Bleu Provence

If you want to savor the spices of Provence in a warm, welcoming atmosphere that requires no air travel, make your way to the delightful Naples bistro known as Bleu Provence. Owned and operated by Jacques and Lysielle Cariot since 1999, Bleu Provence confers upon its patrons an immediate and abiding sense of well-being. It’s tres, tres French, down to the address listed discreetly on the menu: Ville de Naples, Floride. Tucked away at the end of Eighth Street South, a baguette’s throw from the water, the restaurant’s outdoor café is shielded from the outside world by tall foliage, and draped with small white lights.

"What does Madame prefer?" my gallant Tom asked, "Outdoors or in?" Both looked enticing.

"I’m feeling cozy," I replied. "Let’s opt for the dining room." We were shown to a lovely, secluded corner in an elegant and low-key space. It
boasted a cheerful Provençal yellow and blue color scheme punctuated with whimsical portraits. Within moments, we began to enjoy the attentions of the blonde bread wench, a be-tonged young Frenchwoman with a basket, whose efforts to replenish our rolls continued through dessert. No less attentive was Brent Wyman, our highly professional server.

"Good choices!" he assured us as we ordered glasses of the Domaine du Vieux telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape blanc 2003 and the Domaine Colin-Deleger Burgundy pinot noir of the same year (both $14 per glass). He brought the wine tout de suite and soon we were congratulating ourselves. We learned from the Web site that Jacques travels the world finding wines, and that he keeps 14,000 bottles—with 1,300 different varieties—in the "Cave." In fact, it’s probably impossible to make a wrong choice at Bleu Provence.

"If you’re very, very good and you make it to heaven," I said to Tom, "all of the waiters will be just like Brent."

"And if you’ve been bad, you go to a place where they’re all like Ida," said Tom with a shudder, referring to the sluggish, dour waitress we had just encountered in Louisville, Ky. But Bleu Provence quickly erased that and every other dark dining memory. It earned its logo—"Cuisine Gourmande"—with every bite. If you just need to relax and be plied with great food, wine and service, this is the place for you.

While we commented on the fresh roses at every table and watched the dining room fill to capacity, we noticed that a well-dressed, white-haired gentleman at the next table had pulled one of the small hanging lights over his menu, and was using it like a spotlight. He smiled at us sheepishly.

"We live in Chicago and have been coming here for five years," he said when he caught a glimpse of our notepads. "This is our favorite restaurant down here," his wife added.

We let Brent entice us with a beef carpaccio appetizer special ($13.95) and the arugula salad with fennel, Parmesan and smoked salmon ($9.95). They smoke the salmon themselves, and the play of spices in the salad was truly marvelous. Tom’s not usually a fan of what he calls "cow sushi," but one bite of the incredibly tender carpaccio made him a convert.

The lobster bisque ($12.95) and the traditional French onion soup with cheese and croutons ($8.95) were also top-notch, with large chunks of Maine lobster in the delicate, savory bisque, and a tangy flavoring in the onion soup.

For our entrées, Brent insisted that we sample the crispy duck leg confit with potato gratin and mango fries ($25.95) and the Kobe beef short ribs cooked in red wine with mashed potatoes and tomato confit ($37.90). While everything was delicious, we were particularly entranced with the mango fries.

"I think this is love," Tom mumbled between low moans of delight.

"I know," I said. "I’m afraid that no mere pomme frite will ever hold quite the same appeal again. How you gonna keep ’em down on the farm after they’ve seen Par-ee?"

When Brent described the scallop special, with scallops served on vanilla bean skewers with mango and jasmine rice ($28.95), I knew I had to make its acquaintance. I was right.

"Za plate eez very haut," we were told by the man who placed it before us. I’ve never seen vanilla beans used as skewers before, but I don’t think it would be hyperbolic to call this dish a work of genius. The vanilla flavoring permeated the scallops and made for a surprisingly powerful marriage of flavors.

"I do," I told my husband after marrying a bite of scallop with mango rice. "I do, I do, I do …"

"Should I be worried?" he asked, until he sampled the dish.

You won’t want your dinner to end at Bleu Provence, but if it must, it might as well go out in a blaze of dessert glory. We sampled the excellent warm chocolate cake with raspberry coulis and coffee ice cream ($9.50), a marvelous tarte tatin with honey lavender ice cream ($7.50), and the "Melody of Sorbets and Ice Creams" ($7.50). We thought "melody" might be a charming, serendipitous typo until we sampled the apricot, raspberry and blackberry sorbets and heard music floating up from our taste buds.

As Tom and I walked back out to our car, we noticed the bread wench standing in the doorway with her basket, looking forlorn.

"Don’t worry," he called out. "We’ll be back soon."

"Oui," I said. "Vive la France."

Bleu Provence, 1234 Eighth St. S., Naples. (239) 261-8239. www.bleu provencenaples.com. Credit cards
accepted. Handicapped-accessible. Reservations strongly encouraged.

Reviewed: April 2007