My new boss, Roger, took me to Cafe Centro for lunch today. He made reservations in the morning, but when we got there, it was packed and we had to wait for a while. I don't agree with restaurants taking reservations when they can't honor them. We weren't pressed for time in this case but.....

The space is a bright open space with an open kitchen. Servers are dressed in uniform and the mass of business people fill the space very loudly. It is the scene you would imagine of a Grand Central Restaurant.

I order the Lump Crab Cake appetizer, which Roger suggested, and it was a good crab cake. Barely any filler, but held together well enough, and cooked properly. What I really liked was the light horseradish paste shaped into a quenelle perched on top. My entree was Seared Sea Scallops with Truffle Whipped Potatoes. The scallops were cooked perfectly but the sauce was a bit too salty and overly buttery. None of the minor errors were enough to prevent me from cleaning the plates. Roger had the Field Greens Salad to start. I didn't taste it but the greens weren't cut into small enough pieces, which is a minor peeve of mine. I don't believe in eating salad with a knife or having to bite off pieces. As the main course, he ordered the Tuesday special - Branzino. The skin was nice and crisp but the fish was cooked just a tiny bit over. It still tasted good since it was fresh fish.

The menu, portions, and sizes are really more like a dinner than a lunch so it's a definite treat mid- Monday. However, it's the type of place that's good but forgettable since the dishes aren't very inventive, but executed well enough to be the perfect spot for a business lunch.