Brian Keyser has nothing against fine food and wine. He’s been serving it for almost a decade as a waiter at some of New York’s top restaurants, including Chanterelle, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and most recently the Modern, where he ran the cheese program. It’s just that he could do without the stuffiness, the pretension, and especially the suit. So, Keyser and Joe Farrell, a fellow former waiter, opened Casellula, where he’ll get to talk cheese in jeans and a T-shirt. Roughly three dozen varieties will be available at a time—some, like Estrella Family Creamery’s Dominoes, making their New York debut. The menu incorporates cheese, or beer, or both, into nearly every dish, from brûléed Rogue River Blue with cherries and Otis Oatmeal Stout bread to lemon tart with pistachios and goat-cheese ice cream. Local produce is pickled and canned to extend their seasons, and local beer from Red Hook’s Sixpoint Craft Ales is on tap. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
I have been going to Casellula regularly for the past few months and was so surprised when I read all of the negative reviews. I absolutley adore this cute little wine bar. The cheese selection is amazing, as is everything else on the menu. The ricotta crostinis and the endive salad are personal favorites. The waitstaff is friendly and I have never had a negative experience with them. I definitely recommend this place to anyone who likes wine and cheese!
I have mixed feelings re Caselulla. It has always been a default place - if I was ever in Hell's Kitchen and wanted a glass of wine and a quick snack or just wanted to spend an hour sitting on the bar, I'd go there. It's a very nice space, and the wine list is "funky" and extensive, however they do have a rather high markup (for example, a Malbec that costs about $10 was on the wine list for $40 at the time) and a very limited by-the-glass selection. When I did end up going there on a Saturday night it was usually on rainy days, when other places were packed and I didn't feel like going downtown - there is a good chance a party of 2-4 will find a table on a Sat night after 10:00pm. The cheeses are very good and served with matching condiments which are surprising, although the portions are small. The meat platter used to be better a while back, we constantly needed to ask for more bread (which was dry), but server was nice and accommodating. Desserts were ok, not more.