Providence New American Restaurant

This past Saturday, Dan and I had tickets to a recital at the Folly down town. We originally had reservations at 12 Baltimore in the Phillips Hotel but wanted to try something different, but it had to be close. That's when we remembered our friend Larry talking up the restaurant in the President Hotel. We went on line and looked up the menu and liked the offerings, so we called and made a reservation at Providence.
You enter the restaurant through The Drum Room, a very nice lounge off the lobby of the hotel. The restaurant is very nice, with beautifully restored barn wood for the walls, good lighting and overall nice decor.
We were promptly greeted by Kevin, our server, who explained some items on the menu and recommend some different wines. Dan went with an $8 glass of Pinot Noir and I splurged on a $12 Cab, knowing that I could only have one glass, lest I fall asleep during the recital.
Dan started with the Blue Note salad ($5.90), gem lettuce, blueberries, apple sticks and a blue cheese, blueberry vinaigrette. I chose the Providence salad ($6.50), bibb lettuce, arugula, pine nuts, golden beets, radishes and Tank 7 vinaigrette. Both salads were very good and plated nicely, as were our other dishes.
Dan's entree was Applewood Smoked Meatloaf ($15.50) with sour cream mashed potatoes and wild mushroom gravy. The meatloaf was so good and very different, consisting of ground pork, lamb and beef. The mashed potatoes had chunks of carrots and the mushrooms in the gravy were some of the best I've tasted. The dish also came with a small side of haricots vert.
My entree was the Bully Porter Braised Short Ribs ($20.00) with roasted vegetables and herb dumplings. This was a  very good choice! The meat was so tender, no need for a knife and the dumplings were awesome.
The restaurant is located 1329 Baltimore in The President Hotel 1329 Baltimore KCMO 64105 815-303-1686 www.providence-kc.com.
This restaurant has joined my list of new favorite places to dine in Kansas City including Julian www.juliankc.com, JJ's www.jjs-restaurant.com, and The Jacobson www.thejacobson.com.