Provence en Suck?
Professional restaurant critics tend to give new eateries a couple of weeks to settle in before they descend upon them, but some Chowhounders start criticizing freely on opening day. A post titled Provence en Suck (referring to Smith Street’s new French spot, Provence en Boite) spurred a 17-post debate last night, but as of this…
Professional restaurant critics tend to give new eateries a couple of weeks to settle in before they descend upon them, but some Chowhounders start criticizing freely on opening day. A post titled Provence en Suck (referring to Smith Street’s new French spot, Provence en Boite) spurred a 17-post debate last night, but as of this morning, the Chowhound police had cut down the thread significantly. The general consensus is that their croissants are good, the service is shaky, and the place could use an air conditioner, but the restaurant owners deserve some time work out the kinks. Has anyone been in yet?
Work out the kinks? They’ve had years to work them out at the Bay Ridge place–and the new location offers pretty much the same things. The food and service were mediocre in Bay Ridge, but they won’t be able to get away with it in the new hood–fair or not, Smith St gets more attention than BR.
It is the same owners that operated in Bay Ridge – they sold the old location & relocated to Smith Street.
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/dining/14off.html
Hi. There used to be a Provence en Boite in Bay Ridge. I’m not sure if this is run by the same people but that was one of my favorite places.
The owner & wife were very nice, the atmosphere was genuine and the food was great. My francophile mother would insist on going there when visiting from Connecticut.
Some of the kinks they experienced could have been smoothed out via one or two soft openings using friends and family instead of public. In any event, its a great space, the food is great and I am happy there is an alternative to Bar Tabac which has lost its Frenchness since Freddy left.
I went on Saturday night. It was fantastic. The was food amazing and the ambiance very nice. The service was ok for their third day. I overheard comments from the owners (cook and hostess) that they were still training their staff (as to be expected) and were hoping to be up to speed on everything in a few weeks. Hard for me to believe that the food could be any better!