Michael Cimarusti and Donato Poto’s paragon of sumptuous, celebratory dining reaches its 20th anniversary on June 17, 2025. In high-end restaurant years that’s about the age of a mature redwood. How has the duo achieved such longevity? By maintaining sky-high standards, kept aloft via Cimarusti’s command of seafood (including a decades-long commitment to sustainable fishing partnerships) and Poto’s pampering sense of hospitality.

Nine courses, plus flurries of one-bite extras to begin and finish dinner, propel the $325-per-person tasting menu. Dishes change nightly to reflect the day’s catch. A gorgeous mid-September plate, for instance, centered the meatiest hunks of Washington state Dungeness crab arranged among poached spot prawns, a squash blossom filled with scallop-crab mousseline, roasted zucchini and a peeled braised tomato, finished with broth made from shellfish heads. The next night the kitchen switched to California box crab, and if I were a billionaire I would have returned to discern the crustaceans’ sweet, subtle differences. A big secret to Providence’s luxury approach resides in the extra touches: the crusty, fragrant sourdough boule using red fife wheat from Tehachapi Heritage Grain Project; pile-it-on options including tableside cocktails and seasonal truffles shaved over handmade pasta or the blondest omelet; and the balletic, mind-reading service team. Among them is wine director David Osenbach, whose dry humor pairs superbly with the premier cru Chablis he’s pouring. — B.A.

5955 MELROSE AVE., LOS ANGELES, (323) 460-4170 l PROVIDENCELA.COM