Event - Provisions Market Preview

Are you excited yet? I don't see how you wouldn't be with Provisions Market opening soon in Old Towne Orange. It will be a coming-together of the stars from Haven Collective (Haven Gastropub & taco asylum) and Portola Coffee Lab, favorites in Orange County that I'm sure fans are dying to see in one central location. You may know the spot as its previous stint as The Bruery Provisions which was announced in December to be closing so that the brews themselves could get more attention. Luckily for the regulars who dropped by the Old Towne Orange space, the great beer and food will not be gone for long. With the Haven Collective snatching it up and renaming it Provisions Market, your favorite place to pick from an impressive array of bottled beer will still be available for your perusal.


We were lucky enough to be invited to a preview evening to see what changes were buzzing about behind the paper-ed up windows. Though not everything was stocked at the time of arrival, there was still plenty to be seen. The room was already alive with all of the invited media guests who walked around, looked at shelves of tasty brews, ate samplings of food to be on the menu, and learned a lot about how Provisions Market was doing.


The structural layout of the space may be familiar to those of you who have already been inside the building when it was The Bruery Provisions. Not too much has been altered as a whole picture but there are unique elements that will give the new place a personality of its own. After speaking with Steve who had helped design the layout of the area, I learned quite a bit about how and why they chose to have certain things in certain areas. The old wooden barrels above the entryways will soon be branded with the letters to spell out OLD TOWNE ORANGE, a nice touch to it all. Taking a look at the pictures throughout this post, you'll also see the differences between lighting and beer choices from one side to the other. A spectrum of light to dark beers/offerings is reflected in the set up. When you enter, your left side will show beers in refrigerators that are light and your right side will show the lovely stouts, porters, and other dark stuff (my favorite side for sure!).


The market will practically be the foodie's perfect one-stop shop. With bottled beer aplenty, you can go in to grab something to go. However, if you're willing to stay around this place with its thirty rotating beers on tap, you might find yourself indulging in one of their sixty cheeses, a glass of wine, or even European sandwiches as well (on OC Baking Company bread too!). Maybe you're thinking that you can resist the temptation of sticking around - it's a good thing you will be able to get artisan chocolates on the way out or even a take-and-make meal to enjoy at home. A few weeks after their opening, Provisions Market will also have Portola coffee in-house. We got to try out some cheeseboards, beet habanero pickled deviled eggs (I couldn't stop eating these!), fresh burrata atop bread, and B.toffee. How spoiled we were! Beers were on tap and wines for all the guests milling about as well.


It may have just been a preview for us but everyone involved was still hard at work making sure that everything was running well (as if it wouldn't). If this is just a preview of what's in store for all of their future customers, then you are all in for a real treat. The meticulousness of executing their craft makes every member there admirable in their passion. The food will absolutely speak for itself once you taste it.


We took a look also at their dining area in the back (remember that from The Bruery Provisions?) and the outdoor patio where people can relax and enjoy themselves. A touch of Portola had made its way onto the barstools as the upholstery - talk about creative! Coffee sacks adorn the chairs where your bums will sit. A display-oriented wine rack stood on the other side of the divider between the dining area and bottled beer shelves, showing off a curated collection of tasteful wines which you will easily see when you walk in. I think what Duc found most exciting at the time was the selection of bottled beers ("That is the MOST Parabola I've seen on any shelf!"); you will be surprised yourself when you find all of the gems that Provisions have dug up for its customers. They're expecting to be open by June 1st so are hustling and bustling to get the place ready for such a close date. Visit them at 143 North Glassell in Orange. You won't be sorry.

Photography by Duc Duong. More images available on Facebook.