Central Provisions, Portland Maine
Portland is a hard-core foodie town, this newish restaurant has all of the buzz, including top 10 new kudos from Food and Wine and a James Beard best new nomination. It is apparently permanently packed. No reservations are taken, but they give you a close estimate of the wait and you can walk the town or wait downstairs in the bar until you get a text that your table is ready.
The menu is all small plates to share, divided into raw, cold, hot and hearty. Prices are reasonable, quality is at an amazingly high level. The flavors are international but no matter how bright and vivid (and things are VERY bright and vivid) everything comes across as comfort food.
Parsnip & cauliflower soup was rich, creamy and savory, laced with something dark, viscous and spicy. On a cold late spring evening, it was a perfect starter. Chop salad is in theory iceberg, bacon and ranch dressing; not my thing plus they warned that it was sweet, which should have been a turnoff, but this worked perfectly, the bacon somehow both caramelized and crisp.
Roasted cauliflower with ras el hanout, chickpeas and feta was simply amazing, intricate flavors dancing across the palate with the pieces of cauliflower and the chickpeas providing an earthy grounding that made this a masterpiece. Suckling pig (which I love and see only rarely in the U.S.) was wonderful, rich but not fatty flesh and crackling crisp skin enhanced with apples, brown butter and almonds, yet it had to take a back seat to the cauliflower, the dish of the evening. A lamb burger stuffed with harissa goat cheese with slow-roasted bell pepper was also outstanding, getting and needing no accompaniment.
Seating can wind up table or bar, I don’t think you get a choice (but you can ask), the atmosphere is welcoming, happy, noisy, unpretentious. Decor is suitable for a ~150 year old brick building a block from the water in a seaport town… rough-hewn but comfortable. Except for the open kitchen and electric lights, the seating area looks and feels like the late 1800s.
Service was highly professional; friendly without being familiar and timing was excellent.
The wine list is relatively brief, extremely eclectic and fairly priced. Glass choices apparently change frequently. I enjoyed a good glass each (~5 - 6 ounces) of 2012 Gruner ‘Rosenberg’ from Bauer for $12 and 2012 Bourgogne ‘Tonnerre’ from Dampt (in essence, a red Chablis) for $14. Interesting bottle choices included a 2010 Clos Uroulat Jurancon Sec for $32, a 2009 Gaunoux Meursault for $80, a 2012 Texier Brezeme Northern Rhone for $36 and a 1999 Borgogno Barolo Riserva for $110.
If you are in Portland, this is a must-do restaurant. If I was a Michelin inspector rating food (not ambience or decor), I would easily give this at least * maybe **. This is a new gem in a town full of wonderful restaurants.
Dan Kravitz