This weekend we went to Bar Cento for dinner. Ben and I were both pretty excited about going because of all of the positive reviews it has been receiving and that Jonathan Sawyer (who learned some of his chops from Michael Symon) is the head chef. We were also excited that it was kid friendly.
The atmosphere was kind of cozy, but in a friendly way. When we were seated the waiter brought us a small paper bag with rolls and a small ramekin of olive oil. The bread tasted very fresh and went well with the olive oil. We ordered the antipasto plate for an appetizer. It was fantastic: there was an assortment of three meats and four cheeses as well as a slice of grilled bread and marinated veggies. Ben and I especially enjoyed the prosciutto while Jonathan was more into the cheese. For entrees we chose a pizza Marinara with prosciutto and the cheese burger with fries. The pizza had a very thin crust and ample prosciutto. Its flavor was surprisingly complex, perhaps because of the the brick oven, fresh herbs, and an almost wine-like flavor to the sauce. The burger was cooked perfectly and was a little peppery. It also had a beer flavored cheese on top that was very complementary to the peppery–ness of the burger. The french fries were served on top of lightly sauteed rosemary and garlic, which gave the fresh cut fries a unique flavor.
Ben ordered the house red to drink, a Galasso Montepulciano, Abruzzo, which had a complex flavor but was easy to drink because of the soft tannins. The full beer list is not on the abbreviated drink list on the food menu. Ben only noticed it after ordering and said that next time he might try a Belgian beer.
For dessert we ordered Nutella Macarons, four smallish macaron cookie sandwiches with Nutella inside. (Note: These are not coconut cookies, rather they are a french almond kind of cookie–here’s a link from Serious Eats explaining more). The cookies were soft yet slightly crunchy on the outside and the Nutella filling was chilled. We did not have any trouble finishing them all. In fact Ben made the comment that “Next time we come here we can just order these for dinner!”
Overall we all enjoyed our trip to Bar Cento. It can sometimes be hard finding a “trendy” restaurant that is accommodating to kids. While they did not have a booster seat, they did offer us a box of crayons and some paper to keep Jonathan occupied while we were waiting for our food.
Comments are closed.