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| - This was the second of two legendarily satisfying meals that I had during my workweek in Madison, the first being Heritage Tavern.
Again, I went with several coworkers, and again, there was much sharing of dishes - but the sharing was more focused this time, which was perhaps due to the overall presentation. With the exception of one person, we all had identically-sized bowls, and the only smaller dishes that I can recall belonged to my arancini appetizer and someone's side of asparagus. (A quick note about the arancini: it was spicy, as advertised, with an admirably sturdy crust and a rich and creamy rice filling. Top-notch starter.)
Our entrees were: risotto (mine), pumpkin agnolotti, orecchiette, tagliatelle, garganelli, and a small pizza (the only thing I didn't sample). There wasn't anything whose ingredients disappointed. Where there was sausage, it was hearty and intense; where there was pasta, it was wonderfully tender and a far cry from the boxed stuff we all knew; vegetables were well-selected for their dishes and perfectly cooked. The braised short rib meat in the garganelli was supple, and the risotto's only "flaw" was that I actually found it too rich to finish in one sitting. I'll also mention that I'd not previously had the risotto's particular combination of flavors - butternut squash, walnut, and pecorino - and the complexity easily made me, a compulsively fast eater, take my time.
No, the ingredients were all first-rate, but there was something else that distinguished the dishes: their sauces. At the end, we each had a bowl with leftover sauce, and it didn't take long for us to declare a unanimous victor: the orecchiette. For that one, the menu listed only sausage, spinach, tomato, and pecorino, omitting, I'm sure, whatever magic unknowns that lifted the sauce head and shoulders above the rest. We obtained some bread from our server and promptly set about dipping into each others' bowls like a bunch of white-collar barbarians. I wondered aloud if it would make sense for the restaurant to offer bread by default, forgetting, of course, that the carb/starch requirement was already fulfilled by the pasta itself.
The decision to go to Cento was a last-minute switch away from another place, and how glad we all were for that switch. If we lived in the Madison area (and had our employer picking up the tab for lunch every time), I'm sure we would endeavor to slowly work through the rest of the menu. As at all the best places, we would feel safe in picking anything and expecting it to be at *least* superb. Well done, Cento.
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