Beth H.
Yelp
Ok, now I get it. I didn't want to believe the reviews but they are fair. Some people love it or hate it. Here's my take from our visit Sunday night.
Cello is the red-headed step child in the Adam Merkel family of restaurants. They try and try but there is just something a little off. The history, the chef stories of grandparents from Sicily, the family style concept... all great, but didn't hit home for us.
Don't go by pictures on Yelp - the dishes I see posted are no longer on the menu.
The waitress let us know that it's family style and dishes would come out as they are ready, so to be served hot but may not all be out at the same time. Even though she gave us a heads up, it was still annoying. We munched on Wild Mushroom Ricotta Gnocchi, while waiting for the Lemoncello Chicken, but didn't want to eat too much as we'd not be hungry for the chicken when it came. I get the family style, but not a fan of the timing.
Waitress was nice but everything was "so really really good". She raved about our choices and said everyone likes what we picked. When she checked on us later and we said the gnocchi was okay, she whizzed past and said "aren't they really really good!" Maybe she's not listening to her customers answer her question. There was nothing to ask to be corrected, it really was just okay.
The Gnocchi was beautiful. The execution was flawless. Pan fried dumplings that looked to have a bit of crisp, but that's where it ended. There was no crisp. The texture was gritty like tasting the flour in the dumplings. If we come again, we'll stick to the potato and maybe ask for the same sauce. There is potato option, but with tomato vodka sauce. The gnocchi came out first. The chicken about 5-7 minutes later.
The Lemoncello chicken was perfectly executed. Two large crispy boneless chicken cutlets, perfectly cooked, topped with peppery arugula, a shaving of cheese on each as accent, and pickled onions, on a very light bed of lemon sauce. Doesn't that sound excellent!? Something was missing. Some kind of sauce or more sauce or cheese - something. All we could taste was arugula, onion and the crunchy texture and hint of lemon sauce. We split one cutlet and took the second home. One large plate could feed four people with regular appetites.
The best part of the meal was the garlic bread ordered as an appetizer. Two large pieces of super hot and toasty garlic bread. It was really good and I recommend not passing that up. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't a soup option. A brothy minestrone at least. Don't look for old standards, like lasagna or spaghetti - it's not on the menu. Not that we would miss it, just a heads up.
We finished the meal with the lemoncello creme brule. Reading the description, again, had to try it. Eh - it was thinner than instant pudding, lemony and just fell flat. Something was missing - vanilla, thicker consistency?
Cello is A-Ok. Good place to take the family or try something different, but best to know what to expect so as not to be disappointed with how things work. Great list of wine pairings on the back. Make a reservation, it's a small dining room.