Hometown chef finds success at City Cellar
Everyone has their comfort foods, be it steak and potatoes, a hearty pasta dish or a classic cheeseburger with a generous side of fries.
But sometimes, even these staple dishes can become a bit stale. At City Cellar in Westbury however, guests can enjoy a gourmet take on their favorite foods thanks to the creative culinary leadership of Mike Abbatiello.
As City Cellar’s executive chef, Abbatiello puts a global twist on American cuisine, making the high-end restaurant’s menu unlike anything you’ll find on Long Island. Abbatiello strives to help people expand their palates by pairing unusual foods together, or cooking traditional meals in an untraditional way.
“My signature style is taking ingredients or dishes people know and putting in different techniques and ingredients,” he said. “Nothing’s better than showing people a completely different way of eating a dish. It’s taking ingredients people know about and putting twists on them from different cuisines, things that are different from what they usually eat.”
Abbatiello pulls from global cuisines to offer City Cellar patrons an American menu with Spanish, Italian, Asian and French influences. He pointed out a lobster ravioli entree which combines Burrata cheese, Cipollini onions and Beechwood mushrooms for a tasty dish that mixes American, Italian and Asian flavors. Also on the menu is the flat iron steak, with Moretti polenta, Andouille sausage hash and Tuscan kale. The creamy polenta is traditionally used in Italian cuisine, while the smoky and spicy Andouille sausage is typical of southern cooking. The Tuscan kale is wilted and combined to the hash to add crunch. The combination gives the dish an overall great taste and texture.
“The menu takes what people are used to and then takes ingredients and techniques from other regions and mixes it in,” said Abbatiello, noting that he tries to offer an eclectic mix. “It takes what people are used to and elevates it.”
Abbatiello took up the mantle as City Cellar’s executive chef in May of 2014, but the restaurant has been home base for him since 2009 when he signed on as sous chef. He trained under chef Jeff Haskell and then took a job at Chef de Partie, a fine dining French restaurant in the west village. During his Manhattan stint, he worked part time at City Cellar and when an opportunity arose to take over the kitchen, he jumped at it.
“My heart was always here. It’s the only kitchen I’ve worked at in Long Island so it was very personal to me,” Abbatiello said. Having got his start at City Cellar has pushed him even more to see the restaurant succeed. “I wanted to do whatever I had to do to succeed and elevate the menu.”
Abbatiello was able to bring the style and techniques he learned in Manhattan and bring them to the diverse patronage of City Cellar. The high-end Westbury eatery serves clientele from Garden City, Meadowbrooke Pointe residents, mall shoppers and beyond and Abbatiello was tasked with coming up with a menu and specials that would suit, as well as broaden, Long Island tastes.
“People in Manhattan are more receptive to trying different things; you can do a dish with five ingredients no one has heard of and they’ll try it,” Abbatiello said. “But here, I’ll put in three ingredients I know they’re aware of and put a couple of twists in it. So I take the ingredient and technique they know and love, and show them different things you can do with it. It’s been received on a very positive note.”
But Abbatiello didn’t always have such a global take on cuisine. Raised in an Italian household in Westbury, he said his food foundation was homemade bread and sauce. In high school, he worked at Cardinali Bakery in Carle Place, which gave him a taste of what it would be like to make his love of cooking a profession. He attended the Culinary Academy of Long Island, and when he landed the sous chef job at City Cellar, Chef Haskell immersed him in different cuisines.
“Growing up into an Italian household you get used to that one note of food and the classic Italian cooking,” Abbatiello said. “When I went to work at City Cellar, Chef Haskell introduced me to different cuisines and showed me different techniques.”
And Abbatiello tries to pass on his techniques and methods to others. He makes sure his staff is educated on his methods and menu, and enjoys opportunities to chat with guests about what they’re eating.
“I like to educate the guest and staff on knowledge of food because it is my life and being able to show someone my true passion along with educating them truly brings happiness to me and it is never a burden,” Abbatiello said.
