2/1/14 - Cent'Anni in Crown Heights

I headed out to Brooklyn to continue the next drunk brunch adventure with my buddy Nick. He texted me to say that a bunch of his apartment mates were going to a place up the block called Cent'Anni and invited us along. A nice, cozy Italian restaurant, Cent'Anni was a wonderful brunch spot with a great atmosphere and very robust menu. In all, there were 8 of us, so I won't be able to talk about all of the food, but I'll do my best.

In case you were wondering what kind of place this was

Cent'Anni had an extensive brunch menu with some Italian inspiration to it. Baked eggs in tomato sauces, frittatas, and sandwiches, there was something for everyone. On top of the brunch menu, they offered there full dinner menu as well. One of the nice things they do is offer your choice of one of there many homemade pastas with a choice of about 10 different sauces. And then they had $5 Bloodies, Mimosas and bellinis, the latter two all had fresh squeezed juice.

Personally, I got a sausage and meatball sandwich, paired with a side of crispy potatoes. A couple of the other items ordered were gnocchi with a mushroom sauce, French toast, and a baked egg in ragu. Everything was made from scratch in the kitchen situated behind us. It's refreshing to go to a place that's still making all their pasta by hand.

Sausage & Meatball Sandwich

The sausage and meatball ragu sandwich came on a thick piece of crusty baguette. It had a nice crunch, but might have been a bit too much for the sandwich. Overall it was delicious, but I struggled with the fact that the meat kept spilling out as a result of the crustiness. The potatoes I got were hot and crisp and perfectly seasoned. Went great with the sandwich. It also came with a small mixed green salad with a nice tangy vinaigrette. I tasted one of my friends side of sauteed kale, which was terrific. Perfectly garlicky and wilted, just the way I like my kale.

My friends liked their meals as well. The french toast was fluffy and thick, and the people who got it said it tasted great. One friend did mention that the portion of french toast they gave seemed a bit small. The gnocchi looked phenomenal. The person who got it remarked that all their pasta was excellent and they had been there multiple times. I'm not a big egg person, but the baked eggs in sauce intrigued me. I just couldn't bring myself to ask for a bite, since my meal was a bit bigger. But she seemed to love it.

French Toast

The drinks were great too. I got both a Bloody Mary and a bellini. The Bloody contained a fair amount of horseradish in it, so much you can see grated bits of it. It was wonderfully spicy, but not overpoweringly so, with just enough balance. The belini was very fresh. The peach and champaigne perfectly accompanying each other and it was just dry enough that the peach was subdued.

House Bloody Mary

What really hit it out of the park though was the service. Chris, the owner, came and introduced himself to us. He talked to us freely, offered to read us the dinner specials if we were interested and was just very attentive. Our server was great too, constantly checking on us, always on top of what we needed. I'm a fan of great service, I think that really can make a good meal great.

Overall, I would definitely be coming back to Cent'Anni. I really want to try the dinner there, and it's great that it's so close to my friends place regardless. The atmosphere, service and food were all wonderful. 4 Bloody Marys out of 5.