From the bright green framed moss on the wall to the hot pink chairs in the bar and the tree limbs hanging from the ceiling, the new restaurant at the Westin in downtown Phoenix is downright adorable in a big-ish city hotel kinda way -- but twice last week, we (and our guests, including some very seasoned diners) found the food to be, well, not quite as polished as the surroundings.
True, Province just opened last month, so let's not give up on it. If you do go, however, be warned: We advise skipping the Green Lentil Soup, the BBQ'd Ten Hour Braised Lamb and the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Flan "Sandwich." Favorites at our table: Melted Goat Cheese Fondue, the Open Faced House Smoked Salmon Sandwich and (despite the silly sounding name) the Warm Spring Squash Cupcake.
The service was fine, particularly for such a new place -- a place so new, we must add, that the cork tables still give off a faint (and not entirely pleasant) "new" smell. The patio is lovely by day, and even better at night -- at ground-level, you're surrounded by pretty lights and tall buildings. Big city in the best possible way.
