How should I start this painful review? There is nothing worst than being disappointed in a restaurant that you like before and have to write about it. I could shut up and avoid myself troubles that I have encountered in the past, but then I also want to be true to myself and my readers.

I, though, would like to explain, this review in not meant to be malicious and to hurt anyone. This a review that will express my opinion and mine only, and my experience.

I have ate at La Provence before. I would say about a year and a half ago. When I discovered that place and its owner Lionel, I really enjoyed the ambiance, the service and the food. When my friend calls me to tell me that’s where is going to have his birthday party dinner, that’s when I started to get excited.

I love the place, the location, its Bistro like style. Tonight we were a party of seven sharing the restaurant with another birthday party it seemed. Besides our two tables, the place was desert. We got immediately greeted by our waiter whom I have to say was great. He was working by himself. He was very nice and professional and many times worked around us to provide us the best experience I think he could deliver considering the circumstances.

The kitchen was left with one chef and a dishwasher. I thought that was a bit tight, if they needed to serve about 20 people (our party and the other party).

Now, let’s talk about the food.

Each table is presented, while we’re waiting to order, with some bread and Tapenade and I have to say, that might have been the best thing I ate that night.

The table ordered the Duck rillette. I had the dish before and I was very disappointed when I saw the plate. First it’s served with an apricot marmalade and 3 little walnut cakes/toasts. The toast are about a quarter size, and there is 3 of them. You will never be able to eat 1/2 of the rillette with it. Second thing that shocks me is,  trying to make the plate more presentable/fancy, they added another type of marmalade on the plate, adding even more sweetness to the dish. Finally the rillette, that didn’t look nor tasted like rillette were more like a very blend paté.

Then I ordered the soup. It was a wild mushroom soup, though I was never able to identify what mushrooms were used in the soup, it tasted like creminis to me. The soup was actually good, well seasoned and with a nice consistency. I had to pull out of my mouth a few twigs (not sure if it was a herb, like thym, or rosemary, maybe lemongrass) left from a very poor job at blending the soup and sifting it. I wasn’t the only one who had to spit out the little bristle of I am not sure what out of the soup, everyone who ordered it at some. But overall, this was not bad.

Then I ordered the Carpaccio de veau, served with pine nuts and fennel salad with a green pepper corn dressing. First as you can see on the picture (3rd from the top) the meat was very red for Veal.  I am use to more a pink veal meat. Second the “veal” was cut a bit too thick for a carpaccio. But the meat was tender though. I am noticing that I am missing the pine nuts and that strangely the meat seemed to have been seared as you can see a discoloration of the meat at its peripheral. I thought, strange, a cooked carpaccio or maybe is it the oxidation of the meat? Then the first bite and I felt like biting peppercorns by the spoon full. The dressing was way over powering, now I might understand why the discoloration, it might have come from the very acidic dressing that the meat was resting in. The fennel salad was prepared the day before, I am sure. The fennel wasn’t so flavorful, I am expecting anise popping in my mouth, but nothing. If I would have ate the fennel my eyes closed I probably wouldn't have recognized what it was.

At this point I am so disappointed already, I am thinking: “This is not possible, not here!!!!”

I try a couple bite of the risotto and it was overdone, you know when the grain of rice are so cooked that they can’t keep their form anymore and just break into a paste in your mouth. Yikes.

Finally, I ordered the Rabitt Raviole with figs. I took one bite of my plate and sent it back. This was just plane bad food. The raviole, made with I am not sure what type of pasta dough, were like paste surrounding a very dry stuffing drowned into a very thick jus with some fava beans.

I was done and sad because I knew I was going to write this review and I felt cheated because I was telling people how good I remember this place use to be. I didn’t talk to Lionel (he wasn’t present) and didn’t find out what went wrong. Maybe a change of chef, maybe it was just a overwhelmed lonely chef in its kitchen, maybe... I don’t know, I think I am trying to find an excuse because I can’t believe La Provence could serve such mediocre food, or should I say at least too expensive for what it is now. Friends have ordered other dishes and seemed to have been ok with it, like the Salmon (more shaved fennel) and the vegan salad that I actually took a bite wasn’t bad. But that was a Salad!!!

Again, This is not a review to hurt anyone, but just me being a bit disappointed and wanting to know what went wrong at La Provence. I just hope I went on a very bad day. I will give it a try a last time, hoping to find again the  flavors of olives, aioli, thyme, garlic, pistou, and other saveurs de Provence.

I have to say our waiter, David, was amazing and compensated by his forgiving personality  as we are sending plates back and utmost professionalism to deal with us. Chapeau to that!

Summary: I fear that I wont’ be recommending La Provence this time. It seems that a Mistral has temporarily blown away La Provence’s flavors. Bill per person: about $70 including tip and wine.