Mushroom and Leek Cake at Cleveland Museum of Art’s Provenance

With the expansion of the East Wing, the renovation of the 1916 galleries, and the addition of the beautiful Ames Atrium, the Cleveland Museum of Art has been elevated in recent years from a revered cultural institution to a work of art itself.

To complement the stunning renovation, the Museum has also rolled out community programming like its interactive, 12,000-square-foot Gallery One and monthly MIX Nights.

It was hard to think of anything that could make the Cleveland Museum of Art even better, until Provenance opened at the end of 2012.

Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art features a 3-part dining experience: a moderately-priced open-kitchen Cafe, Catering by Provenance, and a 76-seat fine dining restaurant and lounge.

The bar and lounge at Provenance

Through a partnership with Bon Appetit Management Company and Fire’s Chef Douglas Katz, the Cleveland Museum of Art has created a menu of locally-sourced, globally-inspired options for visitors.

After recent trips to the museum and nearby Botanical Garden, I’ve enjoyed grabbing quick bites at the Cafe. (My recommendation: try a claybread sandwich with lamb, hummus, eggplant, cabbage, and yoghurt sauce.)

But I hadn’t had a chance to try the restaurant until a few weeks ago. And lately I’ve been making up for lost time.

Left to Right: The ladies at Bloggers Night; Cured Meats and Cheeses; Scallops

Our first visit came earlier this month when Scott and I were invited to blogger night at Provenance. There we joined Cleveland’s a Plum, WhyCLE, Eat*Drink*Cleveland, The Dawg’s Dish and All Lacquered Up for a few drinks and some delicious bites.

We started with a selection of cured meats and cheeses, an excellent warm-up for the dishes that were to come.

Provenance’s Chef Partner Douglas Katz and Executive Chef Matthew Jankowski

As Chef Katz came out to introduce Executive Chef Matthew Jankowski, they brought with them a sampling of their talents: succulent, seared scallops; a mushroom and leek cake; and the winner of the night in my books – fingerling potato topped with shaved duck.

A finely-made Manhattan and their Thyme and Ginger cocktail had me equally impressed with Provenance’s drinks menu. The refreshing Thyme and Ginger will be especially welcome as we head into summer.

Provenance Manhattan

I was excited to learn during the blogger night that Provenance is open for brunch every Sunday in addition to lunch and dinner throughout the week.

So Scott and I checked out brunch at the museum this weekend. Spoiler: It was just as delicious!

Provenance’s brunch menu elevates traditional breakfast dishes like eggs and french toast with fresh, seasonal ingredients such as sweet onions, confit tomato and leek salad, and roasted garlic aioli.

Ranging in price from $16-$22, each entree also comes with a bounty of treats from the Chef’s Table.

A sampling from the Chef’s Table at Provenance Brunch

With buttery croissants, sweet blueberry scones and cinnamon rolls, house-made jams, and a fluffy gruyere biscuit, it was difficult to avoid filling up before our main course.

But with a Lump Crab Quiche and the Provenance Benedict on their way, we managed to save room.

In addition to camembert, caramelized onions and a herb custard, the quiche featured large chunks of fresh crab meat. It was paired with a shaved fennel and citrus salad.

Lump Crab Quiche at Cleveland Museum of Art Brunch

I’m not a huge fennel fan, but I loved how the fruit slices and citrus flavor balanced it out.

Scott has somehow gone 30 years without trying eggs benedict, but the herb-roasted trout that accompanies the Provenance Benedict called out to him.

I snuck a couple bites and really enjoyed the crisped texture and slightly smoked taste of the trout combined with the rich poached egg. And the colorful carrot salad that came on the side featured the absolute freshest-tasting carrots.

Provenance Benedict at Cleveland Museum of Art’s Brunch

Whether it’s brunch, lunch or dinner, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Chef Katz, and Bon Appetit have achieved a culinary masterpiece.

And I’m giving away a chance to indulge with a $100 gift certificate to Provenance!

There are 5 Easy Ways to Enter the Giveaway
**You must leave a separate comment on this post for each entry**

1) Leave a comment telling me what’s your favorite part about the Cleveland Museum of Art.

2) Follow @ClevelandArt and @ADHicken on twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me you did.

3) If you’re a fan of Clue Into Cleveland on Facebook, leave a comment on this blog post letting me know. If you’re not yet a fan, you can become one here.

4) Tweet: “I want to enjoy fine art and dining @ClevelandArt’s Provenance. Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway for a $100 gift card: http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-223” Get an extra entry each day for tweeting! (Each day you do this, you must leave a new comment.)

5) Subscribe to receive Clue Into Cleveland blog posts in your inbox or feed reader like Feedly and leave a comment letting me know you did. This can also include signing up to receive email notifications in the top-right “Subscribe” section of this page.

You have until this Friday, May 17 at Noon to enter. I will select a winner using Random.org and announce the winner’s name that afternoon on my blog. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry – good luck!

Disclosure: I was invited to attend a blogger night at Provenance with a guest and provided a $100 gift certificate to give away on my blog. My opinions about this visit as well as brunch are 100% my own.