Cella Bistro

We had our good friend Mike Fishkin in town, and decided to take him to one of our favorite restaurants, Cella Bistro. We did this for a few reasons. First, it really is one of our favorites! Second, we hadn't been there in a while. And third, it is about 4 miles from our house!!

We arrived around 8pm, and despite a fairly good crowd, were able to get a table immediately. Our server was very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu, and informed us that they were running out of a few of the dishes in case we had any favorites we wanted to reserve right away.

Mike was a big fan of the menu, and had a very hard time deciding what to order. Lib and I decided to make the decision on the appetizers - we all split an order of the fried calamari and an order of the warm mushroom salad (my favorite). For entrees, Lib ordered the "lasagna norma" with eggplant and spinach, while Mike and I both ordered the special lamb ribs with mashed potatoes and broccoli rabbe.

Bread came with the olive oil and was soon followed by the appetizers. The calamari was hot and cooked perfectly, paired with a mildly spicy lemon-caper aioli. The warm mushroom salad did not disappoint! From the menu "roast portobello, pan roasted wild mushrooms, shallots, garlic, pancetta, asiago and parmeggiano cheeses, wilted arugula, grilled ciabatta bread,
chili oil, oven roasted tomatoes." Absolutely delicious. The mushrooms were perfect and the cheese and tomatoes blended will giving it a rich (but not too rich) taste. We cleaned both plates.

We had a nice break after the appetizers to sip our drinks and rest. Our entrees came, piping how and smelling great. Lib's lasagna was delicious - homemade noodles, creamy sauce and a great, simple tomato sauce. Very good. The lamb ribs were very good - braised and then grilled, they were tender and juicy, with a herb/mint/lemon oil on the side. The only complaint was the bigger ribs were a little too fatty. The potatoes were excellent - creamy but with some chunks, and mixed with some kind of cheese (I couldn't discern, and can't recall from the menu). The broccoli rabbe was terrific - tender but with some bite, and mildly bitter.

We contemplated dessert, and Mike convinced us to split the apple strudel. Nice and warm, with a sweet oat topping, it came with a side of cinnamon ice cream. We could have had a bowl of that all by itself!

After fighting over the check (Mike won), we finished our wine/coffee and left around 11. Cella Bistro is consistently excellent in food, service and atmosphere, and we can't wait to go back again.