Central Provisions, Portland, Maine

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

This is a good review. We moved to the Portland area last August and have tried most of the “foody” restaurants in the area. Central Provisions is among our favorites, probably right behind Emilitsa and Hugo’s. The food is fantastic. I think it compares favorably to similar restaurants in San Francisco (where we lived for the previous 7 years) – I like it better than Rich Table for example.

All that said, while I give a big +1 to Dan’s recommendation and his general sentiments, I want to drift a little and address his last paragraph and the dining scene in Portland more generally. Central Provisions is not Michelin *-quality restaurant as a whole. And unfortunately, I don’t think any restaurant in Portland merits a * except perhaps for Hugo’s, and even that is a stretch. Both my wife and I continue to be frustrated that Portland lacks a single worthy “fine dining” restaurant. Some people apparently don’t miss it, but we do. There is not a single restaurant in Portland that tries to do what Michelin *'d restaurant like La Folie, Spruce, or even Boulevard do in San Francisco while still executing on the food. Take it up to the Acquerello or even Quince level, and everything in Portland looks like a dive bar by comparison. For example, the Central Provisions wine list is a breath of fresh air relative to most of the wine lists in Portland (almost all of them frankly suck), but that’s a pretty low bar. Like everywhere else around here, the focus is more on cocktails and beer. While it’s refreshing that Central Provisions has some “geeky” wines and avoids the standard list of Silver Oak/Beringer/Merlot/Malbec, It typically includes only 2-3 wines that you might characterize as a “special occasion” wine, and those choices are almost always third-rate wines in a given category (like the 1999 Borgogno Barolo Dan mentions). I wouldn’t be nearly as pleased with it if we lived in just about any other city with comparable restaurants.

Emilitsa might come the closest to what we’re looking for in terms of environment, but even there, a raucous crowd of hipsters taking shots of ouzo wouldn’t feel that out of place, and the service is just not up to the level you find in a bigger city. Fore Street does a pretty good job of channeling Chez Panisse, which at least used to deserve 1 or 2 *s, but it lacks consistency – we’ve eaten there 3 times and had wildly different experiences each time. And while Hugo’s is probably the closest to being a very good restaurant across the board (food, wine, service, environment), when viewed in isolation, unfortunately it actually feels less interesting than the old version, which was a truly special and unique place. Now, in its more casual form (another casualty of hipsterism), it feels like a knock-off of a place like Saison, and its clear aspirations reveal just how far short it comes.

In other words, despite the culinary inventiveness on display in Portland, as an experience all of the good restaurants in Portland basically look and feel the same: a derivative of all of the hip, self-consciously casual-but-chef-driven restaurants that have opened in San Francisco in the last 6-7 years. I think it’s a real shame. There is clearly an appetite for dining out in Portland, a willingness to spend a decent amount of money on dinner, and a thriving well-heeled tourist contingent. But in my opinion, restaurateurs in Portland lack the confidence to try to do something original, which ironically in this setting might mean opening a restaurant where a diner wouldn’t feel stupid wearing a tie. Instead, they just keep opening up variations of the same, hip, open kitchen, locally sourced, bar/cocktail-centric places that you can now find just about anywhere, complete with the mismatched plates and utensils and drinks served in mason jars. In other words, I’m worried that what is supposed to be a food renaissance in Portland is actually already passe.

I love Portland dining. Hope to get there more frequently with my daughter in school on Boston next year.

The cauliflower sounds amazing

To Jay T,

Thanks for your long and clearly informed note on the Portland dining scene. However we disagree on a lot.

Please remember that in my post I said that " If I was a Michelin inspector rating food (not ambience or decor) (boldface added), I would easily give this at least * maybe **. I’m talking about how the grub tastes, nothing else.

And that’s why I go to restaurants, to eat really good food that I cannot cook or do not have the time to cook at home. I have had at least 50, maybe 100 or more Michelin *d meals, including a good half dozen ***, so I’m not praising Portland’s food from a lack of other reference points.

I understand that a lot of people enjoy elegant dining; they are welcome to it. Apparently very few of them live in Portland, or somebody would provide it. If I heard that I would never again have to wrap a piece of cloth around my neck while inside, I would hold a minor celebration.

Hugo’s barely makes my top 5 list. I’ve eaten at Fore Street well over 20 times in the 20 years I’ve been here and find it one of the most consistent restaurants I know of… anywhere.

