Central Provisions
When Danny and I are making our dining decision, we seek out chef owned restaurants where the chef has world class skills but decides to use them in a fun, affordable, approachable way. That seems to be the central idea behind Central Provisions. This isn't exactly fine dining. It's fun dining, but with a gourmet twist.
Chef Chris Gould is one of the most acclaimed chefs in Portland, Maine, and he created this restaurant, not in any category. The common denominator is just amazingly fresh and boldly flavored food. Central Provisions, in its heart is fun. It's a casual dining experience that has really excellent service, really excellent food, really excellent drinks. And it highlights, kind of everything that Maine has to offer. This is a 200 year old building, very rustic. We're downstairs where I love the low ceilings and wooden bar. Upstairs is more formal dining, including 14 seats looking right into the open kitchen. If you can get a reservation there, get one. Chef's counter is the best seat in the house. You get to sit literally four feet away from the people who are making dinner for you, watch them work. So there's no place to hide when you're cooking in an open kitchen like that and you can interact with the guests and kind of get a real feel of how they're enjoying everything.”
The menu here is sort of tapas style. It's American small plates, so you're supposed to order a whole bunch of stuff and share and that's generally not a problem for Dave and I. I grew up in fine dining restaurants and I love that type of food, but it's not approachable. So the concept is kind of like, build your own tasting menu. You can kind of mix and match however you want to do it.”
At lunchtime, you definitely need to order a popover. This is a black pepper popover, also known as Yorkshire pudding over in Britain. Here it is made the authentic way, big, puffy, eggy, dense, delicious. But they take it to the next level. They add some black pepper. They add some jamon. They add some cheddar cheese and best of all, there's also a poached egg inside. It's very warm, very comforting. And it's when you cut into it, it's kind of like a surprise on the inside, you know. It’s great. Yeah it's so good!
For lunch, they make a great fish sandwich, but I go with the burger. I love to see what a great chef does with a burger. Here it's a potato roll. When in Maine, always get the potato roll. And this one is made with bacon fat inside. The beef is a blend from Maine and North Carolina. It is locally made bacon, fresh tomatoes. They put the cheese right on the heat so it gets super crispy. They add some lettuce and onions. This is a gourmet amazing burger.
If you love french fries, you got to get the CP fries. These are made with a Korean red chili spice. They actually sell the spice at a store down the street. The spice that comes in it, the Korean fried spice is great. It's like Nori and ginger garlic and Korean chili flake. They’re just spicy and salty and makes you want to eat more food. It’s served with two dipping sauces, a garlic aioli, and the Heinz 57. It's right on the menu. That's the chef's admission he cannot make ketchup any better than Heinz. And I respect a man who is gracious in defeat.
When you're dining by the coast here in Maine, you got to have some seafood. And seafood is definitely a specialty here at Central Provisions as well. I love the peaky toe crab. They catch the crabs right here in Maine served over a homemade miso pancake. But as a guy who loves sushi and sashimi, I definitely recommend the blue fin tuna crudo. That is a beautiful piece of tuna sliced expertly. And every layer has a little extra dimension of flavor, a little soy, a little radish, little shallots, little scallions.
And I like to keep things casual. Dave's a little more bougie, so he orders it bougie style. Brown Trading Company is right over here on the wharf, and they're one of the best caviar importers in the country. We started with caviar on our menu with just one little thing and people loved it so much that it’s become its own section of the menu. I recommend the tuna crudo often.
Here's something you may have never had, the suckling pig. We cure the whole pig for 24 hours and we slow roast it for 12 hours, and then we kind of pick all of the meat and press it down on top of the skin. And so when you go to heat it up. That skin gets super crispy, like glass, like a chicharron, which is like the best part, and then it goes on top of a nice pool of that really luscious apple brown butter and almond puree. If you're a fan of barbecue and you like pulled pork. Go next level. Go suckling pig. You will never turn back.
For dessert, there's delicious frozen chocolate torte, but I say go with the key lime tart. Chef says he got the recipe from his mother in law, and I thought he was just trying to, like, maintain good family relations, but I tried it, and it is delicious. I think my mother in law would definitely approve of it. In a city full of fantastic restaurants. No doubt, this place really stands out as a must make reservation: Central Provisions in the Old Port of Portland, Maine.
