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For the inaugural RRR gathering we chose Carnegie Cellars across from Village Gate in the Neighborhood of the Arts. There were eight Rouletters there and we ordered everything on the menu before the “mains.” We also added a carbonara and the special of the day: a seafood boil. Including a couple folks from our roster who didn’t make it to our official meet-up but submitted a review based on their past experience with Carnegie, we had a total of nine Rouletters reviewing for us this round. Buckle-up, it’s a long one.
We will be reviewing in the order of the menu, but if we were starting with what received the highest rating, you’d see the same thing here: Flour City Bread with cardamom honey, whipped ricotta, and lemon. All nine Rouletters reviewed this one and five listed it as one of their favorite dishes of the evening. What makes it so spectacular that even our toughest Rouletters gave it high marks? Let’s start with the bread, which was toasted to perfection: just enough crunch. It’s served with an airy, freshly made ricotta that appears well-sourced, refreshing and appetizing. But the real star here is the cardamom honey: the salty-sweet moment when the bread and ricotta meet was transcendent. We also give a shout-out to the lemon. We had one Rouletter who loved the lemon notes and another who dislikes lemon and noted that it was not present in a way that took away from the dish. Basically, it did its job: it added a bitter element to perfectly balance the dish without overpowering. ⭐4.6⭐
Next was the Warm Olives with caramelized onions, and crispy leeks. In reviewing comments from the Rouletters, all anyone mentioned was the olives. The texture was nice. They were tasty olives. This wasn’t surprising at all to me because before I re-read the description from the menu and looked at the picture, I actually forgot there was anything but olives in the dish. At the end of the day this was a truly average, if overpriced, dish of olives. ⭐3.3⭐
Ah, the frites. What’s the Roc standard for fancy fries? I’d say Good Luck. The Frites with torn herbs, romano, and midnight sauce are the closest thing I’ve had to them in a non-Good Luck owned spot. And the midnight sauce is just as awesome as the Good Luck “fancy” sauce. I said what I said. Multiple Rouletters commented that this dish was “yummy” and one listed it as one of their favorite dishes.The frites saltiness was on point and the sauce complimented it perfectly. What could be improved? The frites could have been a bit crispier at the edges.
⭐4.0⭐
The Beef Kafta with tzatziki, za’taar, torn herbs, and flatbread, a traditionally Middle Eastern dish, felt like a bit of a wild card on the menu. I personally had it on two different visits and this was a tale of two kaftas for me. With the group of Rouletters it was a pleasant surprise: a ubiquitous dish that is often dry or incorrectly seasoned, but here it was nicely balanced. The meat broke down nicely, and the spices lifted things up. There was just the right amount of sauce and it worked well. One of our Rouletters ranked it as their top dish of the night. When I had it another time the meat was rather dry, and the dish overall wasn’t as flavorful – partially due to not having enough sauce. Basically, if they do it right it’s a delight. ⭐ 3.9⭐
If you’re going to roll up with a cacio suppli in this town, you better have a damn good dish, and this Suppli Cacio E Pepe with arborio rice, smoked buffalo mozzarella, pecorino, and peppercorn did not disappoint. Based on the description it sounded as if it might be a bit heavy, but this was excellent! The fried exterior wasn’t the least bit oily (impressive in a dish that tends to skew oily), and the interior was soft and well-balanced in flavor. The most used word to describe this one was “yum!” but it didn’t stand out enough to be anyone’s list of top dishes.
⭐ 3.9⭐
Next up was the Galician Octopus with red dulse, fennel pain au levain, olive puree, and coastal oil. The fewest Rouletters ate this one – just three. Maybe it was because I told everyone about how smart octopi are and how I once had one hold my hand in Hawaii. Someone else shared about My Octopus Teacher and that might have limited the joy as well. I definitely don’t eat the little fellas myself. Anyway, the folks who ate it said it was good, lightly seasoned, though they would have liked larger pieces of octopus (maybe prepared / sliced on the bias to retain more seasoning), and maybe fewer greens. Additionally, something (maybe the red dulce?) made it a touch gritty. ⭐ 3.0⭐
You know that moment of BBQ bliss when a perfectly cooked rib just falls off the bone? That is the Berkshire Ribs with “rhubarb-bq,” yuzu furikake, and pickles all day. This was the only dish we ordered two of – no one wanted to share a rib because they were so good, but they come in orders of four. They were tender and delightful with a sauce that was sweet, rich, and brightly but not overpoweringly tangy. The pickles were a lovely accompaniment and one Rouletter ranked this dish among their favorites. ⭐ 3.9⭐
If you’re at a wine bar, you have to try the Charcuterie with daily preparation of meats & cheeses, and accoutrement, right? Overall, it was a sumptuous, interesting variety, “something for everyone,” board just slightly crowded (to be clear we’re not saying “too much food”). Folks in particular liked the shaved fennel, the quince jam (or who knows what it was) paired well with the cheeses, the nut mix was nice featuring dried fruit, and the prosciutto was lovely. One Rouletter ranked the charcuterie among their favorites, and another mentioned that this is the one item on the table we did not finish. And this my friends is the great divide of how folks feel about charcuterie boards: you love them or you…don’t. Quick note: if you’re getting this, I’d say to skip the Warm Olive app as you’ll get a similar experience here in a smaller quantity as part of the board. ⭐ 3.8⭐
As you can see, the Hummus with spring onion salsa verde, dukkah, gremolata, and flatbreadwas presented in lovely way. Sadly, that was the best part of this dish. It was perfectly average hummus with uninspiring flatbread. It’s not that it was bad, it’s more that it just wasn’t that interesting or memorable. I actually forgot we even ate it before I started writing this.
