Centro
 There’s
a wide-open field in the 2008
presidential caucus derby, but
the celebrity-sighting sweepstakes
is looking like a two horse race
with Centro giving 801 Steak &
Chop House its toughest challenge
ever. Already John Kerry, Joe
Biden, Joe Lieberman, the Dixie
Chicks and Elizabeth Edwards have
supped at George Formaro’s restaurant
in the Temple for the Performing
Arts, a place well designed for
such “populist” Democrats. With
a single, wide-open dining room
and ceiling high windows, Centro’s
the easiest place in town to be
seen while dining.
It also has the kind of comeback
story that underdogs love. Were
it not for a grass- roots rebellion,
the entire Temple might now be
rubble. Mayor’s office insiders
were publicly lobbying for that
outcome when Harry Bookey put
together a restoration plan that
included a wish, a prayer and
six dozen funding sources. Protestors
helped him salvage an architectural
diamond next door to the new rhinestone
library that was demanding its
sacrifice. Fittingly, Bookey recruited
a grassroots restaurateur to anchor
the building.
Like the Temple itself, George
Formaro’s culinary foundation
rests in the soil of Des Moines.
He’s a mother-taught original
who completed his culinary education
by tracing his ethnic roots from
Sicily through New York City and
the Italian ghost towns of Iowa.
First he opened an artisan bread
company around a Sicilian wood-fired
brick oven that he built on South
Union Street. Then he started
a deli under a downtown parking
ramp. At the Temple, he built
his kitchen around a coal-fired
oven from his favorite pizzeria
in New York City. Pizzas cook
in just three minutes and are
best appreciated simply, without
any California baggage. Sausage,
peppers, spinach, anchovies and
garlic can be added, but not smoked
salmon or baby bok choy. Formaro’s
favorite pizza is a “Margherita
well done” — just cheese, tomatoes,
fresh basil and charred edges.
Ours, too.
Lunch also offered good pasta
and salads, but sandwiches featuring
George’s ciabatta and focaccia
called my name. The Friday special
pork tenderloin gave Iowa’s iconic
sandwich a Niman Pork (free range)
treatment, with a crunchier than
usual breading. A Tuscan panini
delivered smoky chicken with truffled
mac & cheese on the side.
Arancino, another house specialty,
brought golden breaded, fried
risotto croquettes stuffed with
salami-mozzarella, ham and pepperoni.
Dinner featured a wood-grilled,
bone-in, herb crusted Niman pork
chop, gorgeously spiked with a
chianti demiglace and served with
a many textured cheese polenta
and a roasted pepper relish. Formaro’s
beef tenderloin was NOT called
“de burgo,” though it was a purer
version of Des Moines’ famous
dish than most that use the name
— herb crusted and served with
garlic-shallot butter. Centro
veal is humanely raised and I
do not know of another place in
Iowa that spends the extra money
for that.
A special “braccioli,” which
Formaro says will probably be
on the menu soon, soared. George
cut pork shoulder into a rectangle
that was coated with panko, fresh
herbs, orange zest and garlic
— then rolled & tied, browned
& braised and served with
a sauce of the braising liquid.
This dish is a great invention
of Calabria and could become a
signature of Calebrese-influenced
Des Moines. Portions were consistently
large and pairings were simple
— mostly garlic mashed potatoes
and pasta alfredo. Handmade cavatelli
and “penne with prosciutto and
wood fired chicken” were the best
pasta. “Sicilian street chicken,”
topped with oranges and fresh
fennel in arugula, had more range
of accents than other wood-grilled
chicken dishes in town.
Pastry chef Laura Martin’s dessert
list was less Italian than the
main menu, but several excellent
tarts and the compulsory flourless
chocolate torte compensated. A
“tiramasu martini” and 17 single
malt Scotches highlighted the
bar menu. With 17 wines by the
glass beginning at $5, and bottles
priced $21-$300, Centro is a reasonable
splurge for populists.
Side dish
George Formaro is consulting
on the menu for Tommy Farrell‘s
Italian Ristorante. Farrell says
he wants to bring neglected Chicago-Italian
influences to town, particularly
in the style of sausages and roast
beef. CV
By Jim Duncan CVFDude@aol.com
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