Province

Has anyone been here yet? I have a reservation tonight before the Bulls game and haven't seen anything posted. Thanks!

I had dinner there with a friend during the soft opening. Full disclosure: I am a friend of a friend of one of the primary investors in this spot. The acquaintance does not color my impression of the restaurant, however.

I really enjoyed my dinner at Province. The friendly, smiling staff exuded the electric excitement of a project like this finally getting off the ground. The mood was only enhanced with a refreshing Pimm's No. 1 Cup cocktail, which I tried in vein to sip slowly. Standout menu items for me included the house smoked sable ceviche with Hawaiian papaya, and the striped bass with chanterelle mushrooms and preserved lemon vinaigrette. Both were fresh, nicely prepared and presented, and delicious. By the end of our meal Chef Zweiban was walking the dining room, greeting people, talking about the restaurant, and soliciting feedback. It was good to see. I’ll definitely be back.

Province
161 N. Jefferson St.
Chicago, IL
312.669.9900
http://provincerestaurant.com

Confession: I have been a lurker to LTH for years but finally decided to join. So go easy on me LTH'ers as this is my first post.

My husband and I went to Province last night. We had a 9pm reservation and were quickly greeted in a friendly manner by the hostesses and manager. I would describe the decor as modern/earthy and the room is L-shaped so it is larger than it appears if you were just to walk by and peer through the windows. In the back of the restaurant, there appeared to be an area that could be separated by a glass door for larger parties which I thought was a plus. I did not visit the restroom (sadly) as I usually do because I am one of those people who likes to see what latest and greatest fixtures are being used in the bathroom as well as soap products. Although I liked the sustainable aspect of the menu and the decor, I disliked the magenta wall that I ended up looking at all night. But that's just me not liking pink very much in general. Otherwise I enjoyed the aesthetics of the restaurant.

The server was very proficient as well as welcoming. He explained the focus of the menu as being influenced by Central American, South American and Spanish flavors well as a few rustic dishes (burger, chicken). There were two pages of wine by the bottle and 9 wines by the glass as well as some specialty cocktails and beers. We chose to drink by the glass because I knew I wanted white (I usually eat fish/seafood when eating out) and my husband wanted red (he wanted red meat). I had an Albarino and he had a red blend (Monastrell/Syrah ?). I was slightly disappointed because I planned on having the sable ceviche and the striped sea bass but they were out of both. So I had the peeky toe crab toast and the Hawaiian tuna. My husband I shared the shrimp and manchego grits and he had the chimichurri flank steak as well as the baby shrimp chowder. What I really liked about the menu was the various price points (the menu is separated in categories of bites, small, big, bigger) and the ability to get half portions of a few dishes so you can try more and/or share. My husband loved his flank steak and he said it was cooked perfectly for him (almost alive still--haha...it was supposed to be med rare although it was rarer than that) as was my tuna was perfectly seared. The vinaigrette was tasty and full of capers which I love...so beware if you don't like that flavor. The peeky toe crab was extremely fresh...it was an amuse bouche portion so I definitely could have ordered another one. The shrimp and grits was delicious, a nice size app to split and the manchego cheese really made the dish for me. My husband liked his soup and I enjoyed the bite I had as it wasn't too heavy which sometimes chowders are for me. For dessert we split the pear tartlet w/honey and vanilla bean ice cream was also tasty.

The bill was reasonable for what we had ($150 with tip) as this was a meal we splurged on more than usual for not having an occasion to do so. But you could definitely spend less and have a good meal. I definitely will be back although I have a feeling this restaurant will be harder to get into in the coming months. I'm glad we went when we did.

jksaf-

Thank you for registering and sharing your thoughts on Province. It sounds intriguing.

-The GP

A pleasant lunching experience at Province. Nothing mind-blowing but certainly fine versions of these: tortilla soup, blue cheese fondue, ahi taco, slow roasted lamb, lemon yogurt sorbet atop pound cake. Refreshing if not soothing ambience, thorough service.

Ate at Province on Saturday 1/10 and had an OK experience.

