Meatball Slider in between a Garlic Knot? WHAT?
So yes, this website is called MANHATTAN Digest. I get it. But seeing as I split my time in between Long Island and NYC, I can't leave out the island of long that I grew up on my entire life. I have been able to do some great reviews for this site about great food spots outside of the Manhattan area, however I think the one that I did this past weekend takes the cake in so many different ways. This spot is called City Cellar, located in the heart of Westbury, Long Island. Westbury, notably known for being right by one of the biggest malls in the country, Roosevelt Field. I have heard of City Cellar in the past, and have hit up Famous Dave's, located right next to it, several times, but never went inside to see what it was all about. Cue to Saturday night where I took my best friend to experience what it had to offer, and we were quite impressed with more than just the food.
Something we particularly noticed about City Cellar is the amount of space the restaurant actually had. The high ceilings, roomy seating areas and wood finishing places City Cellar at a pretty high mark when it comes to its ambiance and decor. We were greeted by General Manager Daniel Sobey as well as Executive Chef and Syosset native MIchael Abbatiello, who has been apart of the City Cellar team for quite some time. On top of the fantastic and professional service done by our awesome waitress Maryann, we were excited to see what Chef Michael and his team had in stores for us.
Even though they have a whole menu prepared for us, there were two items that myself and my friend chose to add to the tasting. Even though the menu was quite intricate, something that I honed in on was their Meatball Slider, which consisted of a meatball with melted cheese and sauce wedged between, get ready for it, A GARLIC KNOT. Seriously, a freaking garlic knot, how has no one thought of this before? As much as I enjoy a diverse range of leveled cuisine, I am simply a semi-fat dude from Huntington who enjoys simple things like a slider. I have to say this is the best slider I have ever had, as the perfectly cooked meatball paired with the tasty sauce and cheese and the delicious garlic knot made the taste level that much more elevated. Perfection.
Other highlights from the menu that we were treated to was there Scallop course served over a Corn Puree. The scallop was seared and cooked very well and the corn puree balanced the scallop to perfection, with a blend of flavors that really enriched my palate. I have never in my life had Polenta, as I was told early in life it is reminiscent of grits, which i despise just like Newman from Seinfeld despises Broccoli (vile weed). So I was a bit hesitant when they served us their steak with onion jam on top of the plentiful portion of Polenta. Boy was I wrong. The flavor of it was bomb mixed with the unique taste of the onion jam and the medium rare steak that all together tasted really well. Other standouts was their butternut squash ravioli with a brown butter sauce. This is not on the City Cellar menu yet as it is something they are testing out but I highly think they should add it on with the cold weather coming. I would also recommend as a starter dish the Beef Carpaccio as they include the horseradish crema that melds really well with the simple beef they prepare.
For their dessert menu we were treated to their Dessert Martini called "Decadence" which consisted of- Grand Marnier, Frangelico, Bailey's, Godiva Chocolate Liqueur with fresh whipped cream and a chocolate swirl. Now you can see why they call it decadence as it was quite decadent. The Bananas Fosters Cream Pie was heavenly as it included salted caramel which is my own version of crack. So freaking good.
Just like I have done in the past with Long Island restaurants, I would HIGHLY recommend anyone from the Manhattan or LI area to come and try City Cellar. Not only is it a place you can go with loved ones, but they also have options to plan a big party for yourself or someone you know as they have the event space to carry something of a larger size. Overall, this experience was a 10 out of 10 in my book, and I am never that generous but I am giving credit where credit is due. Go check it out. Trust me.
City Cellar
1080 Corporate Drive, Westbury
(516) 693-5400
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