Home » Culinary Connection
Culinary Connection
Salades de Provence
By Saba Deborah Nosrati
Salades De Provence originated from a family-owned restaurant, Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France. The restaurant has more of a casual café feel, and is quite light and bright with large windows, where many of the tables are set. There is ample seating indoors and out. Walking inside, I was greeted by a friendly waiter, which always sets a good tone for a dining experience.
As the name suggests, Salades De Provence's main offerings are salads as entrées with mouth-watering organic ingredients such as haricot verts and grilled vegetables, as well as cured prosciutto, wild octopus, and of course a variety of leafy greens. You can choose from fifteen varieties of salads that are served in large portions and are certainly satisfying as a meal by themselves. But salads are not the only main course dishes. There is also a variety of quiches and crêpes, which can be accompanied by a daily soup du jour and enjoyed for lunch and dinner.
The breakfast menu offers omelets, as well as sweet or savory crêpes. Imported French cheeses add great flavor to some of the entrées. Included with some of the salads is a special Parisian sourdough bread called "Pain Poilane" baked in a wood-fired brick oven. The bread is a very hearty sliced sourdough that resembles artisan whole wheat bread. But leave room for dessert. There are a dozen or more wonderful flavors of gelato as well as freshly-baked apple tartin or scrumptious soft chocolate cake, alone, or à la mode.
I ordered the L'Assiete Sainte Victoire, a bed of organic greens topped with oriental pilaf, slices of lamb marinated in lemon and fresh mint, topped with cherry tomatoes, gomasio, black olives, feta cheese, cucumber, grilled bell peppers, shallots, tatziki and olive oil. The lamb is chopped into in small cubes, tender and well-marinated. Beside olive oil, there's no other dressing on this salad except for the tatziki, a thick yogurt sauce that accompanies the rest of the ingredients quite well. I ordered a side of the Pain Poilane (sourdough) to go with my salad, which was a great addition to the wonderfully light, fresh, aromatic salad.
Next came dessert, which I couldn't wait for. There is a refrigerated case that showcases the dozen or so flavors of gelato, and I was trying to decide which one to pick -- an agonizing decision given the great-sounding flavors such as tiramisu, pistachio, crème caramel and hazelnut. I decided that I couldn't choose, so I asked for a dish with small scoops of each. Now that was a good decision! My favorites were the coffee and hazelnut flavors, though there were plenty to choose from for all different types of palates. The lemon flavor is fairly sour and is closer to a sorbet than a gelato. I also ordered the apple tartin topped by crème fraîche. This is no ordinary apple pie, but a thin flaky crust topped by pureed apples baked to browned perfection. It's not the usual overly sweet pie, but a delicate, slightly tart version, truly a unique creation among the usual.
I polished off the pie with a cup of Early Grey from the famous French Mariage Frères teas. I was disappointed by this brand as it was not full-bodied with a barely detectable hint of bergamot. For dessert, there are other choices such as seasonal fresh organic fruit salad, and white cheese yogurt with honey imported from Provence. Sweet crêpes are made with a variety of ingredients including bananas, Nutella, and Grand Marnier.
You may enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch here seven days a week. If you're looking for light, healthy, organic fare, you will have come to the right place at Salades de Provence. The service is quite good throughout with lots of attention. The establishment is airy, bright and clean. Salades de Provence is highly recommended for its authentic, organic, fresh cuisine. I will have to return to try the crêpes and the quiches!
Location:
1040 N. La Cienega Blvd.,
Los Angeles, 90069
(310) 657-9696
www.saladesdeprovence.com
Ambience: Casual French café with indoor and outdoor seating, located on the corner of Holloway Drive and La Cienega Blvd. For breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner.
Service: Friendly, smiling and generous.
Price: For two entrée dinner salads, gelatos, desserts, and drinks: ~ $50 for two.
Wine list: None. The menu includes coffee drinks, lemonade, juices and iced tea.
Details: Open every day from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Free parking in the back lot (entrance to parking is on Holloway Drive).