On a frigid Tuesday night last week, my husband and I joined our friend Mike to check out a new restaurant: CRU PROV, on West Fountain Street.. Immediately upon entering, the atmosphere was warm and convivial, and smelled wonderful. It’s a large room with many seating options: a long bar with many unique alcoholic offerings on one side, and booths and tables on the other. The layout is similar to the old Bayberry Beer Hall, which used to occupy this space, but the vibe is thoroughly different. We chose a booth and were impressed by how well we could hear one another, despite the large room. Our server was warm and friendly, and informed us that the restaurant had been open since December 27, and was run by Russell Morin, of local/regional catering fame. I was particularly eager to see what was on offer as a restaurant, as opposed to a catered event.
There was a wonderful cocktail menu with many unique options: my husband chose a bourbon concoction, Mike had something sweeter and I had a gin martini. All were delivered quickly and were perfect. We ordered the hot crab dip with Ritz crackers to share, and it was rich and creamy, but could have used a bit more zip. We needed more crackers, which were promptly delivered. For the main course, my husband ordered his favorite wedge salad with extra dressing, the fried chicken sandwich for me, and the pork schnitzel for Mike. The boys also ordered frozen margaritas…. which looked like ice cream sundaes piled in the glasses!
Our meals were copious: my chicken was at least 8” around, but thin and perfectly cooked; the bun looked tiny in the middle, hiding a delicious sauce and… PICKLES! Which made it more delicious. (I could eat only half and ended up donating the rest to my husband.) He also inhaled his salad which was perfect for him. Mike’s schnitzel was cooked beautifully and not overdone (often the case with pork dishes) but different from the traditional German cuisine, with a decided spiciness. However, he had no complaints. Again, it was a huge serving so he took half home. I would definitely go back to CRU! They had hash browns that looked like I would need to loosen my belt a notch if I ordered it… •
