February 2008
– Provence (Stuyvesant Plaza) (dt)
6.88 - 7.25, 7.25, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 5.5
A suffusion of comfort.
Maybe
it was the interior’s warmth we felt as we entered the main dining room. An
offshoot lobby entryway softened what could have been a strip mall entrance
look. The bar area flames with polished wood, with a flat panel TV catching the
eye. The front section sat empty but promised noise if it were full. However,
the main area exudes smooth warmth, a rectangular room surprisingly more
spacious than first perceived, edged entirely with a banquette facing single
tables, with a center space large enough for our table of three on the sides and
Ken and Tim on the ends.
The
ceiling is an impressive collection of thick beams and plaster, highlighted by
the center chandelier. French décor is illustrated with paintings, prints,
lamps, patterned wall, which was regularly broken with a vertical stripe motif.
(We are reminded of the Mountain View Brasserie in Greenville, although Provence
has a notch or two on the ambience scale.) The bare-top tables, wooden with the
worn polish look, exemplified an ironic rusticity.
Or maybe it was the menu that one assays, replete with an array of salads
and hors d’oeurves, entrees, and specials, a promise of delectable decisions.
Accompanying descriptions in English should dispel fears of infamous, however
accurate or not, French snobbery.
Menus
were promptly placed on the tables upon our arrival, distracting us momentarily,
as two wire baskets of wheat-ish bread soon appeared – to be torn apart, and
dipped in the olive-herb ramekins.
DP8’s wine-person (thanks again, Tim) ordered two bottles of 2004
Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Côtes
du Rhone red for the five of us (again, a quite satisfactory area wine); glasses
of pinot grigio, champagne, and diet soda filled the order. Engraved “P”
wine glasses felt classy, and the expansive wine list should please most wine
enthusiasts.
We sampled the range of the salad and hors d’oeuvres menu. (I’ll
spare you the French names.) A Caesar salad with Parmesan crisp (shared, with
ample portions for both); a prosciutto, melon, spinach salad; stuffed eggplant
on greens and tomato sauce (shared); the roasted beet and endive salad, with
pears and pistachios; the ‘special’ salad – a smoked
salmon, blueberry, goat cheese on baby green; and the butternut squash purée pleased all, prepared as the menu description promised.
A wide range of entrée choices again typified Provence. Still, most of
us ordered close to our usual choices (well, Chay stretched a bit). (The minor
annoyance was the plat du jour special of the evening, announced unavailable ten
minutes after it had been ordered.) The selections consisted of Coquille Saint
Jacques, with tomato gratin, vegetable fondue, sautéed spinach and bacon
lardons (Deb T, of course, with eye-pleasing searing, excellent); steak
au poivre – a peppercorn-crusted Black Angus strip steak with brandy
peppercorn sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and string beans; (Kriss, well
done; Ken, medium-well; both cooked as ordered and delicious in the Roquefort
sauce); cheese-potato-crusted, grilled sea bass with chopped tomatoes and
artichoke hearts (good but not excellent for Judy); the fruits
de mer, leeks, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, spinach and basil over linguini
(Chay, bland); two of the homard á la Portugaise –
a lobster, shrimp, and chorizo sausage dish in charred tomato and roasted fennel
cream sauce on spinach linguini (Deb K deemed it excellent, and Don very good
– a visual treat of a half-lobster in shell); and the bacon-wrapped pork chop
with spaetzle and bacon-cabbage side that Tim, and others, judged excellent.
Several of us shared a taste and enjoyed them all. The white plates and dishes,
wide-rimmed in a soft French blue, were another classy touch.
Although half of us moaned about how full our stomachs felt, dessert
beckoned. The “boys” enjoyed the usual Sambuca and Frangelica while the real
dessert people tried: crème brûlée
(Deb T, excellent, generous portion); the banana fritters with rum ice cream
(Judy, good, although the fritters prepared differently than expected); molten
chocolate cakes with doche del leche gelato (Kriss, Deb K liked very much, as
did the others who sampled); and the special of chocolate fudge, truffle, and
liqueur cake layers (Don liked very much).
And, so, the food quality and range were exemplary. The same could not be
said about service although it was adequate. Although orders were taken and food
delivered, “Cheri,” although good for some, felt too casual for others, a
tad slow (but not to the point of being in the way), and not very personable,
nor with the presence expected of a French restaurant. Several spillages of
water were downright clumsy. The pacing during the two hour, thirty minute meal
was reasonable but a couple times felt long, especially waiting for the salads.
And, the sudden room temperature ranges of fifteen degrees, apparently caused by
an open door somewhere in the back, on a cold night could not help but be
noticed.
The utilization of three or four wait staff for different duties was
noticed and generally efficient. Water glasses were filled frequently, and
Ken’s coffee cup was filled mostly to Ken’s liking. The coatroom service was
so willing to please that most of us, for the first time, took advantage.
The bill, including tax and tip,
came to $120 per couple, a bit less than expected but in our high-average range.
Still, we walked out to the plaza’s parking lot having enjoyed our culinary
experience.
Earlier, the evening had started at the Adamses, a bit earlier than usual
because of a Sunday night choice necessitated by a busy February schedule. Tim
and Judy enticed us with nuts, cheese and crackers, tasty cantaloupe cubes, and
taco wrap slices, while Buddy lounged on Don’s lap or in anybody’s arms. We
complained about the cold front starting to move in (which became more arctic as
the night ensued).
We caught up on news, both here and at the restaurant, about ....
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