Cent'Anni — Restaurant in New York

My boyfriend and I tried this restaurant for the first time yesterday. He had lasagna that he didn’t enjoy, it tasted like a replica of home food. I asked for my skirt steak medium well and received it well done. The mashed potatoes were so DRY. They lacked lots of milk, butter, and even some salt. It was flavorless. When I asked for butter on the side, it had something in it so I asked for butter again. The waitress’ face expressed annoyance when I asked for a different one. Again, the butter had tiny traces of breadcrumbs in it. I didn’t get her name but she is the “manager”. My spoke to the manager about the lack of flavor in the food and even let her know that I know it wasn’t her fault. She took everything off the bill but as she was doing so, she kept rolling her eyes, sucking her teeth, her body language was very telling on how upset she was. When I confronted her about her nasty attitude, she was defensive and trying to deflect and manipulate me into thinking she wasn’t displaying her annoyance. I asked her if the money is coming out of HER pocket and she refused to answer. I asked her again and she said “no but it’s coming out of the restaurant”.. which indicates that she shouldn’t have taken it so personal. Her attitude was SO DISGUSTING AND UNPLEASANT that I’m GLAD I told her off. She was all happy when she thought we were spending money and treated us poorly and disgusting because SHE decided to take everything off the bill. It’s not our fault they lacked flavor in the food. Nobody wants to pay $50 for food they didn’t enjoy at all. I tried to bring it to her attention in the most respectful way and she acted disgusting!! I honestly felt like it was racism. They love to treat us well when they think we’re spending money but the minute we don’t, their true colors come out!! I will NOT be coming back and I DO NOT recommend! I didn’t get her name but it...

We had a horrible experience. Recommended to us by a friend, we were told Cent’Anni was a great restaurant that had freshly made pasta. As it was our date night, we were pretty excited to try something new (we are regulars at an adjacent restaurant). Upon entering, the vibe was cool. A little dark for our tastes, but what can you expect from most modern restaurants. Our waitress, though kind, was quirky and a little awkward when assisting us with what to order.

The food… no. My partner is familiar with Italian cuisine and ordered the Ricotta and Chicken pâté crostinis. They were not memorable, and completely lacked flavor. We told our waitress and it seemed like she had an attitude with receiving the feedback. The calamari was alright, but tasted like a sports bar calamari— which I wouldn’t expect from an Italian restaurant.

Our main courses were atrocious. We could not even stomach or eat another bite of it. It was odd, both of our entrees were highly recommended by the waitress and seemed to have good reviews on it. I got the Branzino with gnocchi and my partner got the Lamb Tagliatelle. She described her dish as tasting like it came from a can, and not fresh. Mine DEFINITELY did not taste like any sort of Branzino. My gnocchi also was boring. There was no flavor in both, and honestly, if I continued to eat my fish, I would’ve gotten sick. By that point, we gave our feedback for it to be comped, paid & left.

It was disappointing to say the least. My partner, who is very experienced in working in high end restaurants, also noticed there was no chef and no manager on the floor to speak to… on a Friday night. Granted, the place was quite empty which we understand why now. Not sure if it was a bad night, or the lack of leadership translated through the food, but we will not return.

Thank god our go-to restaurant was just...

As someone who frequently enjoys solo dining and reading on Fridays, I decided to switch things up and try Cent'Anni instead of my usual spot on Franklin Avenue. Unfortunately, my experience was not up to par. The service at the bar seemed off; the bartender appeared noticeably annoyed, especially when I requested water without ice and a smaller straw. While I understand the environmental concerns regarding plastic, it seemed inconsistent as they provided large straws (and usually bartender hust cut the staw to make it fit smaller glass). Additionally, small details of professional etiquette were lacking, such as my check and card not being properly presented on a check board like other patrons st the bar.

When ordering my cocktail and pasta, I had to remind the bartender for a fork, which was a minor inconvenience as I was engrossed in my reading. The Tagliatelle Ragu Lamb was disappointing and underwhelming: the portion was excessive, possibly compensating for the lack of quality ingredients, the pasta was overcooked, the sauce lacked flavor, and the lamb in the "Ragu lamb" was difficult to detect.

Overall, I'll be sticking to my usual spot for solo dining at the bar on Franklin av: Arden, where the bartender excels in professionalism and creating a welcoming atmosphere (and the food is excellent). When it comes to Italian food, Aita Trattoria offers better quality, although I must acknowledge that the seated service at Cent'Anni was commendable the last time i came (and this time host and the person bringing plate were really nice). For cocktails in a restaurant setting, both Arden and Barboncino surpass Cent'Anni in...