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Business & Tech

Centrella's Deli and Italian Market: Italian Food Ready To Go

This week Patch reviews Centrella's Deli and Italian Market in Havertown.

Recently, I was telling a friend about how I had gone to a Chinese restaurant and the server had literally said, "and then?" after I completed my order and I had to suppress my laughter.

I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I have seen Dude Where's My Car? and the infamous scene at the Chinese restaurant. "And" is a small but very powerful word that can join very different statements, "I got a rash and it stayed for weeks ..."; "I returned home and had been robbed ..." You get the idea. For businesses, "and" signifies more than one. is two distinct businesses under one roof.

When I first enter a place like Centrella's I spend a good 10 minutes just walking around to get a lay of the land. Each shelf had a wide array of Italian wonders and everywhere I turned I found something else that I had to inspect closer.

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Centrella's has plenty of homemade items in addition to the bonanza of imported delights. There are Italian pastas, pastas made in the Italian tradition in New Jersey, homemade frozen pastas, etc. San Marzano tomatoes come from various producers. There are even Italian anchovies and chocolates around the store. 

I grabbed some egg linguine, Rosa brand San Marzano tomatoes and almond torrone. From the homemade refrigerator section I grabbed meatballs and tomato sauce and a bag of pizzelles. I started building a pile by the register and continued walking around the market area, exploring every nook and cranny.

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I ordered a roast pork sandwich with provolone from the deli section. The sandwich took some time to come out because they were heating it up in the oven until the meat was warmed through and the cheese completely melted. The bread was from Liscio's and the pork itself was a bit dry, even with the gravy on top. It was mildly flavored and sliced very thin. I added a few drops of Tabasco for some heat. It was a perfectly fine sandwich and quite large (I could only finish half in one sitting).

Later on I made some linguine with the meatballs and sauce. The egg noodles cooked up a perfect al dente and had a wonderful flavor and texture. The sauce had an intoxicating aroma that wafted up as soon as I took the top of the container. I could smell parmesan amidst the rich tomato sauce.

I heated two meatballs and the sauce in the microwave and then poured it over my picture perfect noodles. It was delicious. Small batch noodles taste way better than mass produced boxed pasta. The sauce was multilayered and redolent of herbs and garlic. 

The San Marzano tomatoes are the perfect base for tomato sauce. Cooked down with some onions, garlic, olive oil and oregano or basil (or both) and seasoned simply with salt and pepper, San Marzano tomatoes live up to their reputation as the best sauce tomato in the world.

The pizzelles were delicate and crisp. There is a lightness to well made pizzelles that causes them to break apart with the greatest ease when you take your first bite. These were not too sweet and had a wonderful golden color.

The almond torrone was the winner of this shopping excursion in my book. The ingredient list was basically almonds, egg whites and sugar. This was a fantastic protein filled gluten-free treat. I cautiously took my first bite as I didn't know what to expect but ended up inhaling the bar in three bites. It was the perfect mid-day snack even if it hadn't really survived the hot interior of my car. Light with a hint of sugar and hidden chunks of toasted almonds, this bar was awesome. I would go back to Centrella's just to get a dozen of these.

Centrella's is a bona fide deli AND Italian market. It offers numerous options for those looking for prepared foods to-go or for those looking for culinary inspiration. Artists are known for being inspired by landscapes, colors of the sunset, warm smiles, memories, etc. I know that any culinary artist would be inspired by the wares at this market.

The space may be small but it's crowded with a wide variety of items. If you're a seasoned executive chef or merely a home cook learning how to boil water, this market will provide high quality ingredients for your next endeavor.

The deli section is no slouch as there are many cured meats and cheeses available by the pound or in your favorite sandwich. The service is relaxed and easy going. They aren't the fastest but it's because they are making sure things are done the right way. I could see members of the staff working with actual pots and pans rather than re-heating some frozen food they had gotten from Sysco. 

The interior is bright and laid out in a space maximizing manner. It's mostly white, with white walls, black and white checkered floor, fluorescent lights. They were hanging up red, white and blue decorations in honor of July 4th when I went in which leads me to believe that they are in the habit of decorating for the holidays.  

The vibe is old fashioned market—it's not some trendy, minimalist space. I enjoyed my visit to this deli AND market. I got lunch and dinner for that day covered in one fell swoop. This freed up so much time I was only left with one more question, "and then what am I going to do?"

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