By: Joanna McDonald | May 08 2009
Posted in Rogue Valley - Find It - Rogue Valley

38 Central in Medford confounds the notion that "simple" is ordinary. Years of experience have formed the intuition of the chef and owners, and careful planning converges with local ingredients to produce a menu that is simple, and, at first glance, even pedestrian. Fried chicken, barbequed ribs, butterscotch pudding, and banana splits aren't exactly the makings of gourmet dreams.

Bruleed banana split at 38 Central in Medford

But there is nothing ordinary about the warm finish of a hefty butterscotch pudding, each batch made with half a bottle of scotch and served in a house-made waffle cup. Nor is there anything ordinary about the sweet, glass-like crust of the banana in the brûléed banana split. Ordinary banana splits don't get kitchen-torch treatment like the top of a crème brulée. They don't arrive with vanilla bean gelato from Mamma Mia Gelateria in Jacksonville. Things may be simple, but they are not ordinary.

Owners Michael Wolf and David Graham came from years on the Napa Valley restaurant scene with plans for a restaurant that served great classic food made from fresh, local ingredients from sustainable sources in a comfortable atmosphere. The urban loft-like setting with abstract art pieces dotting the stripped-brick walls is decidedly unstuffy, right down to the kid-friendly butcher-paper-covered tables.

"We wanted to do something that was approachable to everybody instead of doing something that was too niche marketed or specific to some cuisine," said co-owner David Graham.

They've succeeded.

Average cost for lunch is $12 to $15, dinner is $15 to $30. Lunch is served from weekdays 11:30 a.m. until 4:59 p.m., and dinner is served Monday through Saturday from 5:00 p.m. until close.

 

 

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