Today, the Williamette Week issued its Restaurant Guide for 2009. Without further ado, here’s their take.
Restaurateur David Machado’s latest enterprise, the house restaurant for the recently renovated Hotel Modera, is a departure from Lauro and Vindalho, his two casual, moderately priced restaurants in Southeast. Nel Centro occupies prime corner real estate in the heart of downtown’s banking district, with full-length windows looking out on the Unitas Plaza and the hotel’s own lovely garden courtyard. The 150-seat dining room, designed by Holst Architecture, is stunning: strips of chocolate brown paneling and white columns accented with blond wood and gleaming glass light fixtures. The large open kitchen prominently features a large rotisserie (fire is a Machado signature) that turns out excellent roast chicken and lamb. The menu, inspired by the food of Nice and Genoa, is a notch more expensive than Lauro’s—entrees average $21—but equally broad in appeal. The pastas are excellent, meats moist and desserts delicious. And don’t skimp on wine—David Holstrom’s wine list is exceptional.
Order this: Anything rotisserie. The half chicken and panzanella salad is a huge, hearty entree.
Best deal: Ravioli Niçoise with butter and Parmesan ($15). Rich, beefy perfection.
I’ll pass: The salt-cod croquettes are fine, but don’t compare to the fritters at Laurelhurst Market or Toro Bravo.
Ben Waterhouse
Introducing Nel Centro
by Mike Thelin
Adjacent to downtown’s sleek new Hotel Modera, Nel Centro (the latest venture from veteran restaurateur David Machado of Lauro and Vindalho) draws culinary inspiration from the stretch of coastline between Nice and Genoa, where the local gastronomy reflects a happy marriage of land and sea.
Chef de cuisine R. Paul Hyman creates classic, straightforward dishes. Starter plates of plump, garlicky mussels finished with vermouth and parsley, or salt cod croquettes with red pepper rouille, live seamlessly alongside land-inspired dishes like bucatini (a long, hollow noodle) topped with lamb meatballs and aged ricotta, or pansotti—Genoese ravioli shaped like half moons, filled with house-made ricotta, and smothered in a rich walnut sauce. Meat dishes also stand out, like the deeply flavorful beef daube Provençal, which sports chunks of beef braised in red wine and pancetta, salty Gaeta olives, and fried panisse—a savory cake made from garbanzo flour. You could order an extra appetizer for variety, but save room for dessert, which includes a light chocolate soufflé served with vanilla-bean crème Anglaise.
Nel Centro’s daily breakfast and weekend brunch are sure bets: try the grilled polenta topped with a poached egg, pork loin, and sage hollandaise. During the lunch hour, pizza and sandwiches are added to a pared-down version of the dinner menu. And on warmer nights, the restaurant’s courtyard—illuminated by outdoor fire pits set against a sumptuously planted “living wall”—offers the classiest backdrop for al fresco drinking in the city.
David Machado, chef/owner of Nel Centro, was recently named Restaurateur of the Year by the Oregon Restaurant Association. The award was presented at the Annual Industry Awards of Distinction Dinner held recently in Sunriver, OR. All hands at Nel Centro, Lauro Kitchen and Vindalho are proud and excited at the news. Way to go Dave! Rumor has it that David’s acceptance speech paid loving homage to Julie, his wife and partner for 24 years. The full press release follows.
