Solvang, California: Peterson Village Inn + Cafe Provence; hotel review + restaurant review

The Landsby  

(Formerly the Peterson Village Inn) 1576 Mission Dr., (800) 321-8985, (805) 688-3121.  40 rooms.  Breakfast included. 

high four-poster bed at Peterson Village Inn in Solvang, California

Centrally located, this Old World-style hotel has some high four-poster beds that are almost as high as the one celebrated Danish author Hans Christian Andersen wrote about in his princess and pea story.  Breakfast in the dining room features pastries from the town’s Olsen’s bakery, and special packages sometimes include dinner plus tickets to a Pacific Conservatory Theatre performance. A renovation will occur in early 2015, with all rooms and public areas being refreshed.

I continue to be surprised by the good restaurants found in hotels.  Cafe Provence, which features European and Mediterranean cuisine and an award-winning chef, was empty when we entered, and I immediately had second thoughts.  

house-cured salmon at Cafe Provence at Peterson Village Inn
in Solvang, California

Our delightful server and my spectacular starter course of house-cured salmon with pickled cucumbers and crostini—a nod to Danish cuisine--put me at ease.  

 

salmon dinner at Cafe Provence at Peterson Village Inn in Solvang, California

For my main course I enjoyed perfectly prepared fresh wild-caught salmon with scalloped potatoes that could have benefited from a tad longer cooking.  Oh well, it’s always unusual for everything to be perfect.

 

pork schnitzel at Cafe Provence at Peterson Village Inn in Solvang, California

My husband also chose well--a crispy Danish pork schnitzel topped with tasty creamy mushroom sauce.

oeufs a la Neige at Cafe Provence at Peterson Village Inn in Solvang, California

At a time when I often find myself bored with dessert selections, I was blown away by “oeufs a la Neige.”  Translated as “eggs in the snow” and often called “floating island” it is a wonderful concoction of meringue atop crème anglaise.  OMG, it is so good!  Midway through, more diners did come in and join us, but it was a light night apparently because the local Pacific Conservatory Theatre stage company was on a short hiatus. 

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images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers