By Gloria Glyer

Catch the changing seasons while indulging in delightful cuisine.

At La Provence Restaurant and Terrace in Roseville, you’ll feel like you’re at a restaurant in the French countryside. It sits beneath vintage oak trees overlooking a rolling meadow that’s green in spring, golden in summer. It’s worth a return visit to view each season.

Two of the restaurant’s dining spaces are separated by a double-sided fireplace, and there’s also a private dining room with romantic booths; a lounge; a terrace for dining under the trees; and a market for takeout food.

But this is about food and what happens in the culinary department. No complaints there. The menu lists items in French with English translations. Highlights of the Diva lunch included calamari with roasted Meyer lemon slices; grilled asparagus over mesclun with grilled grapes; potato gnocchi with fresh morels and English peas; hanger steak with pommes frites; scallop/shrimp/calamari gratin; three sandwiches—the Provençal salami, roasted leg of lamb and grilled albacore tuna; landaise frisée salad; and the grilled salmon and frisée salad.

My favorite touches: the thin roasted lemon slices on the calamari and the bunch of grilled grapes accompanying the grilled asparagus.The hanger steak was served medium-rare and was almost fork-tender. The gnocchi were enhanced by the generous addition of morels, giving the dish depth of flavor. (Many of the menu items are available in small or entrée size to suit different appetites.)

The term landaise describes dishes inspired by the cooking techniques of the Landes region of France. La Provence’s landaise salad is made with a soft poached egg and duck prosciutto. For me, the best part was mixing the raspberry bacon vinaigrette at the bottom of the bowl with the frisée, a tangy treat.

In need of work: the albacore tuna sandwich and the gratin of scallop, shrimp and calamari. Both were dry and paled in comparison to the other choices.

Two tartes Tatin—one apple, the other pear—top the dessert menu. Vanilla bean ice cream added a cooling touch to each. The apple was simple, sans spices, but the slices had been caramelized; cinnamon flavored the pear tart. The profiteroles filled with ice cream and topped with almonds and chocolate were simple and traditional, while the blood-orange and lemon sorbets and the chocolate gelato were intensely flavored.

Divas Benice Hagen and Joan Leineke collaborated on the wine order, selecting Veuve Clicquot for a sparkling starter, and two house wines—the Tour de l’Isle Chateaneuf-du-Pape 2000 blanc (white) and rouge (red)—to accompany lunch. The champagne added a touch of frivolity to the lunch; both Leineke and Hagen found the blanc lacking. Hagen noted: “The blanc had enormous body and freshness, but it was very thin. The rouge combined body and finish with fruit and spice. This wine had enough body and flavor to stand up to the heavy dishes.” Hagen noted that La Provence’s owner is partial to French wines, but the list does include a few California wines.

Waiter Brandon Sharpe served us with professional aplomb and paced the dishes to give us time to look before tasting.

Owner Stephen Des Jardin, a developer with a dream, exudes enthusiasm and excitement when talking about his restaurant, and the menu gives credit to the chefs, Bernard Brun and Joshua Rabbie, and the kitchen staff. Including the staff makes La Provence seem even more like a family operation. It’s also a place where the entire family is welcome: A menu enfant (children’s menu) offers burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches and pasta.

The Divas Speak

Hagen had many favorites, including the gnocchi, the asparagus with grilled grapes, the calamari and the landaise salad. She would skip the tuna sandwich, however.

“Everything about the grilled asparagus with grilled grapes was very Provençal,” said Leineke. “This was my favorite of everything. Did you know mesclun is from Provence originally?” She was not fond of the seafood gratin because it had a cream-of-something soup flavor.

The setting had special appeal for Diva Paulette Bruce-Miller. “I would like to return during each of the seasons to see the surrounding areas,” she said. She called the gnocchi “the best I’ve ever had—tasty, and they did not stick to the roof of the mouth.” Other favorites included the hanger steak, landaise salad, which put her in mind of Paris, and all the desserts. She put the seafood gratin in the think-again department: “A nice selection of seafood, but it was not tasty,” she noted. She thought the albacore was not worth the calories and the calamari were overcooked, but she did like the roasted lemon slices.

For the rest of this story pick up a copy of Sacramento Magazine's September issue.