665228 Fri Nov 06 11:11:19 -0800 2009 5 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 5161337 Last night my girlfriend and I dined at Central for the first time. I was very excited to dine at one of Michel Richards restaurants. Keeping it short and sweet, I was blown away by our meal. I enjoyed the trendy, modern ambiance and the atmosphere in the restaurant. Our server wasn't very helpful, mainly due to her not being fluent in English, but I appreciated her efforts. On to the meal, Sunny started out with the french onion soup, that we shared and it delicious, very rich in flavor, and the broth was excellent. I started out with the Proscuitto plate, I was a little hesistant about my selection given that were dining at a French/American restaurant and not an Italian restaurant, after trying the Proscuitto I was very pleased with my selection, I would defintely have it their again. I had heard wonderful things about the burgers from Central, so I ordered a rare cheeseburger and after one bite, I put down the burger I looked at Sunny and a huge smile came across my face, This was the best cheeseburger I had ever eaten in my life, hands down!!! It blew the burger from Palena, and Rays out of the water!! The burger was so rich and unlike any burger I had ever eaten before. Sunny tried it as well, and she enjoyed it so much, that she later asked our server Sunny ordered the Sautéed scallops / tagliatelle provencale which she absolutely loved, I tried it as well and found it be quite good. We managed to save room for dessert and we ordered the chocolate lava cake ala mode. This dark chocolate cake was heavenly, Overall, I understand why this restaurant is ranked as the 13th best restaurant in DC by Washingtonian, This was definitely one of the best meals I have had in the city, I would put this restaurant on par with the recent restaurants I dined at like Palena, Rasika and the Oval Room. I look forward to a return trip to Central in the Near future and eating at Komi for the first time next Friday night! Fri Nov 06 11:11:19 -0800 2009 1092408 Jeremy303 1 5161373 I just came back from lunch at Central. My first time as well. We had the seviche, which was unconventional, in a pink, creamy lime sauce. It was slightly spicey but good. Delicious french onion soup. My friend had the lamb shank and I had the pig's foot. Both were excellent. My problem was the abysmal service. We sat at the bar and the bartender, who was not busy was horrible. He was inattentive. He didn't greet us for a good five minutes (only three others at the bar). He didn't check on us. We had to ask for bread for the seviche. We didn't get fresh silverware with our entrees. He didn't check on us after we got our entrees. He bussed my plate without offering a doggie box. We had to suggest coffee. He didn't say good bye or thank you as we left and he turned and saw us. If two people spend 140 bucks on lunch I would expect slightly better service. I have to say I am extremely disappointed. I was actually just on the Central website looking for an e-mail address to tell them but they don't want any comments apparently. This was a totally contrary experience to Beck last week which was both outstanding and had excellent service. And Beck's lamb shank was much better. Fri Nov 06 11:20:20 -0800 2009 5161337 88153 sekelmaan 2 5161778 You asked for bread for the seviche? Did you make a sandwich out of it? As for poor service, sounds somewhat inexcusable. Note to self - don't eat fancy food at the bar. Fri Nov 06 13:27:15 -0800 2009 5161373 180506 Ericandblueboy 3 5161820 Any seviche I have had in the past comes with saltines (and Valentino). De Mexico. I thought bread would do in this case. Fri Nov 06 13:40:14 -0800 2009 5161778 88153 sekelmaan 4 5161936 I'm not a master of cebiche eating. In fact, a quick google suggests that many countries do serve cebiche with saltines. However, my personal experience in Lima, Peru at various restaurants do not involve saltines. In DC, I've had ceviche at Ceviche, Lima and Hook (that I recall) and none of them served ceviche with saltines. I've got nothing against people eating saltines or bread with their ceviche so knock yourself out. Fri Nov 06 14:14:35 -0800 2009 5161820 180506 Ericandblueboy 3 5162172 I wouldn't rule out dining at Central's bar completely. I eat at the bar almost once a month (although always for dinner) and I've always had great service. Maybe it was the lunch bartender or an off day. Btw---I'm no ceviche expert but I've never eaten it with bread. Fri Nov 06 15:30:57 -0800 2009 5161778 76776 Elyssa