We attempted to visit La Provence around 11A during a previous trip to Vancouver, but the wait was…read moretoo long and we had an extensive drive home ahead of us. This time, we arrived around 9A and were seated approximately 30 minutes later in the very well-heated patio area.
Our server was welcoming and returned quickly for our drink order. I chose an oat-milk chai and was not disappointed.
For a restaurant presented as a French bistro, I was surprised that there wasn't a single quiche on the menu. I almost ordered the BLT, but I wanted to try something different, so I chose the west coast salmon benedict with provençal potatoes and butternut squash.
The hollandaise was tasty, but the benedict itself was mixed for me. It was served on a sliced croissant, which sounded appealing but wasn't sturdy enough for the toppings and quickly became soggy. Thankfully, I had removed the top half and eaten it separately. I was also expecting the thin slices of smoked salmon you might find on a bagel, but instead received a salmon fillet whose smoked flavor was barely noticeable -- perhaps the Hollandaise overwhelmed it.
The butternut squash was delicious and outshined the potatoes by several miles. I wish I had asked for an entire side of squash bc some of the potatoes tasted stale, much like McDonald's fries that have been sitting around for a few hours.
My daughter ordered the risotto cakes and eggs, which also made me question the "French bistro" identity, since risotto is Italian. SIL had the corned beef hash. Hubby ordered the chef's omelet with a side of bacon. And the grandbabies had pancakes, bacon, and eggs.
My family makes it very obvious when food is delicious: lots of nodding, happy sighs, "You need to try this," or completely cleaned plates. Breakfast did not produce any of that.
As our server was preparing to close out the tab, we asked for the dessert menu so we can sing happy birthday to one of our grandbabies. We ordered the Versailles cake and a pavlova.
The Versailles was the definite winner. Suddenly, there were the yum sounds and the "You need to try this" comments. We all agreed that its light texture and coffee chocolate flavor were wonderfully similar to our beloved cappuccino mousse cake from Schubert's Bakery SF. It wasn't overly sweet, and the velvety dark-chocolate ganache was delicious. I enjoyed it so much that I went home and immediately searched for a Versailles cake recipe, only to discover that "Versailles" apparently isn't an established French dessert, but La Provence's name for its chocolate sponge layered with vanilla, coffee, and dark chocolate mousses.
The pavlova was enjoyable, but it inspired nowhere near the enthusiasm of the Versailles.
Between the polenta, risotto, pesto, burrata, mascarpone, tiramisu, avocado toast, corned beef hash, Benedicts, and conspicuous absence of quiche, I left wondering how much of the actual menu is French. There are certainly French ingredients, sauces, pastries, and techniques, but the overall experience felt more like a Pacific Northwest brunch café with French and Italian influences than a true French bistro.
Would I return when visiting our daughter and her family? Not on my own accord. If the family chose it, I would definitely go, but I would adjust my expectations and not think of it as a French bistro, order an oat chai, request extra butternut squash, and save plenty of room for the Versailles.
