Central Restaurante

Central Restaurante
Restaurant information
Established 2008 (2008)
Current owner(s) Virgilio Martínez Véliz
Head chef Virgilio Martínez Véliz
Food type Contemporary Peruvian
Dress code None
Rating Nº4 (2015) The World's 50 Best Restaurants; Nº1 (2015) Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants
Street address Calle Santa Isabel 376 – Miraflores
City Lima
Postal/ZIP code 18
Country Peru
Coordinates 12°07′57″S 77°01′40″W / 12.1325713°S 77.0278678°W / -12.1325713; -77.0278678Coordinates: 12°07′57″S 77°01′40″W / 12.1325713°S 77.0278678°W / -12.1325713; -77.0278678
Website centralrestaurante.com.pe
The kitchen at Central Restaurante.

Central Restaurante is a restaurant located in the Miraflores District, Lima, Peru. Central Restaurante is the flagship restaurant of Peruvian chef, Virgilio Martínez Véliz, and serves as his workshop in the investigation and integration of indigenous Peruvian ingredients into the restaurant's menu. The restaurant is known for its contemporary interpretation and presentation of Peruvian cuisine. GQ Latinoamérica calls Central Restaurante "the heart of his [Virgilio Martínez Véliz] gastronomic philosophy."[1] In 2012, Central Restaurante was named Best Restaurant of Peru by the Peruvian dining guide, SUMMUM.[2] In 2013, Central Restaurante entered as number 50 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants as awarded by the British magazine Restaurant.,[3] and in 2014 jumped 35 places receiving "Highest Climber" recognition and ranking as number 15 in the world.[4] On August 21, 2014, Central Restaurante for the third consecutive year was awarded Best Restaurant of Peru by the Peruvian Dining Guide, SUMMUM, and additionally received awards for Best Contemporary Peruvian cuisine and Best Sommelier.[5]

Central has been named the best restaurant in Latin America for 4 consecutive years (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017), and the 4th ranked restaurant in the world in 2015 and 2016.[6][7]

Cuisine

The cuisine at Central Restaurante is Contemporary Peruvian, and founder Virgilio Martínez Véliz has attempted to redefine Peruvian cuisine by introducing little-known indigenous ingredients from Peru's coastal region, the Andes highlands, and the Amazon rainforest. Examples of such ingredients include kushuru (cushuro), an edible cyanobacteria harvested in high-altitude wetlands; arracacha, a root vegetable from the Andes; and arapaima, a freshwater fish found in the Amazon River. Chef and restaurant commentator Geeta Bansal describes the cuisine as "fresh, and contemporary with beautiful plates."[8]

Staff

Owner and founder Virgilio Martínez Véliz formerly worked at restaurants such as Lutèce (New York City); Can Fabes (Sant Celoni); and served as executive chef at Astrid & Gastón in both Bogotá and Madrid. The Chef de cuisine is Pía León, wife of Martínez Véliz. The two worked together for two years before marrying in Lima on May 4, 2013. The restaurant's wine director is American-born Gregory Thomas Smith.

Since its opening, Central restaurant has been illegally located in an area zoned residential.[9] In 2009, Manuel Masías Oyanguren, the mayor of Mirafores, closed the restaurant and stated that it wouldn't open again, enforcing the zoning approved since 2006.[10] The restaurant continued to operate until 2010, when it finally closed, obeying the municipal order. Later in the same year, Central opened again thanks to a court order.[11] That court order was later cancelled, but Central presented an appeal and is waiting for the decision.[12] Since then, Central has been operating pending the case's appeal, without obeying the municipal orders and without listening to the complaints of the neighbors.

References

  1. ↑ Velásquez, Renato (2013). "El Cocinero Explorador". GQ Latinoamérica (April): 128.
  2. ↑ Central fue elegido mejor restaurante del país. Gestion. 12 de julio de 2012
  3. ↑ Central – The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2013
  4. ↑ Central – The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2014 Archived June 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Geeta Bansal Interviews Virgilo Martinez, Peru's Newest Chef Star. OC Weekly. May 6, 2013
  9. ↑ "PERÚ: EL MEJOR RESTAURANTE DEL PAÍS NO TIENE LICENCIA".
  10. ↑ "Alcalde de Miraflores en sus trece: "el restaurante Central no volverá a abrir"".
  11. ↑ "El restaurante Central volverá a abrir sus puertas este lunes".
  12. ↑ "Cartas". Revista Somos: 8. March 2013.
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