Our philosophy is simple: to share our passion for hand-made cheeses with as many people as possible. To that end, we have about 40 cheeses from all over the world on our list every day. The choices range from the familiar to the obscure; from mild to strong (and on to super, duper, crazy, stinky); from fresh to washed to blue. And because not every cheese goes with quince paste we take pains to pair each cheese with it’s perfect condiment. We work with over 100 different compliments, including a variety of honeys, nuts, compotes, jams, pickles, nuts, herbs, pastes, candies, cookies and cakes. We also love eclectic wines, beers and anything else that goes with cheese. And the best part is you don’t need to get all dressed up to come here

The great thing about Casellula is that it’s a warm cozy spot with a wonderful wine and beer selection to complement the great food. In addition,the service is wonderful as well. The three key partners at Casellula all boast impressive resumes having worked at such New York foodie institutions as Gramercy Tavern and Blue Hill Stone Farms. Their passion is evident in the pure number of patrons who come back on a weekly basis. We have never been there when there wasn’t at least a half hour line. Since they don’t take reservations, we knew getting in with four people on a Friday night would be difficult. Regardless, Bo and I love this little restaurant so much that we were willing to take the risk. After squeezing into the small bar area and warming up, Elizabeth and I enjoyed a glass of Chook Shiraz. I was excited to introduce this wine to Elizabeth as it has quickly become one of my favorites. It is soft and spicy, has less fizz than a champagne, and is wonderfully cool and refreshing when a red sounds good but you’re craving the crisp coolness of a white. The boys were quite pleased with the beer selection and Bo enjoyed an Arrogant Ale. Bo points out that while this is a restaurant that focuses on wines, their beer selection though small, is very high quality. After an hour of laughing and talking we realized that unfortunately dinner was not going to be an option unfortunately. They have a rule against putting tables together and therefore the two lovely empty two person tables were given to other patrons in line versus being put together as one for us. While at first we were all very upset, Casellula proved their focus on customer service by comping us for one of our rounds. This was a sweet gesture that also ensured we’ll come back soon!

The worst part was that it was now almost 10pm and none of us had eaten since lunch. Therefore we were all becoming a bit Hangry Pants as Heather would say. Food had to be in the near future and waiting in line or braving the cold for too long was not an option. Geoff and Elizabeth quickly remembered that their sister-in-law’s favorite restaurant, Hell’s Kitchen, was less than five blocks away. Now, we should have known something was odd when there was no wait and there were four open tables on a Friday night. However, since they had wonderufl memories of the restaurant from their visits two and three summers ago we embraced the tables and quickly ordered. The waiter, while very nice and outgoing, was more interested in describing house music and illegal downloads than describing the special or asking about our meals. After taking the order he never spoke to us again! We split three appetizers and then each couple ordered an appetizer and the artichoke quesadilla. The appetizers were very good though not great. The flavor was not memorable but when you’re hungry anything goes. However, the main courses were not even pallatable. It says something when four people leave more than half of their SHARED main dish on the table. The quesadilla was soggy and unfortunately disgusting. While Zagat still rates this restauarnt a 24 we’re all at a loss. Maybe the chef went home sick that night and the line chefs were stepping up? Maybe the artichokes were old? The good news is that this fun Friday night proved that as long as the company is good you can have fun under almost any situation. We all left laughing about the experience and promising better luck next time!