Petit Provence

[March 19th, 2008] On Sunday mornings at this bustling bakery and cafe, a kindly French hostess directs hungry souls toward either the gleaming cases of baked goods so ornate, so impossibly tempting, they seem to have been forged in the seventh circle of hell, or toward the dining room—a clean, almost too-classy joint where they can enjoy eggs Benedict with spinach served on halved croissants with potato pancakes or sausage-and-mushroom omelets. The reasonable prices on the menu seem at odds with the ambience. It’s as though the Euro-to-dollar exchange rate has swung suddenly in our favor. (SS)