We started with drinks at the bar and waited 30 mins for our 8:15 reservation. That's not unheard of in Chicago and we were enjoying ourselves. So no worries. I too, loved the menu. If you're a big eater there are things for you, and if you're not, you don't have to spend large amounts of money for things that you're not going to eat.

My friend and I started with the chowder which was amazing and fresh and followed it by ordering the sable cerviche which I'd heard so much about. It was so sour and off tasting we couldn't even finish it. I had had other cerviche which I thought was fresh and wonderful. This obviously wasn't. I don't know what happened as this has garnered really great reviews. We took two bites and left it on the table. We then ordered the bleu cheese fondue which was yummy but just ok. Like warm bleu cheese with no surprises. I was a bit disappointed with the 'bread' or rather, crackers, that come with the fondue. They could have been out of a box and where bland and stale. But you slather them with enough of the delicious fondue and you don't really mind. Maybe some homemade crusty bread of some kind would have been better? I know it would have been more satisfying.

For entrees, friend had a 1/2 portion of salmon with leeks which was amazing and I wish I would have ordered that. I had the rabbit confit which was just horrible! It consisted of a molded circle of shredded rabbit with red peppers in it. Frankly, it tasted like lukewarm pulled pork. How disappointing. I was so hungry, however, I ate it anyway. We shared an order of sprouts which was good, but no better than the ones I can make at home. For dessert we had the chocolate trio which consisted of a tiny molten lava cake, some dark chocolate ice cream and another choc. cake. Just ok. Lemon cake. Just ok. They brought us a pear tart that was amazing tho! But this was after we'd ordered two desserts which I thought was kind of bad form on their part as it was my friends' birthday and they could have acknowledged this is some way or told me so I knew that I was to get a complimentary dessert. All in all it was just OK. The bill was the best part: $98 which can't be beat really. But the food was so hit or miss I wonder if I would even care to go back.

I've been wanting to go to Province and noticed that they were part of chicago chef week.
http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?m=3&ref=4981&pid=346

3 courses for $32 and a pretty good list of restaurants.

I used to have frequent business dinners at Nacional 27, where I liked the food quite a bit. I always thought that if the chef could get out of the LEYE reigns, he'd really be able to shine with unrestrained flavor-bursting authenticity. So it was with a fair amount of enthusiasm that I headed to Province tonight. What a let down.

From concept to execution, this place fails on all fronts. Conceptually, Province is a study in the worst form of a dining trend that I hope disappears quickly. The trend ought to be called "Tapas, sort of." Tapas are great. I love tapas. Convivial places serve tasty, usually unrefined small portions of food in casual settings, with plenty of plates with which to share and try lots of new things. That's tapas. "Tapas, sort of," on the other hand, tries to combine that same small-portion sharing idea with vague notions of trendy, fine dining. You get the same option to order some small portions, but with a pretentious and confusing explanation about how the menu is designed, a la:

The chef has designed the menu for sharing. He suggests that you order a number of dishes for the table from our small plates menu. But you could also order some of the items from the larger plates menu, or even the truly-large-plates-menu or the larger-than-you'd expect menu. Maybe you'd like to try the 3-course tasting menu and add on some small or large sharing plates for the table. If you'd like a more traditional meal, that's fine too. In that case, the chef would suggest that you order one small plate, one large plate, and one larger plate, for each person. Or just two larger plates and a medium plate for the table to share. If you're really hungry, you might consider the beef. But the beef from the small plates menu is actually more filling than the one from the larger plates menu, but not as filling as the one from the largest plates menu.

Huh??? Exactly. This concept never works. The combination of approaches always means none of them are executed well. At Province, that means you don't get any share plates. And after every course, they remove your silverware a-la-fine-dining, but then they forget to replace it. Then when they do replace it, some people get a fork, some people don't. They're never sure whether you're done with this course and ready for the next, so they nervously ask constantly if it's OK to remove your plate. It's awkward and uncomfortable. It sucks.

Such weird, uncomfortable service can make good food seem less good. It makes bad food seem even worse. Cornbread was so rubbery and dry that it was completely inedible. Tuna tacos had barely-noticeable quantity of tuna, masses of overdressed cabbage, and poorly executed, undercooked housemade tortillas. Decent bread pudding was served with a repugnantly bitter and sour citrus-molasses sauce. Ceviche had nothing repulsive, but a why-bother level of blandness. Almost everything on every plate needed more seasoning.

