203 West Weaver Street
Carrboro, NC
Provence is a French restaurant that feels more like a moderately lit art gallery. As the food is on display, it was an appropriate and pleasant atmosphere. The sea foam green walls were a delicate compliment to the abstract art paintings. This was all intercut with unique doll display cases and a wooden cordenza. All in all, this is how I'd decorate my kitchen if I had one longer than six feet.
We started with my first escargot ever. They were baked in a Roquefort sauce. I found the snails too salty for my palate, which may have been the cheese sauce's fault. I didn't think the two paired well but am willing to try escargot at another time. The dish was perfectly browned, however, so I did enjoy the top layer.
I had the evening's special seafood quartet. It came with all the components arranged beautifully askew in a nice tribute to the art. The grouper was most flavorful with a strong thyme element. However, the other fish (salmon, tuna, and snapper) were flavorless. I didn't finish any of them. The vegetables were much tastier than they looked, except for the charred zuchinni. I don't usually mind a little ash with my meal, but this was overkill.
We finished with a frozen espresso kahlua souffle. It was very pretty, served in an espresso cup with melt-in-your-mouth ladyfingers. "Souffle" was a faux amie as it better described the presentation than the actual ice cream. I enjoyed playing with dessert—very fun to eat!
Provence's atmosphere and plate presentation were excellent but the actual plates could use some perfecting. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a change from your normal fare—just don't expect to be overly impressed.
2 stars
