Cafe Provence

Nestled in Brandon, Vermont lies a treasure: a little taste of Southern France known as the Café Provence.

The Restaurant’s founders and owners, Chef Robert and Line Barral, are both originally from the Provence, France area, and they share a taste for travel and adventure. Having lived and worked in at least three countries, Chef and Line have settled in their chosen and beloved home of Vermont, and opened the Café Provence. This writer enjoys the privilege and the pleasure of working at the Café.

Our menus here are rich and varied. We can easily accommodate diners who want an extremely well-prepared hamburger made with fresh, local ingredients. We offer wonderfully refreshing salads such as fresh-picked mesclun greens tossed with our own homemade lemon vinaigrette, and a spinach salad served in an edible cheese cup. Many dinner patrons, however, come for something a bit more elaborate: perhaps a circle of grilled lamb medallions lovingly arranged on vegetables designed as if for a still life painting. This writer has seen, with her own eyes, customers photograph their entrees before tucking in.

Patrons also come for the Café’s wine selection. Compared to other restaurants in the area, the wine list at the Café is a veritable encyclopedia of French, California, and other wines. Chef has made a point of importing a variety of fine French wines from family farms located in Southern France.

To listen to Chef describe the wines he imports from his homeland is to realize that each part of Southern France has developed wines to perfectly match with traditional foods of the area. For example, Provence, France, enjoys a relatively rocky terrain conducive to the hearty sprigs of thyme and rosemary that grow there in abundance. Sheep thrive well in Provence, and farmers commonly raise lamb. Lamb dishes are often flavored with rosemary. The Café’s Domaine Tempier Bandol is a bold-tasting red from Provence, and an excellent accompaniment to lamb and rosemary.

Just north of Provence lies the Rhone Valley. The Café’s Domaine Andre Brunel Cotes Du Rhone is made with 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah grapes from 40 year old vineyards in the Rhone Valley. Cotes Du Rhone is also a great wine to serve with any lamb dish.

To the West of Provence is the Languedoc region of Southern France. The soil is sandy, and close to the water. The grapes of the Languedoc region create a wine with much more depth and a longer finish than the grapes of Provence. These reds, such as La Croix Belle’s Les Calades, go especially well with beef dishes and cheeses. La Croix Belle Winery in Languedoc also provides the Café’s private label wines.

Our own Café Red is full-bodied and has a nose of stewed berries. It is a bit fruitier than the Les Calades, and perhaps a bit more versatile. While it is also an excellent choice to enjoy with beef and/or cheese dishes, it is also recommended with another one of the Café’s signature dishes, the Hearth Baked Free Range Chicken.

The secret to this rich and flavorful chicken is the spices used in the recipe. The chicken is rubbed with generous portions of garlic, fennel, paprika and black pepper. It is never dried out, but always baked to sweet and juicy perfection. It is served piping hot in a red wine and rosemary sauce, next to potatoes whipped with sweet garlic. While many people may think of a white wine as the best match for a chicken dish, the bolder taste of a red is most appropriate with this bold and savory chicken recipe. And the Café’s Red, with its full bodied, fruity taste and somewhat longer finish, is the perfect match.

The Languedoc region also produces an extremely popular white wine, the Picpoul de Pinet. It is quite dry, similar to a sauvignon blanc, but more flavorful, and described as “a light alternative to Chardonnay.” The Café Provence White, produced by La Croix Belle, is fruitier and sweeter than the Picpoul. It is described as “bright, crisp and fresh tasting, with green apple, citrus and marzipan flavors.” This wine offers a long, fruity finish.

Both the Picpoul and the Café White are good choices for the various seafood dishes on Chef’s menu. The Picpoul goes best with lighter flavors, such as a baked scrod, and the Café White goes best with richer dishes, such as the Seafood Stew.

Seafood Stew is one of Chef’s signature dishes. Always served with scallops, shrimp and mussels, the seafood stew includes whatever other fish and shellfish are currently available. It is served on top of saffron risotto in a lobster and tarragon broth with garlic toasts on the side.

The Picpoul de Pinet is the first recommendation Chef makes for his signature Portobello Mushroom Pizza. Please don’t think of the quickly made take out pizzas from your local “pizza joint.” This gourmet pizza is made with only large, fresh Portobello mushrooms that have been marinated in olive oil with garlic and lemon juice. Mozzarella and fontina cheeses are added, along with more fresh garlic and chopped gremalade. The flavors of this incredible meal are delicate, and the dry Picpoul is the perfect complement.

Many people come to the Café to enjoy our obliging and accommodating catering services. We offer both on-site and off-site catering options to suit each individual customer’s tastes and needs.

Consider allowing us to host your rehearsal dinner. Our dining room is a perfect combination of elegance and comfort, and our refined and well-trained staff will ensure that your guests are comfortable, happy, and well cared for, that your glasses are always full, and that your food is served piping hot.

Whether you wish to dine with us or allow us to cater your rehearsal dinner and/or reception at a location of your choosing, do consider the many appetizer and meal options that Chef himself lovingly prepares. We would be happy to help you decide which wines will be the perfect complements to your favorite foods.

Next time you come to Vermont, make sure to stop in Brandon and join us for lunch and dinner on weekdays, or brunch and dinner on weekends. The Café Provence is located at 11 Center Street in Brandon, Vermont. Our phone number is (802) 247-9997, and please do call, as reservations are highly recommended and we do get busy! You can also check us out on the internet at www.cafeprovencevt.com.

Cafe Provence

11 Center Street, along Route 7
Brandon, VT 05733
802-247-9997
fax: 802-247-9993

Gourmet Provence
37 Center Street, along Route 7
Brandon, VT 05733
802-247-3002
fax: 802-247-3005

WEB: www.cafeprovencevt.com
EMail: info@cafeprovencevt.com