Other things fared better, including braised beef cheeks that were tender, if a little bland, and shredded rabbit which had more flavor than the rest of the dishes. On the whole, however, concept, atmosphere, service, and food all had enough flaws to prevent me from planning any return visits. The free sparkling water was nice.

kennyz, I'm shocked by your post about this place. I had dinner with some folks last week who raved about Province, again and again, and I actually called this morning to make a reservation -- no one answered (I called early), but you've definitely made me think twice about going there. I was going to go there with The Wife for our anniversary dinner, but based on what you've said, that's out of the question. Thanks for the heads-up.

Hammond,

The place was quite crowded with happy-seeming people, so your friends are not alone in their assessment. In my party of 4, two of us strongly disliked Province, one was ambivalent, and one rather enjoyed herself.

I'll add that my level of disappointment might have been worsened by a few factors. I had had a more-stressful-than usual day, and arrived uncharacteristically late to a waiting party of three. Our server just happened to rub me the wrong way from the get go, and it took nearly forever to get the drink I ordered upon sitting down (minimum 20 minutes and two apologies, without exaggeration). I was still enthusiastically anticipating the food, but those factors may have made it harder to enjoy.

If you do reserve, insist on sitting in the front room. It's a pleasant, open space with high ceilings, tabletops made out of cork, and an interesting mix of rustic and urban decor. We sat in the back, which for some reason was designed to have a completely different feel. The back room has low, hospital-style ceilings, white-linen tablecloths, cheap plastic chairs, and what seem like bright spotlights shining on every other diner. That back room is truly unpleasant.

Kennyz

I've been to province twice, the first visit I thought it was great, and the second I wasn't so sure. The big reason for the difference in opinion is what I ordered.

Visit 1:
Pork Bocadillo
Sable Ceviche
Duck Confit (from the "Big" section)
Parsnip/Potato/Chorizo Hash

Visit 2:
Pork Bocadillo
Blood Orange Salad
Beef Cheeks (from the "Big" section)

On visit 1, the quantity of food was perfect, but on visit 2, I was left wanting more. The salad was quite small and the beef cheeks were ridiculously small, smaller than I would consider appetizer size. I believe they received an unfavorable review from Vettel. To me, this dish belongs on the small section.

The food was tasty both times, I just wonder if the portion sizes actually match where the dish sits in the menu. If I go back and order the Pork Vieja Ropa, will I need the large serving or will the small suffice? Who knows until I try, I guess.

I think that the flexibility is a really neat idea, but the execution is difficult because everyone has their own ideas about how much food is enough.

I didn't experience any of the awkward service issues mentioned by KennyZ, but all the dishes we weren't interested in sharing anything, and in fact, the option never occurred to us.

We went to Province last night and found the food more interesting than Mike Sula did in his review found in the Reader restaurant listings. For appetizers, the six of us shared and enjoyed the sable ceviche (which Mike also did), the salmon tartare, and the little Cuban pork sandwiches. My impression of Mike’s review is that he found the fish more interesting than the meat at Province, but our enjoyment of the Cuban pork went against that. As did my great enjoyment of the ten hour braised lamb for an entrée. It was very rich in lamb flavor, tender and delicious, and the accompaniment the lamb sat atop had an interesting cumin-y thing going on. I gobbled it all up.

The one course that disappointed me was the soft-shell crab bisque that preceded my entrée. It was fine, and certainly tasted like “some kind of seafood bisque,” but identifying it as soft-shell crab bisque would have been impossible for me if the menu hadn’t told me what it was. It just didn’t have any specificity of flavor that would tell you that. Pleasant enough, though.

The restaurant seems to attract young people on dates (at least on a Saturday night), and young women in groups, stylishly if scantily clad.

