Sunny Sunday in Provence

To be correct, it was actually a sunny Sunday at Provence. And, no, not the one in France. The one in Soho.

The longtime, downtown French stalwart had always appealed to me from the outside: a wall of shiny windows, nestled in bright blue wooden trelliswork, doors flung open onto a busy tree-lined street, allowing passersby to spy into the warm, honey-yellow dining room. Seemingly the perfect Provencal oasis to escape from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan.

With new management at the helm -- the folks behind Five Points and Cookshop -- it was clearly time to give into Provence's evocative exterior, go inside and grab a table.

That said, I had done my homework. The new kitchen team wasn't exactly winning kudos. But how could they possibly ruin brunch? And, what an ideal setting for a breezy Sunday afternoon meal!

Well, the setting was magical indeed. The food, not so much. My brunch-mate's Baked Cheese Crepes were yummy - but a bit gummy too. And, my Croissant Sandwich stuffed with Scrambled Eggs and Smoked Trout was disappointing. I could hardly taste the smoky fish. Our shared dessert of Beignets filled with Apples, Berries and Ricotta were more like mini McDonald's fruit pies than the beignets of my New Orlean's dreams.

Still, it was a gorgeous room. Worthy of a return trip - at the very least, a trip to Provence's bar. Hopefully, their barkeep can do better than their chef.