The Cellar Wine Bar: Corning's Best: Restaurant and Secret
Cuisine: Tapas Modern (Small Plates)
A reviewer knows a restaurant is special when they have a hard time picking which items on the menu to recommend. The Cellar Wine Bar in Corning, NY is special - the menu is full of things we enjoyed; amazing food and a large wine list make the Cellar a hit with the Corning crowd (especially the Corning Corporation crowd).
The Cellar is a two headed operation with a great chef in charge of the kitchen and a great owner in charge of the wine - each in charge of their passion. The passion shows - the wine list is outstanding with over 75 wines by the bottle and over 40 by the glass but it is the food that wowed us. The chef, Mike, is so good he makes even brussels spouts taste divine. Chef Mike's favorite things to eat is the Cellar's soup, and the soups we tried were packed with flavor. The Cellar serves tapas style, or small plates, allowing an opportunity to try a lot of flavors and dishes without over-eating. Fantastic food combined with a deep wine list make the Cellar a winner; the Cellar Wine Bar in Corning, NY is one of the Finger Lakes best restaurants.
Recommendations:
Sweet Potato Gnocchi - Highly recommended and out of this world good, a must order. Topped with organic maple syrup and buerre blanc cream, a vegetable that is like a dessert. Your kids will love you for ordering this.
Potstickers - Highly recommended and addictively good, a wonderful lasting heat that is tamed by the sweetness of the apricots - a filled with cabbage, apricots, ginger & scallions, then pan fried and drizzled with tamari & chili oil
Soup du Jour - the Chef's favorite thing to eat - need I say more? The Lobster Bisque was full bodied soup with flavor that begged for bread dipping
Pan Seared Sea Bass - the lightest and most delicate Sea-Bass dish we've tasted - with a lovely crunch on the outside - pan seared to perfection, on a bed of toasted almond quinoa with fresh organic mango puree
Cellar Smores - freshly made marshmallows (from Poppletown Pastries a block away) and a bit of 151 for a mini-campfire at your table. Great presentation and a perfect way to close an evening
Bruschetta -- Marinated tomatoes & fresh mozzarella over crostinis drizzled with balsamic glaze
Brussels & Walnuts --- Oven roasted brussel sprouts tossed with toasted walnuts in brown butter and lemon
Paella -- Loaded with shrimp, scallops, smoked "free range" chicken & chorizo sausage
Prices:
Small plates: $3 - $12 - most are $8.
Large plates: $19 - $30.
The Cellar Wine Bar is located at 21 West Market St, Corning, NY
607-377-5552
Reviewed May, 2011
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