I agree that Emilitsa is excellent and very attractive. As I am becoming ancient and occasionally cranky, there are times when I would appreciate less noise and more space between the tables in Portland restaurants, but I find the overall food quality simply wonderful.

What do you think of Back Bay Grill and 555?

As to wine, of course you do not have the availability or sophistication you find in San Francisco, New York or even Boston, Philly, Chicago, etc. This is a city of less than 100,000 people and relatively new to a restaurant ‘scene’. The wine selections tend towards quirky, young, moderately priced which is fine by me. Yes, I would appreciate wine lists with some better, older bottlings, but it’s not a big deal. I drink those at home. Sure, Borgogno is not a ‘cult’ Barolo producer, but they are pretty good; to find a 15 year old bottling from an excellent vintage at that price should, IMO, earn a restaurant kudos, not a backhand.

I still appreciate the time and effort you took to give your take on the Portland restaurant scene. I hope more places open that will suit you better.

Dan Kravitz

To Dan,

I also appreciate you taking the time to respond. I’m worried that my own post came across a bit more sour than I really feel. I mostly wanted to engage with you in a conversation because it’s so rare that someone speaks with any real expertise/experience about Maine on this Board. I totally understand if you are one of the growing number of people who’ve had enough of “fancy” – that’s basically 90% of Silicon Valley, for example. For a variety of reasons, my wife and I still occasionally enjoy dressing up and having an elegant night out. It might have something to do with having 2 children under 3 and being covered in vomit/boogers/unidentifiable filth many of the evenings we stay at home. I also believe with some evidence that there has been a bit of a cultural shift and that many people my age are actually rebelling a bit against the world of business casual and seeking settings in which a bit more formality is appropriate. But you’re right; it doesn’t seem that a lot of them live in and around Portland.

Also, to be clear, I think the food is great in Portland. We go out to eat regularly and have had some lovely meals. I did understand that you were referring only to the food at Central Provisions, which is also a distinction I tried to make with my speculation about what Michelin would do if they ever came up here.

Back Bay Grill is one restaurant we haven’t tried. Do you recommend it? We’ve been to Five-Fifty-Five twice and enjoyed it very much both times. Other favorites include Caiola’s, Lolita, Orchid Thai in Falmouth (actually, I should pause here to say that I think this place might be better than every Thai restaurant in San Francisco, if only for the Khao Soi), and Miyake.

Also, what did you think of Hugo’s under previous ownership? We ate there about 5 years ago and loved it, although our dinner was part of a pretty magical weekend overall so I might have rose-colored glasses.

Finally, on the wine front, I confess to being generally annoyed with the State of Maine when it comes to alcohol, which probably came through in my earlier post. I had to get a permit just to bring my collection into the state (which seemed outrageous in and of itself), and the process for obtaining one was far from straightforward. It took me about a month of back-and-forth. So things started off on the wrong foot. I also enjoyed bringing wine to restaurants before moving here, and the prohibition on corkage adds insult to the bad-wine-list injury. We did have a really lovely wine dinner (organized by Kirk Grant, who I met through this forum) out at the Well at Jordan Farm last September though. I’m looking forward to going back.

Had a really nice time/good food at Hot Suppa around Xmas time. Have enjoyed the bacon fries at Nosh, too. And…never had a bad meal among many over the last 20 years at Fore Street…though I have recently thought the value had diminished quite a bit. (Of course, when I started going there…and to Primo in Rockland…my kids would have pizza or an appetizer for their whole dinner; my concept of value changed when I started paying for 4 instead of 2).

Not sure this is what Dan’s really saying, but…I’ve largely had “enough of fancy”. “Fancy” to me has become too contrived. Maybe it’s my age. But, I’ve appreciated the basics done well more and more as I’ve aged out. And, Portland (and Maine) are certainly conducive to great ingredients to work with without using futuristic machinery to “improve” them.

But…Maine is also perfect for the home cook (and I use that word rather than “chef”). An abundance of “can’t ruin” natural products to allow to show their stuff without too much embellishment. And, “home” is always BYOB.

Many thanks to Jay T and BeauneHead and Kolin. I am enjoying this.

Full disclosure: My wife and I got into a screaming fight a few months ago in Denver when she said Denver had better restaurants than Portland. My wife is from Maine, but since moving up here I’ve become an Intolerable Maine Chauvinist.

