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98 Provence
(207) 646-9898
262 Shore Road, P.O. Box 628, Ogunquit
www.98provence.com
Hospitality-Great service with minimal fuss
Open for dinner Wednesday through Monday in summer, with fewer hours in the off-season
Entrées $26 to $38
Handicapped accessible, reservations recommended
Classic delicious food from southern France, prepared with an artist's eye for color
Late August is a great time to visit Provence-the restaurant-when nearby farms are finally harvesting food that carries the rich flavors typical of the region of France the restaurant is named for. A yellow-tomato gazpacho, with a mound of avocado mousse in the center, came freckled with paprika and was the richest saffron yellow. It was ready to have its portrait painted but was too delicious to stare at for long.
The wine list is dominated by French labels, and there are a few $26 bottles from both the United States and France. Some, like the Château des Annereaux Lalande-de-Pomerol, are available by the glass. That wine ($10 a glass, $48 a bottle) filled my mouth with its silken heaviness, reminding me of the sophistication of the French palate and its dedication to flavor.
Who else could have bred geese and cultivated them-in a way that many believe does not hurt them-to make the exquisite foie gras, served at 98 Provence on our visit in a little herb-crusted cylinder with small buttered, toasted baguette rounds ($20)? A later menu offered foie gras grilled with cherries poached in port ($16).
For dinner, veal mignon ($28) cooked with bacon came with wild mushrooms, and boneless quail ($25) was served with chorizo and Moroccan couscous.
98 Provence offers diners both a prix fixe and an à la carte menu, and if you can be content with the choices on the fixed-price menu, they seem less expensive. For $35, for example, there were mussels with Bleu de Basque and lemon, salmon in a potato crust with watercress salad, and for dessert, apricot curd profiteroles with chocolate sauce-a tempting invention.
The priciest fixed menu ($43) started with arugula salad with figs and prosciutto, followed by snapper with a pistou vegetable fricassée, and ended with nougat glace with almonds and honey.
People who vacation in Ogunquit depend on the great food here, including sorbets like mango, coconut, and raspberry; or a glassful of berries in cream; or the banana clafoutis we obediently ordered with our entrées, so it could be ready in time-and that was accompanied by coconut ice cream.