The Shutter: Provence To Close on Saturday

Kalina, 4/10/07

Almost a year to the day after it reopened, the refurbished Soho French standby Provence will close this Saturday night, according to Pete Wells for the Times. Chef/Owner Marc Meyer post-mortems: "It may have been a mistake to try to maintain the provencal personality of the restaurant. I realized I can’t interpret provencal food for New Yorkers. It became a special-occasion restaurant, packed on weekends, but we want a place that people would be happy coming to all the time." It was also probably a little too pricey for Macdougal Street. Plans are to turn the space into a restaurant named Hundred Acres, which with butcher shop decor and help from Cookshop chef Joel Hough sounds along the lines of Cookshop, Too. Our recommendation: call it Cookshop, forget about forfeiting the review, and enjoy that sweet, sweet resy runoff.
· Jamais Provence [NYT]
· BREAKING EaterWire: Chef Lynn McNeely Out at Provence [~E~]
· Eater Inside: Provence [~E~]
· BREAKING: Provence Opening Tonight, 5:30 PM [~E~]