Province
161 N. Jefferson
312 669 9900

Edited to add: Before writing the above, I did a search for a Province thread, and for whatever reason didn't find one. Hence, if you pick up a flavor from what I wrote that I was not aware others had written here about Province before, you're right! Had I been aware, I'm sure I would have been responsive to the dialogue that preceded me, and not just to Mike Sula's Reader review. Thanks to The Moderators for folding my post into the ongoing thread.

I had a very nice light lunch today at Province. Was headed to my usual spot in the West Loop, Blackbird, when one of my companions suggested Province. I found the decor at Province to be very warm considering it is ultra-contemporary. The food was good, not great, and the service was nice and unobtrusive.

Started with a terrific grilled and chilled peach salad. My only complaint is that it was a touch overdressed with a very refreshing vinagrette. I had the seared tuna entree special served over warm spinach and edamame. The fish was terrific. Seared perfectly and served with a well balanced red wine vinagar sauce. Perfect summer lunch.

My companions had the tortilla soup to start and they all enjoyed it. They also ordered the burger and a waygu beef salad. They gave both dishes high marks.

Province is not going to bump Blackbird off my radar as a go to lunch destination, however, I would not hesitate to return.

Very surprised that no one has reported on this place since last fall. We visited for Restaurant Week; it was new to us and curiosity is a powerful incentive. Two rooms: a more open, noisier one in front and a more subdued, cozier one in back. I don’t understand Kennyz’s objections to this room upthread: we were the second or third couple in the room and found it quite pleasant (though LDC was a bit less than thrilled with some of the artwork).

(One note: we were seated next to a “wall” that is the back side of the “wine rack.” Any time someone in the house orders a bottle, a server comes to the back of the wall, opens the sliding glass doors that protect it, and selects the bottle. Unfortunately, the two or three tables next to this wall are much too close. Meaning that every time a server came over to select a bottle, he or she was an uninvited third guest at our table. Totally unnecessary, intrusive, and mildly annoying.)

We had a choice of the regular menu or the Restaurant Week offerings. Although we both found a number of things on the regular menu that were tempting, we both chose, in the end, to go with the special offerings: it’s hard to beat $32 for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. We were also very pleasantly surprised to see prices that we thought were quite reasonable on the regular menu as well. One of the other things that favorably impressed us was the house’s willingness to allow us to order off the regular menu to supplement to special offerings. And so we did just that.



Not to much to see here. It’s an amuse and I forgot to take notes. Mushrooms, a garlic crème fraiche (we think) and.... Next time we’ll take notes but this time all I can say is that we both enjoyed it quite a bit.



Province has tiny apps that they call “bites.” For a very practical reason. They’re only $3 and, based on our sample, they’re hard to resist. In the event, we each chose one (there were, sadly, only three on the menu). The Lovely Dining Companion opted for the pork bocadillo. Hers was really a pulled pork sammie but full of flavor, perfectly sized, and a wonderful vorspeis. We both enjoyed it as well as my shrimp/white bean/chimichurri toast. I wanted to try something else to see what the kitchen could offer and, though I was skeptical about the three elements working together, I need not have been. Both were a couple bites each and highly enjoyable.



I went for the smoked salmon tartare parfait. It sounds gimmicky: as this picture of the latter shows, it is a take-off on the ice-cream classic, the salmon layered with avocado, cucumbers, and a chive crema. On top, that little yellow puddle was a very tart lemon oil/zest combo. I was doubtful at first, but the dish was terrific. The lemon provided a perfect complement to the very rich (very lightly smoked, as it happened) salmon. I’m not a huge fan of salmon but I really enjoyed this dish. It’s conception is a wonderful riff and the execution was beautiful. Most of all, the flavor was up front, and highly enjoyable.



LDC’s appetizer was roasted wild mushrooms and winter vegetables topped with an “orange mojo.” Nothing daring or even unusual here but a classic dish beautifully executed. Highly enjoyable. Her entrée of choice was a nicely sized portion of petrale sole sitting atop a mashed potato cake with “cara cara” orange vinaigrette. (Cara cara oranges, I discovered, are a sweet, low acid variety of navel oranges.) Unfortunately, LDC didn't find that the vinaigrette complemented the fish; but for the sauce, she would really have enjoyed it. Yes, the entire fish was, um, "dressed" with it. Otherwise, sole is sole and there isn’t much I can offer except to say that if you like sole, you might wish to consider this dish. Fish is always best served hot (rather than warm) and this was; it was also perfectly cooked.



