DRAGO Centro Menu

DRAGO Centro Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant & wine: A grand, sparkling nest of skyscrapers rises up with noir-ish romance around Celestino Drago's downtown jewel, which gave City National Plaza's former bank a magical reincarnation and the Eastside its first serious Italian restaurant. DRAGO Centro pulls together a first-rate Italian menu, professional service and a compelling wine program anchored by rare Italian bottles balanced with a landscape of moderate, lesser-known regional delights. There are more than three dozen selections available by the glass.

About the décor: The restaurant's sleek Milan-inspired modern décor of broad windows, gleaming glass wine tower, black Murano lamps and bold post-modernist art conjures a lively atmosphere capturing the high energy of downtown's politico heavies, business elite and high-end arts crowd.

About the food: Modern Italian dishes are a balance of refined and rustic, beautifully presented. Handmade pastas include the signature dish of roast pheasant pappardelle with morels, and various obscure regional specialties starring seasonal items. The bone-in rib-eye for two is carved tableside and accompanied by fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes and smoked fonduta. End your meal with an order of bomboloni (Italian donuts) with lemon cream, plum jam and white chocolate gelato. The chef’s tasting menu is $85, and features venison carpaccio, tagliatelle with sea urchin, smoked risotto with black cod, a duo of beef, and chocolate and praline terrine.