The venerable chef Chris Gould keeps the quality high one year later at his resoundingly successful restaurant, Central Provisions. And it sets the standard of excellence still for all of Portland’s aspiring fine-dining establishments.
CENTRAL PROVISIONS POURS UNIQUE COCKTAILS IN THE OLD PORT
With a designated sommelier on staff and a bar manager who can tell you the history of virtually any drink, Central Provisions in Portland’s Old Port is an education as much as it is a restaurant.
“There’s something great about not only the drink but the history of the drink,” says Patrick McDonald, bar manager and cocktail wizard at Central Provisions in Portland. He wears a crisp plaid shirt (standard uniform for the bartenders here) and sports a long beard and a short, slicked-back haircut. “I like having the ability to revive these old recipes and make them my own.”
A FIRST LOOK AT CENTRAL PROVISIONS IN PORTLAND
With little advance fanfare, chef Chris Gould opened his destined for super-stardom Portland restaurant, Central Provisions, on Tuesday night, pulling in a packed house. The completely redone interior of the brick building, at 414 Fore Street, has a straightforward, rustic look, with a wide-open, gleaming stainless steel kitchen, exposed brick walls and chairs upholstered with burlap from grain sacks.