Park Central Tavern Is An Immediate Hit In Hamden

A few months ago, when I saw that the large vacant restaurant quarters near Saint Rita’s Church on Whitney Avenue in Spring Glen were undergoing a big overhaul, my curiosity got the better of me. I stopped by and peered in the windows. I could tell that, whatever was going on, it was clearly not being done on the cheap. I inquired at the nearby pizzeria and salon, hoping the space was still destined to be a restaurant, and hoping against hope that it would be a good one with staying power. After all, after years as Sean Riley’s and as Leon’s, the building most recently had housed side-by-side ventures Cotton Gin Steakhouse & Shaliga Royal Thai Cuisine, an idea right up there with Chevrolet’s risible attempt to sell the Nova (“no va” means “doesn’t go”) in Latin America.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to know what was going into the space. So a couple of months later, I inquired again. This time, the word was out. The chef would be Robert Johnson, a CIA graduate and all-around good guy who was lauded for his work at Aqua in Clinton and Cibo in Branford, both fine restaurants. For Hamden, which all too rarely seems to get the restaurants—or chefs—that it deserves, this was cause for celebration.

And celebrate people did! When Park Central Tavern first opened, it was so obviously mobbed that I didn’t even try to get in. I let a couple of weeks pass, and then attempted entry three times. I was successful only once. Now, after the opening insanity has passed, the restaurant has come back to earth a bit. One can usually get in at times one would expect to be slower, but I would still recommend reservations. And blessedly, the restaurant is open on Sunday, when dining options in Hamden are severely diminished.

Park Central Tavern is doing a great job, and Hamdenites are responding with enthusiasm and loyalty. The place is beautiful, inside and out, with high-quality materials in evidence everywhere. Rumor has it that 3.5 million dollars was expended on the restaurant. Stone and wood predominate. I like taking my meal in both the bar area and the dining rooms, one of which is shaped like a high-ceilinged wine cellar. Even the restrooms are impressive. There is a lovely patio area that’s in high demand. And I have found the service at Park Central Tavern to be competent and warm, even when beset by an avalanche of customers.

The menu is fairly straightforward. Even as it opened, amateur bloggers—bless their dear hearts—perused the menu and speculated that the restaurant wouldn’t be very interesting. The upscale tavern menu apparently didn’t include enough bells and whistles for their taste. But good food comes less from complexity than it comes from good technique and good ingredients.

At Park Central Tavern, good technique is solved by having a first-rate chef, and Johnson clearly understands the importance of getting good ingredients. For instance, the addictive bread served is the crusty, stone-oven-baked bread from Spanish distributor El Forno Artisan Breads, which supplies some of Connecticut’s top restaurants.

Let me take you through my first visit, which was in mid-May. One of my companions was Jay King of Danbury, an exceptional car builder whose cars sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Here, you can see Jay holding up his latest magazine cover, showing his custom-built K-1 Attack Car. Ladies, he’s a really good guy—and single!

Jay selected the fried oysters for his appetizer. A simple preparation, perhaps, but the oysters were plump, perfectly cooked and stunningly fresh.

The crab cake was soft and crabby.

The standard Caprese salad of fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil was not only served with extra virgin olive oil but enlivened with tapénade and a red bell pepper purée.

However, our most intriguing starter might have been shiitake mushrooms sautéed with extra virgin olive oil, garlic chips and parsley, a handling that could easily have come straight from the Iberian or Italian peninsula.

We tried three entrées, and were hugely pleased by all of them. A flat iron steak was flavorful and juicy.

Blackened swordfish was beautiful and bountiful.

But my favorite dish of all was the house-seasoned Angus sirloin, rivaling Jack’s Saybrook Steak for the best cut I’ve found for under $30 in Connecticut. I have learned that the steak is provided by Steve Falcigno of Statewide Meats & Poultry in New Haven, an excellent supplier, and I have visited Park Central Tavern’s kitchen and found Johnson trimming the steak himself. I have returned several times for that steak.

For dessert, one dining companion selected chocolate-dipped strawberries with vanilla ice cream, an unusual option.

Another picked the flourless chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.

But I liked my choice best of all—the blueberry pudding cake, also served with vanilla ice cream.

It took my loyal dining companion Bob, also a Hamdenite, to point out that Park Central Tavern must be so named because it’s sandwiched on Whitney Avenue between Park Avenue and Central Avenue. I might never have noticed that. But more important, my wish—made when I first peered in the windows during construction—was granted. Hamden has acquired a fine new restaurant, one that should serve the good people of the town for years to come.

Park Central Tavern, 1640 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, 203-287-8887