AT THE TABLE Central Kitchen + Bar worth a second visit when less busy By J. March
aybe I'm not as in the know as I would like to think. Thankfully my editor is or else I would have never heard about Central Kitchen + Bar that lies in the heart of downtown Detroit. Dennis Archer Jr. and partners Ken Karem and Christopher Brochert took over what once was a bank in the First Federal building and turned it into one of the coolest, most contemporary open restaurants on Woodward. Ron & Roman once again are the design firm behind the neo-classical design which includes soft shades of grey and off white, artwork that features Old Detroit in the form of pictures, frames and industrial lights, and a mix of hard and soft between the concrete floors and wicker furniture on the patio. The interior design flows easily and prettily into the lobby and clearly pays homage to the Albert Kahn-inspired building. Executive Chef Christina Stanco (formerly of the Bill Roberts' Cafe ML) is the name behind a menu that was described as "classic yet contemporary". Though it seemed vague, I was not only grateful that neither of the words “farm” nor “table” were used, but also that the menu really does read as exactly just that. Ideal in size and choices, it's comfortable yet not boring. Think Nicholas Sparks meets M. Night Shyamalan...happy places with a smattering of surprise. However, much like the aforementioned, some of it makes no sense. Great story line, but the actors and cinematography need a little work. Before I go too critical of my experience, let me disclose that my visit came smack dab in the middle of the Jazz Festival. When I called my dining partners to confirm place and time, they reminded me that Detroit was in the thick of it. What I did not realize was that Central Kitchen + Bar was literally in the thick of it. Once I found a parking spot, I realized that the main stage was a kale’s throw away from our table. Despite this, we did not wait too long for a small, yet comfortable table that was virtually al fresco in view of the huge open front wall and the sweet sounds of a bubbling city and sweet jazz. We started with truffle parmesan chicken wings. They were hot and crispy, but outside of a hint of parmesan, had little to no flavor and nary a trace of truffle. PEI mussels came next. Lemon, garlic, Spanish chorizo, tomato, and arugula made a beautiful broth which we used to dip the delicious baguette in, but only because the mussels were pushed aside due to displeasing texture and flavor. I cannot speak as to why they tasted off, but I can say that bad shellfish is not worth the investigation. We moved onto a duck rillette that was mostly flavorless due to lack of seasoning and duck that was reminiscent of liverwurst in the way that to describe its texture all I could come up with was gamey mush. However, the berry mostardo was bright and sweet and delicious, as were the perfectly salty cornichons that came with it. Salad choices were similar to most of what you see everywhere, remiss (thankfully) of the "Michigan dried cherry, toasted walnut blah blah blah". The baby kale salad with roasted red peppers,
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Flat Bread: Duck Confit frisee, stoneground mustard, roasted grapes, fried egg Downtown photo: Laurie Tennent
farro, gruyere and prosciutto was overdressed and heavy. Things that could be forgivable had the prosciutto not been only all fat, but so pink and raw we wondered if they skipped the cure and just threw some raw pork on the plate. We also opted for the Ahi Tuna as its appearance on menus has slowly been dwindling. The edamame was great, as were the crispy noodles, cashews and peppers. Unfortunately, the tuna was room temperature as where the avocados. I'm all about the Lady GaGa style of tuna (raw raw...raw raw raw) but the texture should be firm and taste fresh. This was more the Roberta Flack version. Killing me softly. Progressively, we moved onto the Flatbread choices. In full disclosure, I do not eat goat cheese nor do I modify the dishes that include it as they most likely have goat cheese listed for a reason. That being said, the fig flatbread sounded amazing. However, we chose the goat cheese free duck confit pizza as the only other choice listed prosciutto. To the restaurant's credit, on a crazy busy night, it came out in less then eight minutes. To its discredit, it was obviously prepped hours before ordered in anticipation of a huge rush. The flatbread was dry. Not baked and crispy...dry. The duck was dry. Not oven roasted...dry. The frisee was brown and flat and the fried egg was either pre-cooked or forgotten about as the entire white looked like a brown lace glove. The idea of this flatbread is promising and the roasted grapes were other-worldly, but on this night, what was produced was less than impressive. The Cuban we ordered made its way to the table and was flavorless and overcooked with yet more raw prosciutto on it. I can only guess that the same pork on the sandwich made its way onto our Carnitas Taco. When the flour tortilla has more flavor then the pork, slaw, crema or salsa, I would venture to say theres some "splainin” to do. From the "Plates" section we opted for the
Chicken Paillard. The result was a perfectly pounded, cooked and seasoned chicken breast with a creamy, cool and bright feta yogurt. The tomato, cucumber salad had peppery arugula that, despite being a tad overly salty, was ideal for this clean, simple dish. It was easily the best of the night and worth returning for. Despite the crowd, our service was good. It was clear that our server was overwhelmed yet remained pleasant in the face of more tables then she could handle. Several people ran food and helped clear. Huge props to the guy who had to climb a ladder every ten minutes to wipe the condensation dripping off the exposed ceiling as a result of the open windows and air conditioning. Knowing both sides of this coin, it's hard to speak of the quality of Central Kitchen + Bar. I would venture to say that most restaurants of this size and age would have crashed and burned completely given the volume of this particular weekend. However, once again I wonder at what cost does volume come? Do you compromise the quality to turn tables and make money, or do you stick to your guns and make half the revenue and turn people away who may not get the idea that quality is not compromised for volume? Hard to say, but I think that it's worth a second glance once Central Kitchen + Bar is not Grand Central Station. Central Kitchen + Bar, 660 Woodward Avenue, Detroit 48226. Reservations can be made by calling 313.963.9000. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – midnight; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (bar open later on all nights). Handicap accessible. Street, garage or lot parking. J. March has 25 years experience in the restaurant industry in southeast Michigan, including certification as a sommelier.