Central Provisions | The Golden Dish

The Super-Dupers: Cream of the Potato Crop–Easily One of the Best Potatoes

September 26, 2016 / John Golden / Discoveries

Recently I discovered a super-duper potato variety at the Portland Farmers’ Market. They’re sold by John Carter who owns the Middle Intervale Farm in Bethel. I occasionally buy other items from him such as his pastured beef and especially his corn, because he grows the rare all-yellow variety that I prefer. Few farmers grow this old-fashioned corn anymore.

Several weeks ago I noticed these large, gnarly potatoes at Middle Intervale’s stand. Carter saw me eyeing them and said, “These are the ones that Central Provisions buys.” Now that’s an endorsement you can’t ignore–certainly from one of the best restaurants in Portland.

Middle Intervale's yellow-fleshed potatoes: used in (L to R) alongside pot roast; mashed with pan-seared pork chops and roast chicken

Middle Intervale’s yellow-fleshed potatoes: used (L to R) alongside pot roast; mashed with pan-seared pork chops and roasted on a bed of potatoes, onions, fennel and carrots

The Brunch Report: And the winner is . . .

February 22, 2016 / John Golden / Uncategorized

Of all the great brunches that I’ve featured in The Brunch report, my latest foray tipped the scales. And if there were any contest at all The Winner Is . . .Caiola’s. Perhaps it’s especially so with the kitchen being manned by its new sous chef, Matt Seitz, who took over Nick Ryder’s reign when he moved to Colorado late last year. Of course chef supreme and co-owner Abby Harmon still leads the team with her inimitable flair for flavor and texture in each dish.

I’m hesitant to proclaim one restaurant’s superiority over the other. Caiola’s, however, has consistently come up with different brunch specials every week, creating dishes that are novel and ultimately lip-smacking good, the sort of restorative food that you want for that first meal on a Sunday.

Brunch lineup: baked eggs with roasted tomatoes, ham and white bean stew; perfect bloody Mary and maple bacon added to the dish

First Look: Tiki Fever hits Portland and it’s the tops at Rhum Food and Grog

February 12, 2016 / John Golden / Restaurants

A new star is already ablaze in Portland’s glittering galaxy of restaurants. I’m talking about a Tiki bar, a blast from the past gone modern by the name of Rhum, which opened last Saturday in the Old Port. It’s the brainchild of Jason Loring (Nosh and Slab) and Mike Fraser (Bramhall) plus a star-studded cast of chefs and mixologists who are killing it, as the saying goes.

The bar at Rhum, which circles back to the other side with another bar

Tiki bars in America were made famous by Trader Vic’s, a California hot spot born in the 1940s where the Mai Tai was invented to accompany Polynesian inspired fare. The San Francisco Trader Vic’s was perhaps the most renowned. It flourished as the watering hole for the city’s society illuminators who flocked there with unabashed glamour. I went there a few times when I lived in San Francisco years ago. Even then it was from another era.

Act Three: Congress Squared’s new chefs are doing it so right with a sophisticated, highly conceived small-plate menu

February 5, 2016 / John Golden / Restaurants

This is not a traditional restaurant review but rather it’s intended to report on the newly invigorated menu at Congress Squared at the Westin Portland Harborview. Last Thursday night a dinner was prepared for press and industry folk to sample the new dishes with chefs Brian Anderson (executive chef) and Elisha (pronounced Elijah) Irland (chef de cuisine) running the show.

Clockwise: C2″s banquettes; chef Brian Anderson (right) and attendees at the press and industry dinner

Each dish—and there were many—were killer efforts that the kitchen team produced with suavity and assuredness. The smoked duck breast, for example, over a cunningly devised puree of rosemary with dots of roasted grapes and garlic confit created an arsenal of flavor that put the whole chorus of fine cooking on a high note. The sweet-smoky duck breast soaking up the vivaciousness of the rosemary puree underneath was further complimented by the umami of sweetly pungent pairing of grapes and garlic confit.

Smoked duck breast with rosemary

Woodford Food and Beverage: Three visits in three days and still counting–It’s a winner

January 22, 2016 / John Golden / Restaurants

Portland is, after all, a very small city but one whose cause and effect stir the pot when anything new or different comes along. Our dining scene is a prime example. As soon as a new restaurant opens, the local pundits pounce hard and fast to get their words out there immediately, and diners follow suit to flood these new eateries enthusiastically. I include myself in the crowd, though I hope what I have to report and posit are meaningful. That said, the newly opened—and at this writing the restaurant is just days old—Woodford Food and Beverage—has made the obligatory splash. (See my earlier Preview write up).

The WFB dining room bar on opening night; lower right, the corner banquette

It’s the first new restaurant on the scene in 2016 but not far behind two other bright new stars, Terlingua and Roustabout. The latter two have carved out a niche along Washington Avenue. And there’s more coming on the avenue, too, with Maine and Loire expanding its reach (Drifter’s Wife, a wine bar) and a café and chocolate bar, A Lively Palate.

First Look: Roustabout–A bravura performance from Portland’s newest restaurant–don’t miss it!

