When Reach Exceeds Grasp

     An intriguing concept: Food from areas that the Roman centurions conquered. Places like Achaea (Greece), Hispania (Spain), Gaul (France), Judea (the Middle East), and Britannia (England).

     An intriguing menu:  Mushroom, Goat Cheese and Spinach Strudel ($10); Bricked Fired Poached Tilapia with Sage Butter, served with Coconut and Shrimp Risotto ($23);

Gnocchi in Shitake Dijon Cream Sauce ($13).

     An intriguing venue: A tiny place with old world decor - red walls, chandeliers, lots of empty wine bottles on the ledge behind the banquette, and a cute little patio with an amusing statue of a centurion outside the wrought iron fence.

     So what more could you ask? Regrettably, lots...

     We were four, for lunch. Ken and I arrived first and ordered an appetizer of Stuffed Mushrooms wrapped in Prosciutto ($8). It did not arrive until well after our friends, Leon and Sena came in. They wanted to try the Strudel, but were told it wasn’t available. Our mushrooms were three of the ugliest lumpy things I’ve seen in a long time. They had been cooked in the pizza oven which pretty much incinerated the ham and dried out the mushrooms However, with enough of the accompanying Aged Cheddar Tarragon Sauce spooned over them, they were fairly tasty. Sena got a panini of eggplant in tomato sauce. The eggplant was almost raw, so it was chewy and bitter. Ken ordered Mussels in a Mustard Sauce ($10) served with Endless Bread. The jar of mustard had never found the sauce. Leon asked for a hamburger with ketchup. He was told that no ketchup was served in the restaurant because it would interfere with the bold flavors of the food. I would applaud this as a policy had there been any bold flavors. Ken quipped that most of the food seemed to have its roots in Britannia. My Espana Pizza ($14) had a nice amount of manchengo and mozzarella cheeses, but was pretty low on the chorizo topping.The crust was something of a disaster - burnt on the edges and flabby in the center.

     Service was poor.. With only two other customers in the restaurant, there was no excuse for ice tea glasses that were not refilled until we pointed it out, dishes that were not cleared from the table to make way for new ones, a long wait for Ken’s entree to be served after the other three had arrived, and the lack of a bowl to put his mussel shells in. The restaurant also had a general air of sloppiness about it. I don’t believe that chef/owner Eric Osburn was in the house while we were there, at least I hope he wasn’t. But he needs to be more aware of what’s going on when he isn’t present.

     Hopefully Centurion will make the effort to live up to its concept, menu and venue. I’d like to be intrigued.

Centurion

214 W. Roosevelt St.  Phoenix    (there’s a free parking garage behind the building)

602-687-8796

Lunch Tues. - Sat. 11 - 3, Sunday 11-4

Dinner Weds. 6 - 9, Thurs. - Sat.  6 - 11