With an impressive resume that includes stints under chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, chef Chris Gould has been hard at work for the past two years bringing Central Provisions to fruition. The effort has paid off, and nearly overnight it has become both the local hotspot and media darling that has given the Old Port a much-needed update in the culinary landscape.
DINE OUT MAINE: CENTRAL PROVISIONS SWIFTLY MOVING TO TOP OF LOCAL SCENE
In Portland’s ever-expanding restaurant scene, Central Provisions is this city’s newest and perhaps brightest star. Chef and co-proprietor Chris Gould has created some of the most inventive food in Portland right now. After multiple visits and some 30 dishes, the restaurant’s trendy small-plate concept has been superbly achieved on each occasion. The format further allows you to create your own tasting menu from a list of nearly 50 small plates ($5 to $26) that form a fusion of cooking styles inspired by the cuisines of Europe, Asia and the Americas.
FIRST LOOK: THE INFINITE PLEASURES OF CENTRAL PROVISIONS
If you haven’t heard, Central Provisions is up and running—and it’s the proverbial runaway success right out of the gate. I stopped in on Night One (Tuesday) on my way to dinner nearby, and the place was jammed with patrons looking as though they’d been going there all their lives, sporting happy-go-lucky grins with their rears firmly planted on seats at the bar and tables upstairs and down.
CENTRAL PROVISIONS IS OPEN
The road to opening was a winding one for the Goulds, but the restaurant, with a wide-ranging menu complimented by pre-Prohibition craft cocktails, local craft beer on tap and an approachable and interesting wine program led by Chris Peterman, appears to be well worth the wait.
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.
THE 50 MOST ANTICIPATED RESTAURANT OPENINGS OF 2014
Chef Chris Gould is slated to open his eagerly awaited international small plates restaurant Central Provisions in Portland sometime in the middle of January as last reported by Eater Maine. Indeed, signage is up and sample menus point to dishes like oysters, boquerones, lobster stew, sweet breads, suckling pig, and more.
INTERVIEW: TALKING CENTRAL PROVISIONS WITH CHRIS GOULD
"The concept was always to do tapas-style small plates. But the feel and what we're putting in here in terms of the bars and the stools and the tables and the decor is totally driven by the 200-year-old building. ... Lots of exposed brick, burlap, black steel, exposed wood, and stainless steel. Those are the feels, colors and textures."
THIS HISTORIC BUILDING WILL HOUSE CHRIS GOULD'S OLD PORT RESTAURANT
Since last August, we've known that former Boston chef Chris Gould (Uni Sashimi Bar at Clio) was planning to open a restaurant in Portland, but it wasn't until this week, when Richard Borelli of Harriman Architects appeared before Portland's Historic Preservation Board, that any more news was revealed.