My entrée amounted to cassoulet minus the Toulouse sausage: duck confit with white beans. But the kitchen had to add their own touch and so added piquillo peppers and braised greens. A splash of very good (but not outstanding) rouille; I'm sued to having it with bouillabaise, not duck confit. Still, even though I'm not certain that it was a good match, I would have enjoyed more: I like it. The duck and beans were great. So were the peppers. The greens (I think they were the culprit) were too salty. Much too salty. I asked and was told that they were an unusual variety of swiss chard. I don’t object to the greens on principal but I disliked the saltiness they brought to the plate. The duck was plentiful, rich, rich, rich, and the dish on the whole, a success. LDC took a bite and didn’t find the salt as objectionable as I did.



Dessert was a much bigger pleasure than either of us expected. She had the carrot cake with cream cheese and a molasses/honey ice cream. I chose the pear cobbler served warm with cinnamon ice cream. Both were beautiful presentations and both were excellent. The flavor of pear is all too often too delicate to survive the process—whatever the process is. This wasn’t and it was a true delight. Carrot cake, too, is far too often a standard item churned out by someone not that interested in making it. This was a genuine pleasure. Both reminded us how good the “old standards” can be when the person making them is committed, knowledgeable, and really good at what he or she does.





One note about the service. It’s nice to go to the restroom and come back and find your napkin refolded for you. It’s hardly necessary but it’s an indication that people are paying attention. They did that here. They also very happily brought out a nice plate of garlic toast (with plenty on the plate) when I asked for some bread to soak up the juices from my confit. A little thing but done happily and it pleased me. Even more than that, they did something I find even rarer, something that takes virtually no effort and yet is very rarely done--at least in our experience. The server marked who had what so that when the dishes were brought to the table, the person bringing them knew where each went without having to ask. Big thing? Of course not. But it’s so nice to have someone take that little extra effort, thus avoiding the little "merry-go-round“ of "Who had the fish?” “Who had the duck?” “Who had this?” “Who had that?” It takes so little effort that it always astonishes me at how rare it is, but they got it exactly right at Province.

We liked it just fine and we'll happily return.

Had a delightful dinner at Province last night. I had the tortilla soup and my wife had the squash soup, both were wonderful, both had a nice hint of heat, and deep, interesting flavors. I had the short ribs for, and my wife could see the joy on my face from the first bite. She had the cobia and was equally pleased. For dessert we shared the lemon cake with frozen lemon yogurt. Mmmmm. Portions were on the small side, even considering the "small plates" theme of the restaurant, but everything was delicious. We definitely want to explore their interesting menu further.

What's the deal with "small", "big", and "bigger" plates on the menu (and, from what it looks like, smaller and larger sized portions within each category)? Are you supposed to be sharing lots of stuff? Building your own tasting menu?

Well, despite a menu setup that's entirely too complicated (even our server began by describing it as "sort of confusing") we had a very enjoyable meal at Province last night.

After going through the intricate math that we would have needed for the entire table to share everything (there were six of us, getting to the right number of small/big/bigger dishes required something on the order of an advanced math degree), we decided to order mostly as individuals (with some limited sharing).

To start, the wife and I shared a couple of raw items and a salad. From the raw section of the menu we had a couple of pieces of hamachi (nothing special) and the arctic char ceviche. The ceviche was nice, the char was extremely fresh, but the flavor of the olives included in the ceviche dominated a little too much. I had a bite of the striped bass ceviche which was fantastic. Great fish, very bright and clean flavors. For our salad we had the warm asparagus salad that was served with a poached egg on top. The asparagus was as good as it should be this time of year and a poached egg is always a nice addition. The white of the egg wasn't as done as I would normally prefer but I still enjoyed this dish.

