The fish was cooked well, though it may have been overcooked simply because it was such a thin piece of fish -- even the server said, "it's hard to see but the trout is in there" when placing it in front of me. I did appreciate the crispy skin. To my dismay, there was nothing particularly szechuan about it, save for the light dusting of crushed szechuan peppercorns on top that one can barely taste. A ginger tartar sauce accompanied the dish, but ginger is not a szechuan flavor. I think it would've been better to have the szechuan peppercorn in the tartar sauce instead, or better yet skip the tartar sauce altogether in favor of a more authentic szechuan sauce. A few more greens would've at least make me feel like I had more than an almost unfindable piece of fish and an egg with some vegetable garnish. Out of the four dishes we ordered (trout, calabrian chicken and waffles, latke, and lamb burger), my favorite was the lamb burger, which is of decent size and quite tasty.
The place is beautiful, and it is not cheap, but it's a nice place to take out-of-towners or to go to for a special occasion without totally breaking the bank. For a cheaper option with comparably tasty food, try the more casual Cafe next door.
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