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| - Centro Paninoteca in Scottsdale is a wine bar concept with tasty menu and an excellent wine list that's all well priced. But in this case, you can't have your cake and eat it too.
At Paninoteca it's all about trade-offs. The service is friendly, but ditsy and confused. The food is really good, but the kitchen runs at a snail's pace.
When we visited, apparently there was one only cook, not good if you're looking for a quick bite. However, we were told a few times by staff members that the kitchen was running slow, so kudos for communication.
Decor is home grown, with the space being mostly lit by a flat panel TV next to the bar. It's not really the sexy vibe you'd expect from a wine bar. The faint musty smell of mildew lingered in the air, but the outdoor dining area will remedy this issue.
More than making up for the restaurant's shortcomings is the food. The Crustini ($9.50) was covered with imported chevre, slow roasted tomatoes, Parmesan and olive oil. Each tangy bite paired well with my glass of Starry Night Old Vine Zin ($12). Served open faced, the Grilled Gorgonzola and Fig on Sourdough ($10) also made an excellent choice with my wine selection.
For lighter fare, Centro offers a handful of generously sized salads. Prosciutto & Shaved Parmesan ($10), with its mixed greens, shaved prosiutto and parmesan, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, was balanced and fresh. Getting a similar balsamic treatment, the Caprese Salad ($10) has slices of fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil, then gets a nice drizzle of olive oil.
Centro is all about the pressed sandwiches or panini, with a dozen to choose from. The Chicken Panini ($10.50) was meaty and tender, with its marinated grilled chicken breast cooked perfectly. Adorning this sandwich were roasted red peppers, stringy fresh mozzarella, roasted tomato, baby arugula and pesto mayo.
Essentially a grilled cheese, Lulu's Press ($9) may sound ordinary, but the Vermont yellow, white cheddar, jack cheese and tomato were all top quality you could taste.
After tasting the tomato sauce on the Chicken Parmesan Panini ($10.50), I felt it was a little too sweet, though that's as bad as the food gets at Centro.
My favorite of the evening was the Roast Beef Panini ($10.50). Thinly sliced roast beef, roasted red peppers, provolone, baby arugula, dijon mustard and a creamy horseradish just popped with flavor. I would order this one again.
Dessert comes in only one choice, Tiramisu ($7.50), but after a two-hour dinner we called it a night and skipped this one.
At the end of a review I ask myself: Would I ever go back? Who could say no to such tasty food?
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