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Phantom Gourmet: Centre Street Sanctuary In Jamaica Plain

JAMAICA PLAIN - If you're starving for something sinful, have a hellish hunger and are salivating for salvation, then you need to visit the Centre Street Sanctuary.

The motto at this Jamaica Plain restaurant is, "All are welcome," and that's exactly how you'll feel when you take a seat inside the casual dining room. Choose from more than fifty of their craft beers and order up a big plate of comfort food at an even more comforting price.

Centre Street Sanctuary gets its name, first because it's located on Centre Street, and second, because it's built on the campus of the Blessed Sacrament Church, which closed down in 2004. When owner Adam Rutstein opened the restaurant, he made sure a bit of the holy spirit remained in the space, by furnishing the room with materials from old churches.

"It's almost like visiting a museum," he said. "We have stained glass windows that came from a French Catholic church in Leominster, this bar top came from a church in Watertown. They were outdoor doors. The bar face itself was a choir box, and some of the cabinetry came from Saint Catherine's church in Charlestown. The church pews that we have that we refashioned and made banquets and booths, those came from a church in Cambridge."

No need to pray for a good meal here, because the food at Centre Street Sanctuary doesn't disappoint. Each meal starts with a bowl of thick, crunchy, complementary potato chips with house made dip. There are Fried Mac and Cheese Balls served with a roasted red pepper and sriracha sauce, and glorious gravy-covered Poutine.

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Poutine at Sanctuary (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

"We've had people say it's the best poutine this side of Canada," bragged Adam. "We do lardons, which is also pork belly, Vermont cheese curds, and of course our housemade hand cut fries. It's great guilt eating if you're gonna eat the whole entire meal."

Another guilty pleasure is the dish known as Dueling Cheese, which presents one type of cheese in two different ways: plain and pan fried.

"You've seen cheese plates with small little pieces of cheese on it, and you've also seen fried mozzarella sticks. So I wanted to do something that was a little different, that could kind of combine the two."

Of all the apps here, nothing beats the Chicken Wings, available in Honey Chipotle, Soy Molasses or a devilish hot Damnation Habanero Jerk Sauce.

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Chicken Wings at Sanctuary (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

"They are extremely spicy," warned Adam. "They're sweet when you first bite them, but after about two or three you start to suffer a little bit. All three wings have been very successful for us. People come back for each specific wing, because each specific recipe is craveable."

At Centre Street Sanctuary, they have a serious devotion to burgers, and the half pound patties are so indulgent, they're collectively referred to as the Sin Burgers.

"There's seven of them, and even though you associate seven deadly sins, these burgers are anything but deadly. But they're so rich, they could be sinful."

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Sin Burgers at Sanctuary (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

Each is named after one of the seven deadly sins, so there's the Gluttony Burger, topped with aged cheddar, thick cut bacon, and caramelized shallot aioli; the Envy Burger with mozzarella and portabella; the coffee rubbed Sloth Burger topped with a fried egg, and stuffed with pork belly and herbed cream cheese; and the extra cheesy Wrath Burger.

"The Wrath burger is a half a pound of ground sirloin, with our fried mac and cheese ball crushed down, and we put a jalapeno cheese sauce over the top," Adam explained. "It drips all over your hand while you're eating it. As soon as you bite the burger you don't put it down and you devour it, and it's gone before you know it. It just really melts in your mouth."

Rounding out the sinly selections are Lust: a lamb burger topped with spinach, feta, and tomato; Greed: a salmon burger slathered in horseradish sauce; and Pride: a turkey burger Adam is definitely proud of.

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Pride burger at Sanctuary (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

"The Turkey Burger is the best Turkey Burger you'll ever have. If you don't like Turkey Burgers, we will change your mind on this burger," declared Adam. "It is a layer of mashed potatoes, a layer of the mushroom gravy, the Turkey Burger patty, which is a very hearty eight ounce patty. We do another layer of mashed potatoes, another layer of the mushroom gravy, and then we put the cranberry marmalade on the top. It's Thanksgiving on a plate, but it's good all year round."

There's no day of rest for the kitchen at Centre Street Sanctuary. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner every day, plus brunch on the weekends. Their brunch menu includes Grilled Brioche with Nutella, mascarpone, and fruit compote; an Elvis sandwich with peanut butter, banana, and bacon; and three styles of Eggs Benedict.

"I'm trying to bring back the basics for brunch," Adam explained.

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Eggs Benedict at Sanctuary (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

The same is true at dinner, with comfort food classics like Molasses Braised Short Ribs, a Roasted Duck Breast, and Herb Roasted Chicken with mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes.

"This herb roasted chicken is the best. It's the best possible recipe. It's been with us since the very beginning. We don't do anything fancy to it. We just do salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and that definitely is a complete comfort food dish."

Comfort is really what Centre Street Sanctuary is all about, both on the plate, and for the soul.

"Sanctuary is a sanctuary. As soon as you walk through the door, we want you to feel like you entered a sanctuary. We want you to feel comfortable, and we want you to be able to relax and unwind. And people do here."

You can find Centre Street Sanctuary at 365 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain and at centrestreetsanctuary.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.

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