Mi Casa Es Su Casellula

As you likely know, my favorite thing is a cheese plate so when Steph and I decided to meet after work for a drink and a bite, we picked a place that specialized in just that, Casellula.  I have never walked into a restaurant that had a cheese case front and center.  It was like Murray's (my fave cheese shop) turned into a sit-down restaurant.  They don't just have a list of cheeses a mile long that changes daily.  Every one of the dishes on the menu incorporates a buttload of cheese, including the desserts.

The cheeses themselves are pricey, so we decided to avoid a cheese plate in favor of the other cheesy dishes.  I love you Casellula, but $6/cheese is a little much, particularly if you're not going to give any sort of price break for ordering multiple cheeses.  As evidenced by the packed space, this lack of a deal is not impacting the business.  However, as much as I liked the restaurant and plan to return, it will affect just how often I do so. 

Steph decided to order the Pig's Ass Sandwich, which had several cheeses, pickles, pork, and a chipotle aioli.  Aside from having the best name of any dish on the menu, it was quite tasty.  Her coworker got the chicken wings in adobo sauce with a blue cheese pepper dip.  Hot sauce is great on wings, but this smoky adobo sauce had me licking my fingers way more than the bar snack usually does.  I ordered the mac and cheese that had four different cheeses and pancetta, baked in a mini cast iron pan.  It was a wonderful mac, with the cheese clinging to the dish like on a good french onion soup, and I happily peeled it off the sides.  Unfortunately, the mac and cheese was just way too small a portion so I was not quite satisfied and asked the waitress for another recommendation.  She said her favorite sandwich on the menu was the Goose Breast Reuben (not pictured) and assured me that it doesn't taste like a traditional reuben, which I warned was not my thing.  The sandwich had fontina, a little slaw, cured goose breast, a horseradish dipping sauce, and had been grilled with tons of butter.  She was right - it was unlike a regular reuben, and I much preferred the horseradish dip to russian dressing.

By the time we left, I had eaten my fair share of cheese, but somehow it didn't feel like overkill.  You gotta love when a restaurant knows what they're good at (in this case, wine and cheese) and really goes for it.