Cardinal Provisions: Inventive Dishes in a Charming Atmosphere

Style: Rustic and welcoming spot that also serves creative plates. A display of house-made pastries greets you at the entrance. Between brick and white-painted walls, old wood-framed windows hang from the ceiling as decoration and dividers.

The scoop: Spring Lake natives Laura Brahn and Grace Crossman met while working at nearby Porta. They later worked at other restaurants before starting a catering company together. In 2016, they opened Cardinal Provisions in the space that once held Beckman’s Deli. At first, they served just breakfast and lunch. In November 2018, they began offering dinner Friday and Saturday nights, with a new dinner theme each weekend.

The menu: Creative dishes that appeal at any time of day include cacio e pepe scrambled eggs, rosewater-scented ricotta toast, a fried chicken “Sammy,” and the breakfast pasta, a classic carbonara with bacon, egg, fresh spaghetti a la chitarra, peas, black pepper and Parmesan. Raw oysters (above) are an occasional dinner special, as is lobster grilled cheese, Nashville-style hot chicken, and sweet potato croquettes. In addition to a rotating selection of pastries, there are pies, croissants and cookies.

Heads up: Cardinal posts a preview of their dinner menus on Instagram: @crdnal.