French Mediterranean specialties served in a laid-back ambiance with an international wine list. Based on 126 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.4 stars. Price $$$
Address:
203 W Weaver St, Carrboro, NC 27510
Phone: (919) 967-5008
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Reviews
sparrowmedrama
We went to Provence to celebrate a birthday. The front of house staff were all friendly. We weren’t sure if the chef was out of town or if management had changed, but the execution of some of the dishes left much to be desired from a French restaurant. The escargot came out without their shells and were of decent size. The downfall of our meal was the entrees. We ordered the special- salt encrusted fish and chef’s selection of fish. The anticipation grew when they brought out stands to hold the food. Unfortunately, the minute we saw the fish, our expectations dropped. To my knowledge, a salt crusted fish is supposed to be encased in salt to allow the fish to steam and be very tender. The fish that came out of the kitchen was a whole fish cooked on a baking pan with a heavy dusting of salt. The waiter struggled a bit with removing the salt and plating, but he was at least gracious to block the salt from hitting the table with the spoon. Once the fish was pulled and plated, I was horrified to see that the “hollandaise” came out of the bowl was solidified and came out in chunks that melted once it hit the hot plate. It was not the nice creamy emulsion that I was expecting of egg yolks and butter. At least the toasted garlic oil was a good flavor addition. When I looked down at the plate, it looked like much of my $31 one-pound fish was left still mostly in the pan and there was less than a filet worth of fish on the plate. To his credit, the waiter looked like he tried his best and was a bit nervous as he plated the fish, perhaps it was his first time serving the fish. At this point, we decided to be amused and grateful for the restaurant that Gordon Ramsey wasn’t there. The vegetables were cooked well, still firm and not mushy. The salmon portion was cooked well; the scallop looked like it was steamed as it was missing the golden brown color of a sear, but at least it wasn’t rubbery; the other white fish (mahi mahi and trout) were both overcooked and dry. The sauces helped, but were broken and had a strange viscosity. The rice pilaf had so much saffron that it had a bitter unpleasant taste. The salted fish plate had bones mixed throughout the fish pieces and chunks of salt mixed in, which required careful chewing. The first crunch was alarming, but not as shocking as the saltiness that flooded my mouth. We were asked by the waiter and hostess how the food was, but we couldn’t figure out how they could improve if the execution of techniques was clearly lacking. We didn’t want to put our poor waiter through more tense dissecting of another fish! We did not get dessert, which seemed to bother the other waiter. Overall, we chalked the experience as entertainment. Next time we will go back to eat at St. Jacques, Rue Cler, or Coquette for French food.
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Maithry T
A very romantic French restaurant with exhaustive to wine collection . They have great Mediterranean influence French food . The inside and the outside seating is absolutely lovely. a must try place for a date night . dining here will briefly take you to Provence France. Its Upscale and cozy. Its a must try place if you are wine and dine enthusiast.
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Alex Bibbey
Enjoyed our experience at Provence. This is a thoroughly French restaurant, down to a menu written in French, and celebrates Southern French cuisine. It would have been nice to see some most classic regional dishes on the menu at a restaurant called Provence, for example pistou, fougasse, and bouillabaisse, but what was represented was both delicious and authentic. Started with an appetizer of scallops which were perfectly seared with adequate butter and finished with caviar. For entree the lobster risotto was quite good, and unusually, generously finished with not one but two lobster tails. I did note dried mushrooms in the risotto which I do not especially object to but FYI. One quirk of the service was that plates were served oven hot, which actually burned the sauce on one of the dishes. The explanation given was that the kitchen does not have a warming light for expo and therefore plates are heated in the oven to keep the food served at an appropriate temperature. Appreciated the selection of cocktails, few of which were immediately familiar to me, and enjoyed the “Entre Deux Mers”. The wine selection was ample and not exclusively French centered, although I did choose a vouvray to accompany seafood. For dessert we chose a lavender creme brulee which tasted good, but which was not set properly. It was perhaps undercooked or water got in the creme. Overall quite good and would return for another visit.
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ninalita84
Cute little restaurant inside a converted house. I had the Moules Frites (mussels and fries), which were decent, but not extraordinary. My friend had a sausage, egg and potato crepe, which he enjoyed. Overall food is good and solid.
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Mary Clayton Liles
Absolutely scrumptious brunch at Provence today. We had beignets and croque monsieurs, soup (I got the soup of the day, cream of chicken and mushroom, and my husband got French onion), and a nice champagne cocktail with strawberries. Everything was really delicious. Service from Amy was so friendly and attentive. We sat on the patio with our little dog – they brought him water and were so sweet to him. We will be back very soon I’m sure!
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Ken Faulkner
We went with several seafood selections along with a bottle of Loire valley wine. Great meal with superb service. This place is a true gem in Carrboro!
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Liz Templeton
The food was unbelieveable. I ordered a savory crepe and was blown away. We went for lunch but I will absolutely be back soon for dinner.
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Bm779q
Fine French fair. I have never had anything bad here. They make some great fish dishes. They are seasonal and the menu changes. I loved the skate fish and they do a salt backed fish with holindase sauce that is to die for. Great duck and lamb too. Save room for dessert.
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Eric Miller
Everyone was very nice and attentive, but most of the food just wasn’t very good. Salad was great, but bisque, rack of lamb, duck Wellington (my wife ordered), and dessert neither one of us really liked. Our waitress kept up very well with her tables including ours, but was dismissive/sarcastic when I asked what year a few red wines were; and in fact after checking they were two years younger than their website indicated. And I ordered a “snifter of Baileys”, meaning in a snifter with no ice (I used to be in the restaurant business), and got it in a shot glass, and a bad under-pour at that. It was also extremely noisy in the main dining room. Nice bathrooms though. Might be back because we love French food, but it will be a while.
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Katherine Sandrock
Subpar food, nonexistent parking, and terrible staff. We were seated in the back of the restaurant and could hear staff members talking about guests and shouting profanity at each other in the back. They even called one of the dishes “the one the smells like death.” Completely ruined our lunch.
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