City Cellar in Westbury has new owners and a new chef and the food, which has been good since the restaurant opened seven years ago, has gotten even better.
This large, high-ceiling restaurant has been tamed a bit with curvy room dividers and subdued lighting. Set off by dark cherry wood columns with waist-high partitions, a curved path leading from the reception area divides the space, with a dining area to the left and the long bar and another dining area to the right. Tucked away in the back is a very popular (reserve early) large table that can seat up to 15 people. There’s an open kitchen and a brick hearth oven where a variety of flatbreads are baked.
The bar is backed by a 25-foot-high glass-enclosed wine cellar containing more than 4,000 bottles from wine districts throughout the world. There are nearly 500 selections and 40 wines available by the glass or half glass.
There are a few popular holdovers from the old City Cellar, such as 12-hour braised brisket, but Chef Mike Abbatiello applies his deft touch with numerous delicious creations. The cuisine is modern American, which means Abbatiello takes his cues from a variety of sources, most notably Italian, French and Asian. The chef bases most of his dishes on combining a protein with crunch, a touch of acid and something smooth, such as his maple glazed salmon with fennel apple slaw, honey walnut vinaigrette, sweet potato puree and candied walnuts.
We started our meal with Berkshire pork belly sliders, and slide they did. The deliciously rich pork belly was balanced with apple jam and baby arugula, served on toasted buns dotted with black sesame seeds. Beef carpaccio was served with horseradish crema, tiny wild mushrooms, petit greens, and flakes of Parmesan. Another good starter was the ahi tuna tartare, a pretty arrangement of avocado, citrus vinaigrette tuna, house chips and mache, served with dollops of spiced crema. The chips were so good that we ordered a side.
The cheese and charcuterie board was a beautiful arrangement of artisanal meats, breads and cheeses, with cornichons, olives and a golden raisin/tart cherry jam. Our meats were smoked country ham and bresaola; cheeses were Oregon smoked bleu and upstate New York goat cheese; and the breads were seven grain and raisin walnut crisp. You can choose any combination of one meat/one cheese, three of each or six of each.
We skipped the flatbreads and pasta and went on to the entrees: Hudson Valley duck, horseradish and wasabi crusted filed mignon, free range brick chicken and Chatham cod. All exceeded expectations. An outstanding creation that best demonstrated the chef’s comfort with ingredients was the entrée salad of quinoa with mesclun, pistachios, feta, beets, tomato, apricot and mint in a lemon vinaigrette.
Desserts are fun—s’mores in a jar and Bananas Foster cream pie with, we were told, 13 to 14 bananas in each pie. If there’s whipped cream with the dessert, it is fresh. A favorite was very lemony lemon custard icebox cake with fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream.
Lunch prices are lower than dinner for some of the dishes, a practice that used to be the norm in most restaurants but these days is rarely followed. And some dishes are only served at lunch such as the aforementioned 12- hour braised hot brisket sandwich, an omelet special each day and a turkey burger.
A live jazz brunch is served on Sundays and there is outdoor dining in warmer weather. Only one caveat: when the bar is crowded the noise can sometimes get a bit loud for those dining in the other areas.
City Cellar is located at 1080 Corporate Drive in Westbury. To find out more, visit www.citycellarny.com or call 516-693-5400.
