Photos by Evie Carpenter
Grade: B+
Centurion, a small restaurant at the Roosevelt Square apartments in downtown Phoenix, is recognizable to passersby because of its life-size statue of a Roman guard holding a menu in front of the entrance. But for those who actually dine at Centurion for lunch or dinner, the menu is its most distinct feature.
When I first ate at Centurion last spring, the Roman guard was my main concern. What was he doing there? Did he have a name? Does he ever spring to life and serve as a waiter?
But after ordering the provençal mussels, I forgot about the Roman entirely.
The mussels are served soaking in a tomato sauce, which permeated the seafood flavor that drives some people away from mussels. They were juicy and flavorful, and not too tough to chew. I had never tried mussels before and have not had any since, for fear any others would be a disappointment compared to Centurion.
The mussels, served with “endless” focaccia bread, are a big enough serving to share. My friend and I were looking for a light dinner that night, so splitting the dish hit the spot.
The restaurant’s crowded outdoor seating area and pricey menu kept me away from returning to Centurion for almost a year, but I had to go back eventually.
On my second trip, I came back looking for a big lunch with two friends. We split a pizza and got a sandwich each.
I tried the Greek hamburger, which sounds boring, but was outstanding. Served with feta, red onions and kalamata olives, it was an unusually flavorful burger. I almost didn’t order it, since I was under the impression that burgers mostly just taste like ground beef, no matter what you put on them. But this burger had all the delicious tastes of a Greek salad combined with the heartiness of a hamburger. The burger was served on soft, buttery focaccia bread, which made the sandwich floppy, but the delicious bread was worth the inconvenience.
I also had a few slices of the salami and artichoke pizza, served with roasted peppers and cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Unlike most pizzas, which are simply cheese pizzas with bits of other toppings, this pizza had soaked up the meaty flavor of salami. Even the cheese tasted different.
I also tried a bite of my friend’s blackberry panini, which was served with raspberry sauce and goat cheese. It was a sweet, light sandwich, comparable to a crepe, and the goat cheese went perfectly with the fruit.
Another friend let me try some of the prosciutto sandwich, served with pancetta, greens and garlic aioli. I’m a fan of prosciutto, and my sampling of this sandwich met my high standards.
Centurion’s food is excellent, and its atmosphere is nearly as good — but not quite.
The small seating area makes for a cozy environment; almost all customers sit outside, with large, woven shades blocking the sun. The location at Roosevelt Square adds to the charm. The brick walls, green lawns and nearby historic homes make Centurion a nice place to sit and look around.
There are some downsides, however. Our waiter at lunch came out in either chef pants or pajama pants — I can’t tell the difference — and a T-shirt with an illustration of one dog farting underwater and another dog sniffing the bubbles. It was less funny than it sounds and didn’t really go well with the food.
The quaint-little-restaurant feeling also has a drawback in that it’s difficult to find seats for dinner. I made it in at about 6 p.m. when I went for dinner but have never had the guts to wait for open seats at 7 or 8.
The price is reasonable but not a bargain. The sandwiches are $8 to $11 and the pizzas, which are probably enough to serve two, are $8 to $15. The mussels are $10.
All things considered, it might not be for a while, but I’d like to go back to Centurion for the food, the atmosphere and the Roman statue.
Contact the critic at john.l.fitzpatrick@asu.edu
