Centrolina at 10
Centrolina at 10
By: Donna D’Angelo
Tucked into the heart of CityCenterDC—a luxury mixed-use development in downtown Washington—Centrolina Mercato e Osteria recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. The restaurant, led by Chef Amy Brandwein, has helped shape the neighborhood’s identity with its modern, seasonal approach to regional Italian cuisine—especially its standout seafood offerings.
Seafood is the centerpiece of Centrolina’s menu. Delicate crudos, squid ink pasta, grilled whole fish, and shellfish-laced entrées highlight Brandwein’s ability to bring out the best in premium Mid-Atlantic ingredients. Guests can enjoy a light lunch of squid ink chitarra and return for dinner to savor pappardelle with shiso, ricotta, scallop, and bottarga. The grilled fish of the day, served simply with seasonal accompaniments, has become a longtime favorite.
The restaurant’s annual Feast of the Seven Fishes, served during the holidays, reflects both tradition and creativity. Each year, Brandwein crafts an entirely new seafood-centric menu inspired by classic Italian-American celebrations.
An essential part of Centrolina’s identity is its adjoining Italian market, which brings the restaurant’s values and flavors into guests’ homes. While Brandwein knew the ins and outs of running a restaurant, stepping into retail was a new challenge. From maintaining inventory to scaling fish and pricing imports, she learned as she went. The market quickly became an integral way to share her love for Italian ingredients and coastal flavors.
Guests can find the same pristine seafood featured on the menu available for purchase, along with specialty items like Colatura di Alici (a richly savory anchovy sauce fermented in oak barrels), Nonnata di Pesce (spicy marinated neonatal baby fish used in her salmon tartare), Italian spicy soy sauce, and imported peppers.
Centrolina continues to evolve with unique events and offerings. Among them is Stela, an intimate eight-course tasting menu served in Brandwein’s private chef salon. Held most Fridays at 7 PM, Stela gives Brandwein the freedom to step outside traditional Italian frameworks, building menus around memories, ingredients, or personal stories—such as a recent tribute to summers in Michigan fishing for lake perch with her family. Optional wine pairings round out the experience.
Brandwein’s work has not gone unnoticed. She is a five-time James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, with one additional semifinalist nod in that same category. This year, she was recognized as a semifinalist for the national Outstanding Chef award, one of the most prestigious honors in American culinary arts.
Ten years in, Centrolina stands as both a destination for exceptional Italian cuisine and a reflection of its chef’s dedication to craft, sustainability, and the bounty of the sea.
