Central 37

Elite '08

105

221

Jocelyn C.

Cambridge, MA

I guess this place just opened a few days ago, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. The space itself is pretty swanky... but a little too swanky for me to be walking in with my jeans and hoodie for lunch and feel completely comfortable. Met up with some friends (and fellow yelpers) to get the lowdown on this place... Liz seems to have beaten me to the punch and given the scoop as to how that went.

All I'll say is, $20 for linguine Alfredo seems a bit much. Especially when it's packed full of overpowering garlic and saltier than the Dead Sea (maybe it was the prosciutto, maybe not). The server was very attentive though, and tended to our needs well. The owner came over upon hearing about some artichoke trouble and promptly comped the dishes, which was very cool of him.

I'll check this place out again, perhaps for drinks after work (on the rooftop deck when the weather gets warmer? A definite possibility!), but I think I'll stick to cheapo deli sandwiches for lunch.

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Elite '08

179

387

Liz D.

Boston, MA

When this whole world's been getting me down..its time for booze, bitches and blunts.  Or..er...a bellini, good company, and the exploration of a new restaurant?

Central 37, previously Black Rhino, opened its doors for lunch a few days ago and we decided to stake out the place and see what it was rockin'.  Gone was the Black Rhino red neon, replaced by a totally different look and feel...a red Central 37 neon sign.  

Kidding aside, it does seem like the new owners were able to scrub out the vomit and cigar smoke out of the floorboards..not to say these old friends won't be back.  For now, the chairs have been refurbished with a mute browns along with tan booth seats along the perimeter and white table clothes giving more of an upscale dining experience to the place.  3 floors with the first being a casual bar area, with the other two for sit down meals.

Definitely has its quirks--the booth seats are a bit too high for the table, making the fork journey of plate to mouth more of an unenjoyable carnival game, without the formaldehyde laced packing peanut stuffed animal payoff.  The menu is clean, classy, with an interesting drink menu definitely conducive to a post 5pm bitchaboutyourboss cocktail or two with some girlfriends.  The special of the day is really what caught my eye, a linguine in alfredo sauce with prosciutto and a GARLIC bombardment disclaimer($22).  I like bad breath and meat hanging out of my mouth, so I'm in.  

The rest of the crew ordered up the artichoke hearts, better explained by a well-versed waitress, is essentially a poached artichoke stuffed with cheesy potatoes, and the token boy ordered a burger which would act as a compass for restaurant judgment.  It is true, if you can't make a good burger, you can't do much of anything--and your life is better spent as 3 lines in the obituary column.

The burger received the thumbs up, and I was pleased with the accompanying fries.  The artichoke hearts were met with flat-lined expressions as they were cooked a bit improperly in addition to not being that meaty(possibly not in season).

They didn't lie.  My pasta was indeed garlicky and salty, which I am unsure if it could be attributed to the prosciutto.  I had no qualms woofing it down, but for the cost of a lunch which normally consists of a $4 prosciutto sandwich across the street, it's hard to justify shelling out so much for the portions, and preparation of the food.  Again, they very well may be working out the kinks, and I am more than willing to give it the second go around in the future as it wasn't a bad meal.

My drink on the other hand was fantastic.  With all the choices on the menu, I was pleased that I chose the right one for me.  A blackberry bellini, was fruity and full bodied as well as cleansing with mint leaves and berries at the bottom of the glass.

The wait staff was extremely friendly, and gave off a sense of grandopening exuberance and a desire to start things off on the right foot, which is always a good thing. Very attentive, sociable, great with recommendations, and were considerate of our 1hr time limit, enabling us to get in and get out to return to our corporate turmoil.

In addition, upon realizing the artichokes were not up to ma girlss liking, their Fabioesque(sup ladies) and gracious owner came by the table to apologize, comped the dishes, and thanked us for alerting the server of the meal, instead of disappearing angrily into the sunset.

Knights in white satin........-bats eyelashes-.....never reaching the end.....-blows kisses-.....letter's I've written....-slides phone number-...never meaning to seennndddd

Must have known we were yelpers.  Did the asterisk tattoo on my head give it away?

In the summertime, their advertising material suggests they will be re-opening the famed rooftop which will definitely need further inspection with drink and hand and attempted stones throws at my office window.

Cut to glass shattering

Boss shaking fist

Pink slip

Ramen for breakfast lunch and dinner.

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Elite '08

132

393

Chloe D.

Jamaica Plain, MA

I don't feel like I can really give a fair assessment as it's only been open for a couple days and every place needs at least IMO, 2-3 months to warm up, get a good staff in the door and improvise.

We were ushered upstairs to a corner booth/ table. I took my place in the booth, cuz I felt like being cushy. The table to seat ratio was sort of odd, thus increasing the distance it took to go from fork to mouth. Or in my case artichoke--toof. Cloth napkins, simple clean, decor and an impeccable drink menu. Having watched an episode of No Reservations on Sao Paulo, I was tempted to try their caipirinha martini. Caipirinha is the national drink of Brazil and is made with cachaca (alcohol made from sugar cane), sugar, and lime...the martini had a slight difference, an addition of grey goose. The result was a refreshing, not too powerful martini that I could imagine myself sipping on the soon to open roof deck.

For lunch I ordered the stuffed artichoke which was nestled in a pile of prosciutto aside a small watercress salad. The stuffing consisted of potato, artichoke heart, and goat cheese. I began to dip each leaf, our vegan counterpart made notice that the leaves weren't terribly meaty and were slightly undercooked. I tended to agree, and this could be due to the lack of fresh produce this time of year. The owner tended to our table, apologized for the artichokes thanking her for being honest and that the feedback is much appreciated as they continue to improve upon business.

Our server was friendly and attentive and quick with the check as we were all on lunch break. I'm not sure if I'll be back anytime soon, until the roofdeck is open, but until then, I really hope to see this place excel into something wonderfully convenient to work.

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19

48

TJ M.

Boston, MA

Although the restaurant is new I'm not giving them a pass.   Fact is, the food is average and the prices are steep.    Four of us visited Central 37 last Saturday and were genuinely excited to check the place out.   We tried to expand our reservation, but they claimed to be booked.  When we arrived the place was a ghost town and we were the only ones in the main dining area.  (Note:  It was raining pretty hard outside, which could explain the absence of other diners).

We found the wait staff to be extremely pleasant and "excited" about the menu.   Our waiter got us all riled up, but when our food finally arrived it just didn't blow us away.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, but the final bill came out to $80/head, which simply was too much given the lackluster finish of the meal.

Will I go back for dinner?  NO
Will I go back for drinks on the roofdeck later in the summer?  YES

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Elite '08

37

293

Lynda B.

Brighton, MA

Colonial New England meets chic. Named after a pre-revolutionary tavern that used to stand on this exact spot, there is a nice mix of old, warm, dark wood feel and modern fixtures and style. I can only vouch for the bar scene, since I met friends here after work this past Friday. I arrived at 5PM to find the bar already crowded, but I managed to grab a seat behind the bar along a room length table. Wait staff was very friendly, and we always had full water glasses. Good wine list. Seems like the typical "suit" hangout, but all and all it was a very pleasant experience, and I even found the groups sitting/standing around me to be very friendly and chatty.

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