Jay… I’ve Been There and Done That with the kids and the three orifice (four if you count two nostrils) emissions. I understand. IIRC, my wife and I used to consider coat-and-tie dinners with '62 Beaucaillou at Jean-Pierre restaurant in Washington to be escapes. Don’t despair… both the kids and you will outgrow it.

Back Bay Grill is easily in my list of top 5 Portland restaurants, always ahead of Hugo’s, maybe sometimes #1. For Locals Only, off the beaten path. Far from formal, but a little more restrained, quieter than most.

I’m not a Thai Guy, so I’ve only been to Orchid Thai twice, but agree.

IMO Miyake is about as good as you get north of NY for Japanese. FYI, for Old Chestnut Japanese done incredibly well, I love Benkay. The chef used to be chef at Sakura Palace in Silver Spring (across the street from DC in MD). First place I ate sushi, and first place I could gently roll the tempura in a napkin and not see any grease when I finished. He hasn’t lost his touch.

Conundrum Bistro in Freeport (right below the BFI on Route 1, a few miles south of town) is the only wine destination restaurant I’ve ever seen where the owner has only the foggiest idea of what he owns. Food is terrific. Prices are better than reasonable. Go Dumpster Diving with Vinnie in his temp-controlled wine room and you may find a good 1998 Biale Zin for $18, or a superb 2000 Bahans Haut Brion for $100. YMWV (your mileage will vary). Everything is bought and stored right, but with the bottle age of these wines, anything can happen.

You want formal??? White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport. Really great food, really great wine, even much greater prices.

Arrows is gone, the team will reopen in Portland soon. Do not expect formal. DO expect the food bar to be raised even higher. I think they still own Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, exceeds expectations, and expectations are high.

Further up near where I live near Brunswick, Tao Yuan has the buzz. It’s good, but not exactly the food I dream of. With your love of Thai (this is Pan-Asian), it might be better for you than for me. Henry & Marty in Brunswick is much better than serviceable.

Jordan’s Farm in Cape Elizabeth is good food, eat outdoors, BYOB. Get a gazebo and you stand a fighting chance against the insects.

And it’s BYOB for no corkage (or a buck or two set-up charge) at almost every lobster shack in the state!!! You want heaven + black flies + mosquitos, there you are. Last September, I almost succeeded in freezing six Texan customers to death at Holbrooks.

Dan Kravitz

And, what about the Rockland area: Primo, Suzuki sushi, Conte’s, etc…How 'bout your guide to that area, Dan…anyone.

I lived in the Portland area for a few years. I moved away a few years ago, so my views aren’t super current, but I have since visited regularly and usually eaten out when there. I’ll weigh in on a few of the generalities and specific being mentioned.

Overall, I very much agree with most of Jay’s views. I also agree about Fore Street being very variable in terms of experience and food quality. Several friends who have lived in the area for a while also feel that way. The best meals I’ve had there have been superb experiences all around. Others have been way behind that. Usually it’s somewhere in between. I far prefer the sister establishment, Street and Company, which has a more limited menu, but it only makes sense to enjoy some really good seafood in Portland.

I think it’s a real shame that there isn’t a single place in town with a really good (let alone great) wine list. My absolute favorite restaurant (food, wine, setting, experience) was Bresca, but alas, it is no more. Even that didn’t match the best in bigger cities, but I think it’s only fair to remember that Portland is a very small city, and for better or worse, kind of a hipster place. I do think the places there are catering to demand, and that says something about what is in demand. I only ate at Hugo’s once, under the old ownership, and while the meal was nice, I did not understand the hype at all.

For what’s still there, I think Miyake is the #1 gem. It’s a huge shame that it isn’t BYO anymore, and also that they seem to have abandoned omakase, but the food is still top notch, and a ridiculous bargain compared to Japanese of that quality anywhere else I’ve seen it.

Stating anything this strongly always leaves plenty of room for debate, but I truly think Primo is the best restaurant in Maine, and that there really isn’t anything better even in Boston/Cambridge except for the fact that there are better wine lists. Different, sure, and equally good at some places, but nothing better. That is extremely high praise. Hyperbole aside, I don’t think there’s much argument that Primo is a significant step above anything in Portland overall.

