Classics and currents: Central Bodega generates a buzz in Nob Hill

The Nob Hill restaurant scene’s comeback from the twin torments of the Albuquerque Rapid Transit bus project and COVID is amply evident along the south side of Central Ave.

Three post-pandemic arrivals— M’Tucci’s Bar Roma, 3128 Social House and James Beard finalist Steve Riley’s Mesa Provisions — are thriving within two blocks of each other, while a little further east, the two-year-old Central Bodega is generating buzz.

Jessica and Seth Beecher, formerly of Ambrosia Cafe & Wine Bar in Old Town, opened the wine bar and kitchen a couple of summers ago. The word “bodega” has come to be associated with convenience stores, but its original meaning was a storehouse for wine.

True to its name, Central Bodega features wine from the Beecher’s own Mission Winery, along with food that goes well beyond the small bites of a typical wine bar with a menu that draws inspiration from Continental Europe.

The restaurant sits behind an imposing two-story façade framed by a couple of trees on the south side of Central next to Flying Star. It’s open for dinner Monday through Saturday and brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

We made a reservation online for dinner Saturday night. The reservations page on Tock allows you to choose between the upstairs and downstairs dining rooms. Upstairs appears to be the more popular choice. There was nothing available there until after 8 p.m., so we booked a table for two downstairs.

The ground-floor dining room stretches out narrowly to the back, flanked by an L-shaped bar on one side and an exposed brick wall on the other. The eight tables are divided between two- and four-tops. Décor is farmhouse chic. Repurposed wooden planks display plants and pottery against white-tiled walls.

A narrow set of stairs left of the entrance leads to the top floor dining room. I took a peek up there and saw a small bar, a handful of tables and a couch set next to a window overlooking Central. In contrast to the ground floor, the upstairs has a dark color scheme. It was noticeably busier and noisier than the downstairs space.

Central Bodega offers an affordable selection of reds, whites, rosés and bubblies, including many from Mission Winery. Glasses cost between $12 and $15 and bottles are $50 and up. There’s also a selection of beers, mostly local but with some European brews mixed in, along with a few sakes and a couple of mocktails.

Cocktails are divided into Classic and Signature categories, with most costing $14. The server steered me toward the Flubber ($14), one of the signature offerings. It derives its name from a bright, almost fluorescent green color that calls to mind the bouncy stuff in the Disney movies. Served in a rocks glass with a single large ice cube, it had a complex flavor, with the crisp and refreshing cucumber-infused tequila cutting through the smoke of the mezcal and pandan leaf extract providing a burst of color and sweetness.

A glass of plum-colored Sangria ($12) that combined fresh-squeezed orange juice with one of the winery’s fruity reds, was terrific.

The food menu is divided into Small Bites, Soups/Salads, Mussels and Mains. Prices reside firmly in the upper level for Albuquerque. The server told us the chef came over from Yanni’s, the longtime Greek restaurant that closed last year.

The Small Bites portion of the menu includes seafood, cheese and steak priced from $6 to $25.

An order of Castelvetrano Olives ($6) from Sicily, the cheapest small bite on the menu, arrived in a lidded glass jar. This was a good starter. The green olives with the pits still inside were buttery and not as intensely briny as other varieties and the bitter zest balanced their flavor nicely.

Though listed as a small bite, the bodega’s version of Crab Cake ($24) was hefty enough to suffice as an entrée. There was virtually no filler here: just a baseball-sized sphere of lump crab meat browned at the surface and packed together over a pool of lemon butter caper sauce. The sweet, briny crab paired wonderfully with the fat and citrus of the sauce.

Other starters include three salads priced from $13 to $16 and a Gazpacho ($14). Mussels are available in Spanish or French presentations for $24.

Most of the entrees check in at more than $30. Specials that night included beef tenderloin medallions.

Sole ($32) is presented in a Parmesan crust with whipped potatoes and asparagus. The sole fillet that almost filled the plate was fresh and moist and the crisp lattice of parmesan added crunch and sharp nuttiness. Cherry tomato halves and grilled lemon brought a zing of acid. The rest of it was marred by what I’ve taken to calling the Curse of the Underheated Sides. Both the potatoes and asparagus were below the ideal temperature: a shame because the silky potatoes were tasty.

Fettuccine ($24), the least expensive of the entrees, was served in a shallow bowl. I had read that the place makes its own pasta, but the server disabused me of that notion. Nevertheless, the flat noodles were al dente and the thin, creamy sauce studded with peas was aggressively but not unbearably salted. The dish was topped with thin, crisp pieces of bacon. The bacon bits mixed in with the sauce were a little sodden. A good dish substantial enough for a couple of meals.

Listed on a separate menu, dessert options include Cake Pops ($4), Seasonal Desserts and Sorbet/Gelato ($5). The server told us that the baked goods are made by the chef’s mother. Sorbet and gelato were not available on this night, so we ordered Crème Brûlée ($12), the only gluten-free option that remained. Served in an oval ramekin under strawberry slices and whipped cream, it was well-executed, with a thin shell of sugar over an almost pudding-like custard bursting with vanilla flavor. My only gripe: The serving size was a bit small for the price.

Service was prompt and efficient. Gluten-free and vegan options are marked on the menu, a practice that’s sadly all too rare in these parts.

Just two years into its life, Central Bodega has carved out a niche in Nob Hill. More intimate than M’Tucci’s and 3128 Social House and with a more comprehensive drinks menu than Mesa Provisions, it provides another option for a night out in the city’s premier restaurant neighborhood.