Provence

I came to Provence looking for a good french restaurant and stumbled upon the best seafood restaurant in the Triangle. The selection, cut, freshness and preparation of fish are among the best I have ever had. We loved the lobster bisque, loved the grouper wrapped in basil leaves and loved the redfish with some kind of garlic vinaigrette. Also, the place is very romantic, very warm and inviting inside. Pros: Seafood selections, Great looking place, Parking Cons: Waitress needs to smile more more

We walked in to a very charming and very inviting dining room, but chose to sit outside on the patio. I have never seen such an eclectic group of diners in one restaurant. We asked our waiter what his favorites were and were not disappointed. The bisque was wonderful and the escargots were sensational. The three of us ate the Seafood Quartet, which allowed us to sample four fish entrees. I love to try a little of everything so this was right up my alley. We finished off with the Rosemary Ice Cream. Unbelievably creamy. We really appreciated the easy parking too. I am looking forward to going back, maybe with a date this time. Pros: Seafood Cons: One annoying mosquito more

There have been some negative reviews about this restaurant, so we were a bit wary about dining here. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the attentive service, the quality of the food, and the great atmosphere. We were able to sit outside on a beautiful NC evening- one of those rare August evenings when its not too humid outside. We ordered lobster bisque to share, but maybe we should have ordered two because it was very rich and flavorful! One entree was a NC tilefish with lemon marmalade. The fish was flaky white, coated with a very light batter and smothered in a lemony, tart sauce. A second entree consisted of a Parisian flash grilled steak with a rich shallot sauce- very nice, although the frites could have been done a little more. To end, we shared a strawberry panna cotta, which was amazing! They also served one of the best non-bitter espressos I've had in a long time. All and all, we were very happy with the meal, atmosphere and service and would definitely book here again. more

My first restaurant review and I must admit that I am still on a chocolate fondant high. I took my parents to dinner at Provence and we had a perfect evening. Cute place, cute waiter, spectacular food. I loved the dressing (some kind of vinagrette) on my goat cheese salad. Two of us shared the whole fish and my dad ordered the wild boar stew. The whole fish was great, especially with the sauces, but I think the stew was even better. But the icing on zee cake was the desserts! Homemade ice cream, chocolate fondant and bread pudding. We loved all three. Pros: Ambiance, parking, service, dessert Cons: Had to wait to use the ladies room more

We went here a number of times and had nice meals. Then, about a year or so ago, we had a very disappointing experience. Pros: It used to be good, but the past tense doesn't count. Cons: Attitude. more

We recently took a visitor from France to Provence and he was greatly impressed by the food. He informed us it was the ""real thing"". Our waitress suggested that we try the escargot in roquefort and the seafood bisque. I will go back just for those two appetizers alone. The seafood was outstanding, mine was a grouper wrapped in basil leaves, but those that ordered the beef wellington were happy too. I'm still full but ready to go back. more

My husband and I were fans of Provence for years. They had one of the best wine selections, appetizers and fish to choose from without the formal pompous atmosphere one associates with a higher end restaurant. Unfortunately in the past 6 months we have continuously experienced apathetic service, food portions have increased--however quality has decreased. They sitll have pretty eclectic wine list, the hostess is extremely friendly and the a romantic setting. Pros: Easy parking, romantic relaxed atmosphere, wine list Cons: service, food quantiy and quality more

The seafood selection is outstanding and the preperation, presentation and taste was the best I have had in the Triangle area. I would recommend to anyone. We plan to return next week for a Birthday celebration. more

Recent reviews of this restaurant were less than stellar. My friend wanted to go for dinner for a special ocassion but after reading recent reviews I was skeptical. I let Michael know when I made the reservations. We arrived and were pleasantly surprised by the ambience (opposite of what I had read). It was romantic with lighting that was just right. It was also busy given the time we went (8:00). Our waiter Alex was excellent and knowledgeable. He answered our questions and did an expert table side filet of the Red Snapper my friend had ordered. The Shashimi Tuna was excellent as well as the salmon and sole with almondine that our other guests had. From the succulent fish to, wine, to dessert, we thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Our favorite in town photographer (Catherine Carter) had prints on display that really made the room feel warm. After dinner we talked with Michael and he had remembered my conversation with him and what I had read on City serach. So, to Michael, per my word, here is a review that your restaraunt is deserving of. Keep up the good work and our compliments to all of you and you staff! By the the way, for those who are interested, they are having a New Years eve event, so call and book in a hurry! Pros: Atmosphere, owner/chef on premises more

My husband and I have been eating at Provence regularly since we moved here 3 years ago. It is the only place in town we will eat fish (which is superb), the cottage is adorable and the waitstaff is always smiling and professional. This weekend our extended family was visiting and we took them to eat at Provence for the first time. In our party we had 1 vegan, 1 glucose-intolerant and 1 picky child. What could have been a difficult dinner ended up being the easiest and most appreciated evening. My brother said his vegan plate (pasta in pesto surrounded by beautiful grilled vegetables) was maybe the best he had ever had. Thanks Provence for going out of your way to make our evening special. Pros: Consistency of food, Ambiance, Parking, Outdoor seating, Regular waitstaff, Cons: Dining room can be loud on weekends more