November 6, 2015 / John Golden / Restaurants

What a display of Portland diners flocking to first night this past Tuesday at the newly opened Roustabout. To wit–it’s the latest darling in the mannered pleasures of our city’s boundlessly good restaurants. Located in the historic Nissen Bakery Building on Washington Avenue, it joins a diverse roster of establishments already on the strip, most notably the recently opened Terlingua.

Roustabout’s conceptual karma is the handiwork of Portland branding specialists, Might and Main who’ve helped fashion such high fliers as Central Provisions, Hugo’s, Honey Paw and more among the trendy watering holes and eateries that are defining the city.

Roustabout’s dining room and bar

You see the Might and Main touches right away in the blond wood, the prominent bar and the generally cool sleekness in design. While brand-building helps, ultimately it’s what co-owners Kit Paschal and Anders Tallberg have delivered in decor, ambiance and food. Paschal hails as bar and beverage personality from Boston and Tallberg has had some impressive chef credentials in that city too.

Together this duo is delivering in spades. After two dinners there I experienced superb food served by a first-rate wait staff and, for once, the front- of -the house attention to detail was meaningful.

Abilene: neighborhood dining where it’s simply delicious

October 30, 2015 / John Golden / Restaurants

Neighborhood restaurants orbit in their own world. Warm, cozy and familiar they tend to eschew trendiness and other social hysterias. They’re everywhere around Greater Portland, for better or worse. But the most revered remain Caiola’s in the West End; Hot Suppa, Local 188 and others around Longfellow Square; Lolita, the Front Room and Blue Spoon on Munjoy Hill. These are some of the city’s standard bearers of dining in the hood. Now you can add Abilene to the group. Opened since June, it holds sway in the Woodford’s area. The difference is that this part of Portland doesn’t attract foodie preeners or make way for the next Central Provisions.

Caesar salad; the dining room at Abilene

Weekend brunch, Portland: Are you still standing on line to get in?

September 14, 2015 / John Golden / Restaurants

From the divine dining annals of Middle Street (Eventide, Duckfat, East Ender, et al) to the proprietors on the four corners of Longfellow Square, the legion of brunch buckaroos waiting on line to get into Portland’s trendiest eateries has spiraled to new highs. All that craving rush for variations on eggs Benedict or the latest take on tater tots define this culinary madness.

The hot spots, Local 188, Eventide, East Ender and Duckfat

Central Provisions: Still just about being the best restaurant in Maine

August 28, 2015 / John Golden / Restaurants

Deep down in its warped well of vocabulary wisdom the Urban Dictionary defines foodie as “a douchebag who likes food.” If that’s the case then Portland’s streets are teeming with them, and the general wisdom is for us locals to stay away from our most formidable dining haunts until the turistas all leave in the next 30 to 60 days. In fact, one local savant confided that he won’t step foot into a place like the revered Central Provisions until the masses go home. Indeed, it may be that of all the new restaurants in our dining world, the one that lives up so supremely to its accolades is the venerable Central Provisions.

The serious look of diners at Central Provisions seated at the dining bar facing the open kitchen; lower right, chef Chris Gould

I wasn’t planning to visit there until the fall, but destiny prevailed as a parking spot opened up a few doors away while cruising down Fore Street during the lunch hour earlier this week. I took this as my cue to enter this bastion of gastronomy for a bite of lunch.

Where to eat now, where to go next and a few dining conundrums in Portland

August 10, 2015 / John Golden / Discoveries, Restaurants

After a scintillating dinner at Tempo Dulu Saturday night, one of nearly bacchanalian proportions, everywhere else I ate last week was so tame (though pretty good) by comparison. (Shown on the intro page is mixologist’s Trevin Hutchins Wayang Cocktail)

A trio of desserts at Tempo Dulu

Last night’s options, however, were a mixed bag of where to eat since many favorite places are closed on Sundays, a mistake perhaps if restaurateurs are looking for the big dollars from the brigade of tourists now everywhere in Portland.

I considered going to Sur-Lie, but they close down for Sunday dinner after serving their very popular brunch earlier in the day.

Chef Matt Ginn’s terrific lamp preparation at Evo enjoyed on earlier occasionis

Ebb and Flow, on teeming Commercial Street, is also closed on Sundays and I haven’t been there in a long while. Same for Tiqa. Keeping with the growing Mediterranean theme gaining popularity, I considered stopping at Evo but parking anywhere in the congested Old Port that night was difficult.

The Super-Dupers: Cream of the Potato Crop–Easily One of the Best Potatoes

The Brunch Report: And the winner is . . .

First Look: Tiki Fever hits Portland and it’s the tops at Rhum Food and Grog

Act Three: Congress Squared’s new chefs are doing it so right with a sophisticated, highly conceived small-plate menu

Woodford Food and Beverage: Three visits in three days and still counting–It’s a winner

First Look: Roustabout–A bravura performance from Portland’s newest restaurant–don’t miss it!

Abilene: neighborhood dining where it’s simply delicious

Weekend brunch, Portland: Are you still standing on line to get in?

Central Provisions: Still just about being the best restaurant in Maine

Where to eat now, where to go next and a few dining conundrums in Portland

About John Golden

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Categories

Recent Posts

Archives

Copyright Notice

On Instagram