Bistro Provence

345 North Pass Avenue
Burbank, California 91505

Situated in a strip mall amid a Vons, a Starbucks and a Jenny Craig is a little slice of Aix-en-Provence. Edith Piaf playing in the background, warm honey colored walls with paintings of jazz musicians and comfortable booths comprised the warm, upscale yet unassuming venue.

The real star, though, is the food. Or maybe the prices. For under $30 per person, Bistro Provence serves up a three-course prix fixe menu including an appetizer, an entree and a dessert.

We each ordered a prix fixe meal, naturally. I ordered the mushroom ravioli with shrimp and scallops, the salmon with truffle mashed potatoes with rock shrimp and the lemon curd. The mushroom ravioli was very good, savory and rich, with the seafood providing a nice textural counterpart to the pasta. The Salmon was perfectly prepared, moist with a crispy skin -- but the potatoes were amazing. I am not a big fan of mashed potatoes but I'm a sucker for truffles and I loved the truffley potatoes with teeny shrimp. The lemon curd was light and fluffy and toasted on top like a toasted marshmallow. Very different and delicious.

My fiance ordered a tuna tartar appetizer, beef bourginon and the chocolate raspberry torte. The tuna was wonderful, sashimi grade and buttery, with a peppery sear. The beef dish was alarmingly tender in a rich, very French bourginon sauce.

My brother got the Manchega and apple salad -- a fresh, nutty taste combination -- to start, then the twice-cooked pork, which was beyond succulent, practically falling apart on the fork it was so well-cooked. It was served with a sort of sauerkraut cabbage on the side, lending a Germanic flair. He finished with a creme brulee which was perfectly tasty but nothing special.

My dad ordered the highlight of the night, in my opinion -- the beet tarte tatin. The beet was sweet and juicy in it's thin little crust, topped with a dollop of tangy goat cheese. Absolutely great, very unique.

Overall, a great find -- a sweet, cosy, reasonably-priced gem right off the 134 with amazing French food. We'll definitely go back.