For a "small" plate I had the french toast with pork belly. Now this was a great dish. Two mini pork belly sandwiches with the pork belly serving as the sandwich filling, the whole thing drizzled with maple syrup. If the pork belly had just a little more fat this would be an early candidate for my dish of the year. It was a perfect study in the contrast of the sweetness of the french toast and the savoriness of the pork belly. The contrast in textures between the two also added a lot to the dish. Of all the things we ate last night, this is the one I'm still thinking about. I had a bite of the wife's shrimp and grits, but it couldn't hold a candle to what I was eating.

For my main course I ordered the rabbit confit from the "big" section of the menu (not to be confused with the "bigger" section of the menu). This was served as about a two inch thick disk of rabbit mixed with salsa verde and a marcona almond emulsion (sort of a schmear on the side of the plate). The disk of rabbit was topped with crispy potato sticks. The rabbit was perfectly cooked and incredibly flavorful. The salsa verde worked perfectly to give the whole thing a little bit of a kick. Just a really satisfying and unique dish. More restaurants should serve rabbit.

For dessert I was torn between a chocolate and peanut butter flan sandwich and a cara cara orange pudding cake. Our server told me that the pudding cake was actually more flan-like than the flan sandwich so I decided to go with the sandwich. I was very happy with this choice. I'm not really sure why they call this thing a flan sandwich because it was basically some meringue sandwiched between very dense chocolate and very dense peanut butter cake-like concoctions. Whatever it was, I thought it was very good.

Overall, I think this is a very interesting restaurant. I thought the food was very good and very creative, and certainly oriented towards local seasonal ingredients (there were a bunch of local farm names scattered throughout the menu). I really do wish they'd do something about how the menu is organized. Maybe go to more of an appetizer/salad/main course model. Or, if it's supposed to be like tapas, just make them all small plates. If they want people to construct mini-tasting menus, set it up to have choices by course. But the way it is now just requires too much thinking, especially when dining with a large group. It's a shame that the menu setup is a distraction from what otherwise is an awfully good restaurant.

Josh, how was the service?

chezbrad wrote:Josh, how was the service?

I would say it was good. Things were a little slow in getting going, but we were celebrating an engagement that happened a few minutes before dinner so I don't blame our server for wanting to give us a little space. Beyond that, no real issues, but nothing that blew me away either. About right for the price-point.

Sounds like my girlfriend, yeah.

jesteinf wrote:Well, despite a menu setup that's entirely too complicated (even our server began by describing it as "sort of confusing")

Funny that this thread popped up and this issue is being discussed as I experience similkiar confusion at Volo and recently at Abigails. I prefer the food to be thought provocing and not the way the menu is organized. For whatever reason, Volo just lumped all of the starters and mains (which were stellar btw) togethe into one section of the menu while abigails goes with three size tiers. I am still trying to figure out the difference between big and bigger. Luckily i am a maverick and just order what i want. I am all for the unconventional, it makes life interesting except, i guess, when it comes to organizing a menu.

Enjoyed a fava bean salad at Province last night:



This is exactly the kind of super simple preparation that I love to see every spring, when the stuff coming out of the ground hardly needs any intervention at all to be just wonderful as it is. I'm not even sure the beans were cooked (the wife felt they were, and they probably did receive a light steam), and set off by some spring onions and garlic, a tiny bit of red pepper, a little herby ricotta, fantastic, with minimal adornment, naturally beautiful.

We (a party of four) took opportunity of Restaurant Week 2011 to visit Province for the first time last night, and I must confess that after looking at their full menu, I enjoyed the "simplifying assumptions" that were present in the three course menu.

We started with a nice amuse bouche, which I can only describe as a Spanish take on a good caponata, with roasted peppers and eggplant. It was very welcome to clear my palate from the day's office coffee.

The star of the evening was the first course, a warm Wild Mushroom and Manchego Flan, served on organic greens. Although subtle, the flavors of the mushrooms and cheese were beautifully integrated, and very satisfying. All four of us highly commended the dish.

The main course for three of us (unadventurous, this evening) was the duck ropa vieja, which was a nice serving of shredded duck, served in a savory and spicy tomato based sauce, which we all thought was very good, well flavored and spiced, although a bit problematic for wine pairings. We chose a French granache/syrah blend from Provence, and were pretty happy with the match. Our rebel diner had the cobia, poached in olive oil, over a sweet potato hash, and she was also very satisfied, especially since she revels in matching fish with red wine!

