DC Restaurant Review: Central

Oh the bread, warm, chewy, holey slather some butter on top and you are off to heaven. Some of the best bread in DC.

Central is a great bistro with lively atmosphere and a familiar menu. I have been to Central a number of times for lunches and dinner and now I enjoy it. It currently is my go to place for business lunch and dinner with friends. What I enjoy most is the familiarity of the menu.

They have a great French onion soup. a good balance of broth to cheese to onions and nothing overwhelms. The onion lardon tart is duplified with smokey bacon and sweet onion. I could eat ten of these. Cheese puffs, a lite cheesy pop over where you have to watch your intake because you can eat the whole lot without blinking.

The cheeseburgers are well cooked, seasoned properly and can get messy they way a good burger ought to. I like the fact that the bread doesn't hide the patty, or suffer from "Where's the beef?" syndrome. It is an all around well done burger and a great lunch item. Can it claim top burger, I don't think so. I have yet to find the best burger but it is good, damn good. You couple this and fries and you have a great meal.

I have had the fried and roasted chicken. Very similar dishes, moist meat, crispy skins, but it wasn't outstanding. I like roasted chicken on the bone it feels more comfy. They came with a pan gravy that was good but would be better with a little salt. These dishes are hearty and filling.

Seared scallops, pronounced scall-ops not scail-ups, someone told me there was a difference but I don't buy it. Perfect scallops. I was once told cheap places puncture manta rays fins to make scallops ughh i know its not true but scary none the less.

Lamb shank, mamma mia, rock the house good, on the bone with crispy onions and creamy polenta, so yummy. Not to mention the shank was more the size of a leg. This is plate licking good.

The fries are made the old Les Halles method, double fried to crispy goodness. Perfect fries.

The coffee has always been little weak, very New England blend, or way too lite for my taste.

Service was great very attentive.

You have to go the meal and atmosphere are worth it.