Ellsworth, ME · $$
Provender Kitchen & Bar offers guests a welcoming combination of unique elevated American cuisine that features chef-driven creations and a wide variety of local beer and craft cocktails. At Provender we believe that most memorable days and nights are spent with friends and family, surrounded by great food and drink. That's why we created a warm neighborhood restaurant. And whether you dine with us once a week or once in a lifetime we aspire to make each visit memorable.
“It’s not always the food that makes a restaurant memorable—it’s how you’re greeted, how you’re treated, and the overall sense of hospitality. I had a great meal at The Provender, but what truly made the experience special was my conversation with the bartender, Jen. She was knowledgeable, sincere, and did an excellent job guiding me through the menu. Her friendly and genuine approach elevated an already enjoyable dining experience. The Provender is a fantastic hidden gem. Whether you’re heading into Bar Harbor or making your way out, it’s the perfect place to start your trip on a high note or end it on a fantastic one. Great food, outstanding service, and warm hospitality. I highly recommend stopping in.”
“Every meal at Provender is perfectly prepared, beautifully plated, and delicious. The chef takes so much pride in his dishes. Tonight I had 3 of the newest dishes - the scallop appetizer, pork belly appetizer, and pan-fried Wagyu dumplings with noodles in a delicious broth - all 3 were perfect. My friends loved their meals as well - Wagyu sirloin and rigatoni. The drinks are playful and the desserts the perfect finish. A perfect evening.”
“The kind of place where the Chef seems to love food, and wants to make sure the customer does too. Excellent preparation, presentation, and satiation. It is not an inexpensive place, but I can imagine it is the kind of food you would get on a Master Chef competition. The serving sizes were reasonable. The Surf and Turf appetizer, with what had to be the best lobster roll in Maine as the Surf - literally one of the best things I have eaten. Butter poached, Goagugong and Yuzu sauce. Perfection. The kind of place that looks like it belongs in Manhattan. Very surprising for Maine, especially for a foodie who has never heard about it.”
“Awesome hand crafted cocktails and a great dinner menu with incredible food. The bartender was the best with lots of knowledge of the area and some good local tips to explore”
“The food and drinks were actually very good. The Black Cod was surprisingly flavorful, as I usually find cods to be boring. The duck meat was cooked properly, except, the skin was chewy and non edible. It would have been much better if they made the skin crispy. The crispy polenta was tasty, and paired well with the balsamic vinaigrette, although I think it would have been even better if they used a very thick balsamic as opposed to the liquidy version. The salad was fresh, nothing to complain about But many restaurants fall to the same trap: dessert. To be fair we only ordered 1 dessert but suffice to say: do not order that Dubai Chocolate Cookies. It was less than pedestrian. Your store bought Oreos probably tasted better. I hate to be harsh but it was that disappointing. But other than that, I would recommend this restaurant, just get a different dessert, or get it somewhere else altogether You can make a reservation using the Tock app. There's no dedicated parking lot, but it wasn't hard to find street parking.”
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