We all tried both desserts through creative sharing, the carrot cupcake with honey ice cream, and the pear cobbler with cinnamon ice cream. The table opinion was that the honey ice cream was a better match with the pear cobbler than the cinnamon, but both desserts were well made, flavorful, and a nice conclusion to the evening.

We were very happy with the service, our waitperson was well versed on the wine list, and knew that several bottles on the list that we had pre-selected were out of stock. She also provided useful advice, without being overly directive, which I really appreciated. The house handled our late arrival (an hour and ten minutes to get from Skokie to downtown!!!) with grace, and didn't make us feel overly rushed.

I heard this was a "see and be seen" kind of place, but I didn't think our over-50 personages were out of place, and the decor was modern without being sterile.

On the whole, we thought this a fine restaurant, and will return. I don't quite understand why there are not more recent postings in this forum.

This thread is about as active as Province was last evening (a Friday night) and that's probably not a good thing. On the other hand, the saffron seafood sausage and steamed mussels (served sans shell) with fennel, onions and romesco (on toast) in broth was one of the best things I've eaten this year. Incredibly flavorful and impressively light-in-texture sausage, perfectly cooked mussels, and a broth I was willing to lick the bowl clean for. And the romesco topped toast piece retained enough crispness to satisfy. Really a sensational dish.

The next best thing I tasted was the Spanish Calasparra rice served risotto-style with market vegetables and manchego cheese. The flavor was terrific and the creamy yet toothsome dish could not have delivered better texture. Other items tasted were good, but not great, although the local produce really shined throughout the meal. And a Dietzler Farms skirt steak was perfectly grilled. Striped bass ceviche was one item that didn't impress - it needed more acid and the fish was slightly hacked.

There was also wonderful amuse which IIRC was akin to a watermelon gazpacho. Service throughout the evening was great, and the very high ceilings made conversation easy. This was my first visit to Province and I would certainly return. Hopefully the sparse crowd on a beautiful Friday evening is not as bad a sign as it seemed.

BR wrote: There was also wonderful amuse which IIRC was akin to a watermelon gazpacho. Service throughout the evening was great, and the very high ceilings made conversation easy. This was my first visit to Province and I would certainly return. Hopefully the sparse crowd on a beautiful Friday evening is not as bad a sign as it seemed.

We had this same amuse on Saturday night and an equally impressive meal.

I hadn't been to Province in over a year, but an expiring coupon from Opentable motivated a return. I can't say how impressed I was with our meal. I enjoyed Province before but I think the food has improved significantly.

Our dinner was mostly seafood, starting with a couple of ceviches and moving on to main courses of yellowtail and salmon. I enjoyed both ceviches, one a shrimp and scallop and the other a striped bass (they seem to have fixed the hacked fish issue that BR encountered). I also had a few Malpac oysters which were about as fresh and as well shucked as any I've had in Chicago. Both the salmon and the yellowtail were cooked perfectly. The yellowtail, in particular, was a very interesting dish. The fish came served on a bed of grilled squid, olives, and salsa verde. The squid was nicely tender and all of the flavors came together really well. Just a nicely conceived and executed dish.

The place wasn't empty on Saturday but it certainly wasn't packed either. The menu format is still kind of frustrating (bites, raw, salad, small, big, bigger...ugh), but the food is at a level where I can get over it. It feels to me like Province is sort of flying under the radar right now. In my opinion, they deserve a little more love.

A friend and I dined here this past Wednesday night. Went in not knowing a lot about Province, but I had a coupon for a 4 course dinner nonetheless, so away we went.

First impressions? I know they're striving for the farm-to-table aesthetic, but friend and I couldn't help but feel the place looked a little morbid. Dead trees had us thinking Six Feet Under rather than green.

Gazpacho Amuse

Did anyone else feel ridiculous for eating these with a spoon? These cups are the size of shot glasses. After taking two baby spoonfuls, friend and I just decided to shoot them back. Taste was a bit...sour.

