Central Bistro & Bar reopened last night with a softened up look and a new menu created by executive chef Matt Selby. The makeover wasn't drastic, but the new touches add to the comfort of the guests and the ambiance of the modern dining room. There is new paint and wallpaper, fine-tuning on lighting, improvements on acoustics, and new upholstery on chairs.
The pre-spring menu features new dishes like the ABC, an albacore-bacon-cucumber small plate, the charred octopus with cous cous and carrot harissa, and the mushroom consomme with Okinawa sweet potatoes, caramelized mushrooms, and comte cheese. Chef Selby also added a monkfish (next week it will be Cobia) entree, as well as a lamb one, and a new version of his foie gras, this one with white chocolate spearmint. And if that alone is not a dessert, there is a gluten and dairy free apple cobbler that comes with almond milk ice cream to finish up the meal.
The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner, Wednesday through Friday for lunch, and on weekends for brunch.