Casellula

This neighborhood wine-and-cheese emporium lives up to its top billing as a grown-up smorgasbord of all the things your mom told you not to eat too much of as a kid: meat, cheese, and, most importantly, booze.

The restaurant has no formal kitchen, but instead some high-powered toaster ovens and an arsenal of premium ingredients prepared by a creative kitchen. This 25-seat Hell’s Kitchen staple is at capacity most nights, but it’s worth the wait to score a seat at this still under-the-radar gastronomic gem.

The cheese selection is staggering, with a seasonal rotation of more than fifty fresh, bloomy, pressed, washed-rind, and blue cheeses in service daily. Veteran fromager Tia Keenan impeccably pairs accoutrements such as dried and fresh fruits, chocolates, and nuts with each offering and is happy to prepare a tasting course for faithful fromaggies.

The selection of three, five, or eight meats is a sweet and spicy journey through Spanish, French, and Italian influences and a perfect warm-up act for the most remarkable item on the menu, the Pig’s Ass Sandwich. Loaded with braised pork shoulder, cheddar, pickles, and a just-spicy-enough stone ground mustard, this sophisticated ham and cheese delivers a mouthful of nostalgic familiarity.

The wine menu by the bottle is vast, but the small number of selections by the glass is a little disappointing for a wine bar. However, the restaurant does staff tastings often, and if he’s feeling saucy, owner Brian Keyser may be convinced to open a bottle early for a discriminating patron.

I’d like to make special mention of the Beehive Cheese Company’s “Barely Buzzed” offering, rubbed with coffee and lavender for the sole purpose of helping increase its popularity and helping to keep in on the menu when in season. It’s one of the best combinations of flavor and texture I’ve ever laid tongue on, and, in my humble opinion, one of the most interesting and unique cheeses I’ve ever tasted.

You’re better off just saying no to the dessert menu, if only because the selections are so impeccable it’s hard to pick just one. I once saw a table of six women order three consecutive servings of the chocolate cake, suggestively served with a carafe of fresh cream poured over the top.

Get in while you can – this cheese mecca won’t stay a secret for long.

LOCATION: 401 W. 52nd St.

COST: ~ $25

WINNERS: Pig’s Ass Sandwich, Barely Buzzed, cheese selection

LOSERS: good luck getting a seat