A Meal at Mailey’s Provisions is a “Maine” Event in Latrobe

Adam and Nancy Flood’s life sounds like the plot of a romantic comedy: A New Englander and a French-Canadian move to Mister Rogers’ neighborhood to open a farm-to-table restaurant in a century-old building on Main Street.

“I think we’re putting out a product that is extremely good,” says Adam, a veteran chef. “We’re super small-ing in a small town.” (That would totally be the tagline for the movie!)

It’s been nearly two years since the Floods opened Mailey’s Provisions in Latrobe, birthplace of Fred Rogers.

The television icon was a big draw for the newlyweds when they were looking for a place to start a business and a life together.

They settled into a structure with three upstairs apartments and a storefront that, once upon a time, was occupied by Mailey’s Bakery. Everybody in town calls it “the Mailey’s building,” so the Floods stuck with the name. A 90-year-old member of the Mailey family gave them his blessing and often drops by the restaurant for a bite.

In the open kitchen, everything is made from scratch, from the bread for the sandwiches to the ice cream for the banana split. Latrobe is where the dessert originated; Mailey’s version is even more decadent, featuring a Banana Foster-stuffed crepe and scoops of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla topped with pineapple compote and Chantilly cream.

Despite being stuffed to the gills, my daughter and I managed to split a split before we split.

I recommend making a special dessert trip to Mailey’s — with so many delicious appetizers and entrees on the seasonal menu, it’s hard to save enough room for this enormous dish or the equally enormous Tiramisu Creme Brulee. You can grab take-out meals, including chicken and beef pot pies, from the cooler before you head home.

Before relocating to Latrobe, Adam had visions of opening a French restaurant with a high-end tasting menu, but realized that wasn’t the right culinary fit for the town. He still finds creative ways to incorporate metropolitan dining.

My first course included foie gras torchon with blood oranges and pumpkin seeds on toasted focaccia, smoked trout pâté featuring Laurel Highland trout, Asian pear, marinated veggies, local greens, house-made pretzels and brown butter vinaigrette, and Maine oysters on the half shell.

Adam, who hails from Maine is a huge fan of mollusks plucked from the cool, brackish waters of the Penobscot River. He has learned from James Beard Award-winning chefs in Portland, named Restaurant City of the Year by Bon Appetit in 2018, and along the Eastern seaboard.

Mailey’s pescatarian offerings are abundant and include seafood chowder and a to-die-for mushroom bisque with smoked scallops. For her main course, my daughter went with the miso-glazed Mahi-Mahi served with shrimp and scallop fried rice.

This landlubber opted for a pistachio-crusted, orange-glazed lamb kabab accompanied by herbed fingerling potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts.

After cleaning my plate, I sat back and surveyed the scene.

We dined at an elevated table in the back that looks over the cozy restaurant, which is filled with eclectic decor and seating for 30. The atmosphere was light and lively and we had a lovely conversation with the folks seated in front of us.

During that Saturday night visit, the BYOB establishment was packed with customers sharing bottles of wine. I watched the affable Nancy work the room; she stopped at each table to connect with community members and talk up her house-made pecan tarts. Next to Mister Rogers, she’s probably the nicest person to ever call Latrobe home.

In today’s world, a friendly place like Mailey’s Provisions seems like it could only exist in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

Mailey’s Provisions is at 335 Main St., Latrobe