Café Provencal

Café Provencal Restaurant Review:

The essence of a French bistro --- home-style, simple dishes in modest surroundings --- makes this suburban setting very apt. The kitchen, headed by restaurateur Eddie Neill, shows a sure hand with dinner stars like pâtés, potages and daubes. There’s a fine pork chop and good steak frites, too. We’ve always been partial to escargots, but for those who are not, the menu offers enticements like “six naughty little snails swimming naked in a pool of fennel-garlic butter.” Desserts always include something chocolate, and this is a reliable spot for crème brûlée with the right ratio of custard to crackly topping. The wine list includes many fine selections. Café Provencal’s annual Beaujolais Nouveau dinner can get boisterous, but for most of the year this roomy restaurant settles into a comfortable pace.