Hummus

Very dry. Way too dry.

If you tried to dip one of those breadsticks, it would snap.

At this point, I was starting to feel a bit discouraged. Had I made a large misstep here? Thankfully, the meal really picked up after this.

Olive Oil Poached Albacor
quince, soy preserved lemon



Fresh and tasty.

Cuban Pork Sausage Bocadillo and Green Acres Farm Squash Taquito





Tasted great...thought that taquito is clearly a taco.

Tortilla Soup
avocado, rotisserie roasted chicken

Thick, with a nice spice kick on the back end.

Ten-Hour Braised Lamb
roasted eggplant, housemade chorizo, corn bread

Friend's entree. I was happy to help him finish off the last couple bites though.

Slow-Cooked Organic Salmon
pickled onions, green beans, green gazpacho salsa

Salmon was cooked just right. Flaky, and a hint of pink. salsa didn't really come through.

Seedlings Farm Raspberries & Citrus Pound Cake
almond streusel, housemade crème fraîche ice cream

Meh. Pretty basic.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flan “Sandwich”
chocolate sorbet, meringue crisps, peanut crunch

Oh yeah. This is what dessert should be. Dark, a little crunch, and that peanut butter layer had the consistency of a gelatin. Odd. Awesome.

Though there were a few missteps in the beginning, I still came away from this meal happy. That's all that matters, right?

We had a very nice meal there this past Saturday. We were a bit early, so we decided to have a drink at Prairie Fire. Unfortunately, it was one of the worst Old Fashioned's I have ever had. It was watery, the cherries were muddled to mush with the skin hanging off leaving an unpleasant texture, basically it was carelessly made. To add insult to injury, they charged $14 when the menu said $12. I should have said something, but decided to just pay and leave.
Province was really terrific. We sat in a booth, which I enjoyed, it was roomy and comfortable. I can't remember what exactly was in the amuse, but it was a bunch of crunchy veggies which were quite tasty. I did enjoy the fact that many of the dishes came in half portions, so we were able to sample many of the menu items. We started with a half dozen of East coast oysters, Malpeques and one other type. Briny, ice cold, just delicious. The bread and hummus was only ok, way too much garlic in the dry hummus. Then hubby had a tuna taco, the tortilla was fresh and soft, tuna nicely spiced, but the pickled cabbage was outstanding, crunchy and tart. I had the smoked brisket, which was delicious. It was like a smoky corned beef, just wonderful. Then hubby had the 10 hour lamb, really nice, tender nicely spiced. I had the tuna, which I loved. I really enjoyed the crunchy tortilla crisps and edamame romesco that accompanied it, it was a nice textural balance. None of the desserts really appealed to me, but hubby had the pound cake, which I found quite dry and the only miss of the evening. Service was friendly and attentive. They had an interesting wine list, but we each just had 2 glasses, I had the champagne cocktail with peach, that went well with the oysters and a glass of Temprenillo. Hubby had the sauvingon blanc and a syrah I believe. We ended the evening at the Marion Street Cheese Market with one of their homemade dark chocolate turtles and a glass of wine, which was the perfect way to end the night.
LO
LO

I had just an okay meal at Province last night. The apple/fennel amuse bouche was great, the bread was average. I started with olive oil poached Albacore, which was disappointingly bland. For a main course, I had the Alaskan Sole filet, over spaghetti squash and citrus butter. There were supposed to be Marcona almonds accompanying, and those were glaringly missing. I didn't say anything though, since the fish itself was cooked really well and we were in a rush to make it to the opera in time. The dish definitely could have used a nutty crunch though. My side of Green City Market vegetables stir-fried in aged sherry were perhaps the highlight of my meal. The cauliflower, edamame, carrots, parsnips, onions and eggplant were all fantastic.

We didn't have time for dessert, but grabbed cookies on the way out and they were delicious. Perfect for an intermission in an 3.5 hour opera


Apple Fennel Amuse / Province by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Olive Oil Poached Albacore / Province by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Pan Roasted Alaskan Sole Filet / Province by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Vegetables with Aged Sherry / Province by TrackBelle, on Flickr