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| - Charming 3-star newcomer. Stumbled upon Centurion while downtown for Third Friday, piqued by the curious Roman centurion statue beckoning from the outer courtyard.
Pros:
Approachable, balanced wine list; chef was friendly to suggest pairings and provided another guest with a personalized tasting experience. Owner mentioned beer license pending, plans to offer largely microbrew, craft beer selections.
Interesting, ambitious menu with several different moules preparations, a tempting risotto selection, and brick oven-fired pizzas.
Owners have put in a lot of thought into the European feel - Old World decor, mostly tables for two, couch seating against two walls of the restaurant, gated front patio seating.
Of note - they offer extensive happy hour and reverse happy hour/late night specials.
Negs:
Service was inexplicably slow despite the restaurant having only a few parties.
When asked about the unusually high amount of cracked mussels in a dish (~1/3), the server she responded that the chef probably just stirred too hard, which he corrected and pegged the poor quality to their supplier. At any rate, would recommend staying away from moules to avoid a mouthful of shell pieces. The Portugese preparation did not include any chorizo, contrary to the description.
The formal dinner settings were a bit overwhelming for the tiny cafe, which would have made movement impossible if the restaurant was full.
While Centurion still has some work to do on sorting out its kinks, would return as it is overall a unique neighborhood find.
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