So I'll say right now that there were no major hiccups in the service, and that the only minor hiccups were Barbie Girlfriend having to wait far too long for her Coke and the usual forever wait for our bill. On every trip we've made here before today (about 7) they've managed to have a major foulup on food, service or both. Not this time!
I think they know who we are at this point. Or at least know that Work Girlfriend eats approximately 50x the amount of bread of a normal diner...
Although there are a great many things on the menu at La Provence, apparently everyone but Actual was in the mood for steak. This is understandable here, as La Provence is one of the few places in Sacramento that manages to keep hanger steak on the menu year round.
You can read more about hanger steak here.
I got the hanger steak and substituted the garlic fries for a caesar salad. Their caesar dressing has enough garlic to kill the entire cast of Twilight (which is a good thing). The herby compound butter on the steak was wonderful as usual. Steak came nice and rare. Work Girlfriend had an identical plate except she got the garlic fries.
She really likes the garlic fries.
I got an order of winter squash risotto. Unlike last time, it came out WITH my entree. Unlike last time, the rice wasn't crunchy. And unlike two times ago, it was warm when it got to the table. Third time's a charm, I guess. I would definitely order this again if they could guarantee it would show up and be as delicious as this version, but I'm not going to chance ruining my memory of this one.
Sushi and Barbie went for the hanger steak sandwich with french onion soup addon. This is honest to goodness french onion, made in a crock and finished in the oven.
Actual was too good for steak today. While I'm usually the one that refuses to order something that someone else has already ordered (or in this case, the entire table has ordered), Actual has no such hangup. She's not worried about looking conformist or seeming like a follower. She orders what she wants, even if the entire bus tour group next to us orders the same dish.
For Actual, the daily fish special was too much to pass up. It was a concoction of seared tongol tuna in some sort of sauce, served with asparagus. It tasted really good, but I'm sort of fished out right now unless I'm at Sakuran.
Some of you may know that I like to hit a convenience store after a good meal for a frozen drink and some snacks. It's a funny habit of mine. Because there's nothing more blasphemous than following up seared foie gras with a Slim Jim. In any case, I spotted this at the Circle K. I've never really heard of a corn dog being referred to in this way...
And that's it for this one. If you're north of Sacramento and feel the need for some authentic bistro food, check out La Provence. Just make sure you have a couple hours.