⭐ 3.4⭐
The Asparagus with whipped feta, English peas, chive, and spring onion ash was the second-highest ranked dish of the night. It was a very well-balanced dish, asparagus perfectly cooked-crunchy, seasoning pleasant and complementary, the feta was a delight – a real highlight of the meal. Folks also raved enjoyed the pea element – indeed, this was a terrific bright veg complement to some of the other heavier items we tried. Two Rouletters ranked the Asparagus as their top dish and one mentioned that this is a terrific pairing with the group’s top choice: the Flour City Bread. ⭐ 4.1⭐
Since we are in the vegetable section, we follow with the Little Gem Lettuce with parmigiana, ranch, pepperoncini, red onion, and old bay sourdough. This was a refreshing, well-composed salad. The croutons were hit or miss – I had one that was unchewably hard but others seemed to enjoy them. If you like a simple salad with your meal, this will not disappoint. ⭐ 3.8⭐
The Mussels with nduja, pimenton dulce, piquillo, and FC bread was probably the most divisive dish of the night. For a couple folks, these mussels were perfection with one Rouletter noting that these are probably the best mussels they ever had and placing them as the top dish of the night. Indeed, folks agreed that they were tender, perfectly cooked, and well-cleaned. The disagreement came on the seasoning where some folks thought it needed salt and others thought that it was perfectly nice – but only to dip bread. The final result was due to the polarizing scores that were split between a couple fives but mostly threes. ⭐ 3.6⭐
The Carbonara with house pasta, pork jowl, pecorino, and peppercorn came toward the end and was reviewed by only four Rouletters. Overall, this was a solid and pleasing effort. The guanciale (from Giordano’s? Tasted like it) was nicely rendered, and it passed the barrier to entry, which is that it was guanciale and not pancetta or some other thing. While a nice enough dish, it did not stand out in any meaningful way. ⭐ 3.5⭐
Our final, and lowest ranked dish was the special of the night, the Seafood Boil. Funny how that worked out. Anyway, it was…okay at best. One person loved it. The rest thought it was a little slapdash and not nearly as good as a place that serves it up on a big table with newspaper and wooden mallets. It was under seasoned. In a place like this you’d expect either a technically perfect seafood boil that hits all of the flavor notes or an elevated version of a New England classic. What we wound up with was a cute but not very impressive plate of seafood and a yearning for a shaker of Old Bay seasoning. ⭐ 2.6⭐
Now that we have reached the end of the food reviews, we turn to the reason many folks are headed to Carnegie: the wine! The wine selection was different and fun. There were wines that our Rouletters had never heard, so there was something new to try for everyone. A nice escape from the usual vino suspects is what you’re here for, right? A couple folks took advantage of the wine flight option and enjoyed the opportunity to try different pours even if some didn’t hit the mark. Here are a couple of notes on specific (current) options from our wine-loving Rouletters: the Vincentin Blanc Malbec tasted like straight alcohol, the Le Cigare Orange was lovely, the prosecco was flawless, and the server recommended a Susumaniello that was wonderful. A couple of us were also beer drinkers and they had a well-balanced if pricy selection of beers ranging from IPAs to lagers. This rating is for drinks overall.⭐ 4.4⭐
When asking Rouletters to rank the service, the scores were remarkably consistent between those grading based on our boisterous eight-person table and those who experienced Carnegie in a much smaller group. The staff was engaging, present, friendly, helpful with recommendations, and tried to keep a good eye on us. One Rouletter wasn’t asked for a drink order and others mentioned running dry a couple times and having to flag someone down for another drink. Otherwise, it was a lovely and welcoming crew. We never felt like we were bothering anyone even though we were a large party. ⭐ 4.2⭐
One of the things we will note on every review is whether the place has all-gender restrooms. This is such an important way to be inclusive and an absolute must if the place has single occupancy restrooms. Don’t believe me? It’s the law in NYS. Carnegie does indeed have all-gender restrooms! They also have these awesome toilet paper dispensers. The restrooms appear large enough for accessibility and we did not encounter any stairs when entering the restaurant or accessing any part of it. Additionally, the area outside is well lit at night.
The ambiance was nice with lots of large windows and some curbside seating. Please note that the parking lot directly next to the restaurant is a no parking zone. This means that folks will need to park a decent bit away and travel to the restaurant, which might pose issues for some folks. If you’re driving, you will likely want to arrive early to find a parking place and get there in time for your reservation. Definitely make a reservation. This is the ranking our Rouletters gave Carnegie Cellars overall: ⭐ 4.2⭐