"I've really missed being behind the stove," says Centeno, "I can't wait." Of the name, Centeno says he met his partner Michael Cardenas in the year of the Ox - this past January - and thought that was good enough luck to stick with it, "put any adjective in front of the name of an animal..." and you've got something catchy. The Canteen part of the name seems to stem from the type of food Centeno has on his menu. With a whopping 12 beers on draft (mind you, the bar seats only 6-8 people) and another 12 by the bottle, including some that you can't even get at Father's Office (read: Japan's Ozeno Yukidoke IPA), the beverage menu does the restaurant's name justice - or vise versa. The kitchen, completely open, just adjacent to the bar, is literally the size of a large bathroom. But seeing Centeno standing proudly in front of his fired up oven is enough to make anyone hungry. With menu prices all below $25, this is the new destination hang-out.
For a preview of the menu, simple view above. Think small plates for the bar crowd, and full plates for the real diners. His fans may just demand his Bacos, but we'll just have to wait to see if they will make an appearance on one of those chalkboard specials. For now there's cheeses exclusively from Cow Girl Creamery, coffee from San Francisco based roasters Four Barrel, and his own house-made merguez, burger buns and house-ground burger blend, Centeno has plenty of surprises up his sleeves. He's excited, too, about his chalkboard specials which feature a different family-style meal (fried chicken, pot roast) each week. And with Kevin Travis manning the wine selection, expect to see plenty of small producers, boutique vineyards, and exquisite beers on a rotating basis.
·EaterWire: The Umami Truck, Lazy Ox, First & Hope [~ELA~]
·EaterWire: Lemonade, Lazy Oz, More [~ELA~]
— Daniela Galarza
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