What a change--and not for the better. more

We were a party of 8 once, of 4 another, and am looking forward to going again soon with 10 of us. Each one is treated like royalty, the baked whole fish was amazing, the desserts incredible. the tables outside really offer a lovely dining eveing. They have a well trained French chef who prepares some of the best meals around. Superb. Pros: the food, service, lovely old house converted to a restaurant more

What impresses me most about Provence is that we have been there over a dozen times and have yet to be disappointed. In fact, the most difficult part of the evening is choosing which wonderful items to choose from. I always feel compelled to order one of the seafood offerings because finding perfectly prepared fish is almost impossible. Salmon, sole, halibut all are prepared without too many competing flavors.s. My husband on the other hand most often orders the beef Wellington, the lamb or the wild boar, which I love to share with him. The real dilemma though is choosing appetizers: my favorites are the escargot, the bisque and the onion soup. It is so hard to save room for the chocolate mousse, but I always do. The service has been professional and friendly, not stiff or pushy. It is so nice to have a dependably good dinner. Pros: Ambiance, decor, service, consistency, menu selections Cons: Very little handicapped parking more

Had a lovely dinner there on one of the hottest, most humid nights this summer. The thought of having to dress up made me feel faint so I called the restaurant before our 8pm reservation to ask about the dress code. I still wore pearls and linen, but my sweet husband blew in Carrboro-style in shorts and a crisp t-shirt. It was the nicest setting we'd been in a long time and we like to go out now that the grown kids can be left sans babysitter. The wait staff was quick and friendly and the Frenchman who greeted us couldn't have been warmer to us. (I think he told us we could wear shorts!) Everything tasted fresh and was just as pretty as the French it was written in. Some may argue this point with me, but I thought the servings were too large, even for an ugly American like me. Once it cools off some and my lipstick doesn't melt off on the rim of my Sauvignon, it will be nice to sit outside for a meal. Until then. Pros: friendly wait staff; welcoming feel; small bar; parking in back Cons: none, really more

We've been there twice now, and going again tonight -- it has become our favorite ""nice"" dinner place in town. Doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside is darling, quiet and romantic, unlike so many other ""nice"" restaurants in the area that have become overrun by business dinners... I absolutely love their fish, and their steak is rather good too, but my favorite is the salad with goat cheese. I could eat a dozen of them! The creme brulee is excellent too -- I haven't tried the other desserts because I can't resist a good creme brulee and two desserts might be excessive... It is pricy of course, but it's definitely worth it! Pros: Ambience, Food, Service Cons: Pricy, Limited parking more

This quaint, understated restaurant offers delicious provincial favorites served by highly attentive and--generally, fairly--knowledgable waitstaff. Among the stars is a multitude of appetizers, none of which I have found disappointing. Standard main courses such as the salt crusted fish and roast lamb in juniper sauce have brought be back on several occasions. The wine list has a nice range; there are always good, inexpensive house picks on the recommended list of bottles. Last--and in my esteem hardly not least--the desserts are outstanding. Be sure to reserve a piece of the house goat cheese cake. N.B: Do not order the beef wellington. I ordered one medium rare, hoping it would be prepared in typical French medium rare (i.e., closer to rare); it arrived medium well. Although the waitstaff as usual acted appropriately and attentively, the burned meat ruined my meal that night. Pros: ambience, food , waitstaff more

Pros: Location, okay wine list. Waiter was nice but not well informed. Cons: Food was cooked poorly (I ordered the tuna, was told it would be ""seared"" on the outside and pink on the inside. It was overcooked to saw the least with no pink. The atmosphere is poor for a french restaurant, very cheap furniture and no mood lighting. Overpriced for what you get in food quality and atmosphere. Unfortunately, other city seach recommendation missed on this one. Pros: Location, Wine list Cons: , Atmosphere, Quality more

I've enjoyed two visits to this fine resaurant and look forward to many more. It was so nice to see escargots on a menu again, and they were superb. The service on both occasions was outstanding. A feature no one has yet mentioned is its accessibility, including a ramped entrance, wide-open spaces inside, and very convenient handicapped parking. The soft lighting, though, makes the sepia-toned menu a bit hard to read. Pros: , food, ambiance, servi Cons: , hard- to- read menus more

This restaurant has been around for over a year and I just heard about it for the first time on the recommendation of a co-worker. The escargot starter was superb (I recommend them in the roquefort cheese). We were presented with a tray of 3 red snappers from which to choose for the salt-crusted fish entree. It was served table side (nice touch!) with a choice of hollandaise or infused olive oil sauce on a plate with wonderfully prepared vegetables. It was perfect. We had the bread pudding in creme anglaise for dessert - very tasty. Service was very good, if slightly slow, but only because she seemed to be covering half the tables in the place (hopefully not a common occurrence). The restaurant got pretty loud when all the tables filled up, but not annoyingly so. I look forward to going back soon. more

I ate at Provence on a special occasion and the food was absolutely wonderful. The service was impeccable and the atmosphere romantic. A great wine list and many terrific choices on the menu. I am going again asap. Pros: food, wine, service Cons: , parking lot small more