Spencer W.
Yelp
Let me first say that Provisions is really the only thing of its kind in the area, and they've been doing the same thing for decades. They've got a little market and a little cafe, and everything is geared towards folks who own at least one yoga mat and might still have that John Kerry bumper sticker on their car. Whether or not I fall into those categories is irrelevant, but that's who they serve and that's fine. After all, that population is seriously underserved in the East End, where you'll get a more coherent response if you ask for whale blubber than if you ask for tempeh.
And for what they do, Provisions is reasonably good.
My problem with Provisions? It's the wraps. I'm just not into them. I mean, what is a wrap but a burrito made with a flavored tortilla and cut in half? And what use is a burrito cut in half, when the whole point of a burrito is to be able to eat it with your hands, and having it cut in half makes that so much more difficult and messy?
I guess you could say I'm just not into health food, but that's not it. You could also say that I'm unsympathetic to anyone who wants to eat half of their burrito now and save the rest for later, but I'm not buying that either - if that's your thing, then it should be wrapped in tinfoil when you buy it so that it can be closed back up whenever you want. (You could also say I'm unsympathetic to people who want to eat burritos with forks. To that I say "Yes, and I dislike bigots too.")
Here's what I think: I'm just not into *uncreative* health food, and I worry that Provisions' Cafe might fit that description.
Anyway. I like Provisions just fine, I guess, and if I need some nutritional yeast then that's the place I'd go. But it's just not interesting enough for me to take a trip there on a whim. Sure they've got a full line of Ecover cleaning products and a whole aisle of natural skin- and bodycare potions, but what I really want is a wider selection of natural meats or a peanut butter grinder or bulk olive oil.
But whatever. If you're out here from the city and want to feel like you're getting in touch with nature, Provisions is your place. The cramped cafe will make you feel like you know everyone there, and they've got enough differently scented Dr. Bronner's varieties for you to create distinct olfactory experiences for each of the bathrooms in your weekend house. So go ahead, have fun there - just don't tell me how unique it is.
Note: I had a lot of fun writing this review, and mean no offense by it - not to the ownership, staff or clientele. I just needed to rant for a minute, and I'll point that most of my rant had very little to do with Provisions itself and more to do with silly, tangentially related subjects... I hope. Anyway I've got no beef with you, whoever you are.