Smooth Rhythms Served Up at Cent’Anni

Stroll down Highland Place in downtown Maplewood on a weekend evening, and you’ll be tempted to stop in at Cent’Anni Restaurant & Lounge—for good reason. From Thursdays through Saturdays, the eatery features live music and in fair weather, proprietor Chris Farrow throws open the front windows/doors, beckoning patrons to have a listen, grab a drink, or enjoy some local Italian cuisine.

Cent’Anni offers two types of seatings: a more formal, quieter setting in the back of the house or tables up front and center by the bar and make-shift stage. With the restaurant’s doors flung open and the night breeze wafting through, the front dining area almost has an outdoor café feel, perfect for people-watching, listening to the band, and of course, eating.

On the night I visited, I chose to sit in the front of the house. The meal began with toasted bread and drink service. Cent’Anni offers a full bar, with draught beer (New Jersey-brewed Cricket Hill Pale Ale and Lager) and wines by the glass ($6-10). Bottled wines range from a $26 affordable Italian red (Aglianico, Terredora Di Paolo) to a pricy $250 reserve Bordeaux (Chateau Clinet, Pomerol 2003).

For appetizers, I tried Cent’Anni’s delicious fried calamari with marinara sauce ($9). The seafood was lightly battered and quick-dipped in hot oil, and the sauce was flavored with just the right amount of heat to bring the squid, the acid of the lemon juice, and the sweetness of the tomatoes together in one harmonious bite. There's many an Italian restaurant that serves fried calamari, but not all do so well. Cent’Anni’s version wasn’t soggy, greasy, or chewy in the least. With the lazy sax notes floating in the air, I was off to a good start.

Next up was the Kobe Slider ($9), which featured the very gourmet Wayu beef, a garlic-toasted roll, and beer-batter onion rings. The burger didn’t hit the high notes of the fried calamari, as it was a bit bland and overcooked, but it was juicy and about average as far as burgers go.

The shrimp scampi ($9 for a half portion, $18 for a full dish) also turned out to be a one-note tune instead of a fully orchestrated ensemble, when compared to some of the restaurant’s other options. While the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the shrimps were a generous portion and size, the Francese sauce teetered too far onto the gummy side.

However, Cent’Anni’s chicken saltimbocca ($18) is surely something to sing about. The dish includes a full, breaded chicken breast, melted, fresh mozzarella cheese, and prosciutto. It is served with a demi-glace sauce on a full bed of spinach. As I tucked into the tender, moist chicken and savored the saltiness from the prosciutto and the richness of the sauce, I almost felt the stand-up bass players’s chords reverberating on my palate.

Service is relaxed, yet attentive, and I felt completely at ease enjoying a leisurely meal and what started out as an organized jazz set and ended up being a really fun, impromptu jam session when the trio invited a visiting musician to join them. I was pleased to see the staff was just as into the (now) quartet as the customers were, and they moved in time to the music delivering many dishes to fellow diners, all of which looked inviting. Cent’Anni offers several salads, including a baby beet salad ($9) with mixed greens, goat cheese, and candied walnuts and a traditional caprese salad ($8) of roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. The eatery also has a slew of Northern and Italian main course favorites on the menu, including osso bucco ($26) and a wide variety of pastas such as Bolognese, Alfredo, Fra Diavolo, and Calabrese (all $8/16).

Cent’Anni also serves a really fantastic tiramisu ($8). The dessert is light and fluffy, with just a hint of espresso. This is the kind of sweets you can eat an entire plate of without thinking twice. And because it’s not at all heavy, you might even trick yourself into thinking it’s fat-free. I was also tempted to try their gelato ($6), which was a choice of cappuccino chip, Tahitian vanilla bean, or chocolate—or, perhaps one of their four varieties of grappa ($6-7). Instead, I opted to close the meal out with their Hush! Hush! coffee ($7), a whipped-cream topped concoction of Bailey’s, Frangelico, and several other alcoholic delights.

“Cent’Anni” means 100 years or a very long, undefined time in Italian. While the 11-year old Maplewood establishment hasn’t quite made it to the century mark yet, it seems to be a neighborhood favorite with many dropping by to say hello to the bartenders, the waiters, and to Farrow himself. And why wouldn’t you, at a restaurant with a reliable kitchen that practically says, “come on in, stay awhile, and let us entertain you”? I’m sure I’ll find myself wandering downtown Maplewood again, following the music to Cent’Anni.