After all of that, I will say that relative to the size of the population, I am more impressed with the food scene in Portland Maine than what I’ve seen anywhere else. Some things that I would want are not there, but there are many options for really nice food, even if ambiance and/or wine list might be lacking. I don’t think there’s any successful top-notch fine dining. Nothing would come closeI to warranting a Michelin star, let alone 2 or 3, because ambiance, service, and wine list are all relevant to that. I still look forward to the next time I’m up there for a visit to Miyake and some after dinner beers at Novare Res. Actually, now that I mention it, Novare Res as a beer bar is one of the most impressive I’ve seen. The food, for bar food, is excellent, and the beer list is as well. I guess that’s a crazy tangent to take at the end of this post, but I think it deserves mention, and not just for beer.

Hi Stuart! We hardly ever stop there any more (our ME place is in the Blue Hill area where there is more than enough to keep us busy) but I happened to notice that Conte’s was, sadly, evicted. Only ate there once, many years ago, when it was in a tiny shack on the waterfront. Definitely an experience!

Primo was very very good (I was so impressed I ended up buying a copy of her book), but again, our meal was maybe 12 years ago.

A little further up, Chase’s Daily in Belfast is one of the best veggie restos I know of. Open mainly for lunch, dinner only a few times a week IIRC.

Thanks, Peter…for the heads up on Conte’s…I went there a couple times a year. It was some experience…and I enjoyed, but did not love , the food most times.

Primo is very special. It’s prices are consistent with that esteem, too. Maybe we’ll get there someday again. Not sure.

I have to say that I have been enjoying exploring the Portland food scene when I’m there.

Loved Central Provisions when I had dinner there last Fall during our distributor’s trade show. Also love Hugo’s and have had pretty decent fare at Fore Street (at the bar). Meals at Sur Lie, Duckfat, Petite Jacqueline, Piccolo have also been very good to surprisingly excellent. I thought Miyaki was a let-down, but then again I’m a ramen fanatic and we are spoiled here in NYC.

Anyone try Vinland yet?

We made and then cancelled reservations at Vinland twice. The local reviews have been favorable, but it just seems so precious and self-conscious that it ends up feeling like we’re going to be lectured. It doesn’t help our mindset that the chef posted a 19 point “manifesto” on the restaurant website, complete with a list of “Recommended Books and Talks.”

But we’re going to go. In fact, we’re going to go in the next month (I just decided). I’ll check back and post about it when we do.

You must mean that you ate at the noodle place (Pai Men Miyake), not the sushi restaurant (Miyake). Big difference. If not, how is Ramen relevant?

Holy sh*%, I just looked at that “Mission” section on their website. Now I don’t want to eat there.

We stopped at Local 188 in Portland last summer. Some really exceptional food ( one of the best salads in memory for ex). Not an upscale place, but lively and airy.

I know, right? The chef isn’t doing his restaurant any favors. And I just checked the Yelp reviews; they describe waiters giving lengthy locavorist lectures to accompany each dish. Yuck.

But to be fair, people seem to like it overall. I can’t tell whether it’s because it’s novel here in Portland or whether it’s actually good. We’re going to go find out so you all don’t have to.

bump…

any favorites from say Brunswick to Camden? Have an anniversary to celebrate over Memorial Day and, perhaps, meet some friends in the middle, who have a place on an island off Portland. So, would like any suggestions, especially South of Thomaston.

Something unusual is always welcome. We’re not hipsters.

Stuart, we haven’t explored restaurants in that stretch of the coast much yet. Before living here, we ate almost exclusively at lobster shacks when we visited the mid-coast. We did make a reservation for Primo in June and will report back, but obviously not in time. I’ve heard good things about some new places in both Camden and Belfast (a bit north of your range). Hopefully someone else has some first hand experience.

Other than Wasses Hot Dogs in Rockland (classic gem; poor choice for anniversary), I don’t have any other good recommendations. Just south of Brunswick, our favorite lobster shack in the world – Harraseeket – is in Freeport (narrowly losing out to the Eagle’s Nest in Bangor for best lobster roll). But by then, you’re getting awfully close to Portland.

Thanks for your response, Jay.

Been to Primo many times since it started…though not recently. Know it is good; to me it overpriced/not great value-- to us-- at this time. Hope you like it, and look forward to your impressions.

There are many good, creative restaurants in both Rockland and in Camden, though we don’t know of any between Rockland and Brunswick. Basically looking for others’ insights into them.

We’re usually looking for quality of prep and value, rather than art on the plate…and were hoping to hear about some place new to us…or new…in that area. Simple is fine. Might end up at the great Sushi restaurant in Rockland that night, owned and run by a Japanese woman and her relatives.