Who doesn’t love the French? Well, that can of worms aside, who doesn’t love comfortable restaurants with good service and good food? I think we just brought a lot more people back into the mix with that one. So, what would you do if such a place existed and was French all at the same time? What if instead of the waiters treating you like a foreigner in your own country and spitting in your food for mispronouncing frois gras, they actually used their Inspector Clouseau accents and prissy mannerisms for good? With pleasant waiters and a healthy dose of French countryside manners, Provence breaks the stereotype, serving things people actually want to eat (lots of fish, steak au poivre, hearty soups, etc.) and makes you almost forget about the way those losers rolled over for Hitler and the boys. Try to sit in the lovely (yes, lovely) back room, complete with fountain and indigenous Soho plants. [MF]
38 Macdougal St.
212/475-7500