Celeste

[mikeyrad]

Just ate at Celeste for the first time about two weeks ago and have been back around five times since. I'm hooked. Highlights include the fried artichoke; salad of raw baby artichokes and parmagiano with lemon dressing; pizza with anchovies, capers and tomatoes baked in a 700 degree oven; the ricotta ravioli with butter and sage (very rich); chicken cutlet with crushed almonds; and halibut sauteed with lemon and capers.

BTW, the cheese plates are amazing. As Daniel said, Carmine describes each cheese for you in incredible detail -- region, history, aging process, etc. He'll also tell you the order for tasting. I'm getting hungry.

Edited July 12, 2005 by mikeyrad (log)

[JosephB]

Every time I've been to Celeste, the owner tells me that he has just come back from Rome with a suitcase full of cheese. Very charming, but not very credible. Still, the place is great.

[Daniel]

In Carmines defense, he does have a restaurant in Rome, which is where I met him several years ago.. He goes back often, but there certainly is a bit of "showmenship" about him..Went there tonight and had a beautiful five year old as my date.. She loves the fried red mullet which is in the fritto misto and the lemoncello cake.. She had half a plate of the misto, almost all of her penne, and certainly all of her cake.. I had the artichoke salad and the filet.. Making the rest of the filet for a sandwich tomorrow which is the best way i think to have it.. I sometimes just get the fillet to go so I can make one the following day.. Just a block away from home, needless to say, the place is my beacon of light on the UWS.

Edited July 15, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Daniel]

Went there this evening.. The first time in a couple of months.. Must say, the place is as good as always.. They do have interesting specials, but they havent changed the menu in some time.. This really isnt that big of a deal for most people, but for to be greedy, a seasonal menu would be heaven.. Started with the prosciutto and fig.. We then had the halibut in lemon sauce and a pasta with fried eggplant and mozzarella.. All simply excellent.. Best tiramisu in the city? You make the call..

Edited September 29, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[jgould]

never been to celeste, although live in the neighborhood. the above posts & photos are so convincing - must try. a few questions:

1. is it BYOB or do they have a wine license?

2. just what is the "CLASSIC" italian pizza??

3. &, what are the basic ingredients of the "la Margherita" & the "neopolitan" pizzas?

& at the risk of other posts, i have been told DiFara's in brooklyn is the best, hand's down!? hard to beat a place that imports their cheeses & sauces from italy, & grows their own herbs!!!!!

Edited October 3, 2005 by jgould (log)

[Daniel]

I can answer the wine question.. They have a ok wine list with some desser wines too... They also have Peroni Beer..

The pizza at Celeste is good.. I rarely get them though...

I haven't been to all of the pizza places in Brooklyn to label one the total winner.. But I can tell you DiFara's is very very very good.. I also like Totono's a lot also..

Edited October 3, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[slkinsey]

1. is it BYOB or do they have a wine license?

They have a wine license

2. just what is the "CLASSIC" italian pizza??

In the context of a discussion on this restaurant, it would be a pizza made in the "classic Italian tradition" -- which is to say thin crust, sparsely topped, baked at high temperature in a wood fired masonry oven, individual pizzas rather than "share" pizzas, and most likely featuring certain topping combinations that have become Italian pizzeria requisite standards.

In my experience, the pizze at Celeste were very close to the Neapolitan style when they first opened, but have been modified somewhat due to the pressures of Upper West Side tastes.

I'd say that the pizza there is good, but I wouldn't make a trip there just for the pizza and I'd have a hard time sticcking to pizza and not ordering some of their other dishes which I know to be first rate. For some reason I can't quite understand, a lot of the opening press on Celeste focused on the pizza and made it seem as though it were fundamentally a "pizza place with some other food." This was a mistake because in reality it's quite the opposite. Celeste could easily drop the pizza making and would still be a very good little trattoria. I'd actually love to see them make more creative use of their wood fired oven, maybe roasting some dishes in there.

3. &, what are the basic ingredients of the "la Margherita" & the "neopolitan" pizzas?

A Pizza Margherita consists of tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil. In the most classic preparations the tomato will consist of uncooked San Marzano tomatoes (they cook in the heat of the oven) and the mozzarella will be mozzarella di bufala (or at least fresh mozzarella). However, in the US it is not uncommon to see cooked tomato sauce and low moisture mozzarella on a "Margherita" pizza.

A Pizza Napoletana consists of tomato, anchovies, capers and mozzarella (although occasionally without cheese) -- sometimes with oregano.

& at the risk of other posts, i have been told DiFara's in brooklyn is the best, hand's down!? hard to beat a place that imports their cheeses & sauces from italy, & grows their own herbs!!!!!

Have a look at THE BEST: NYC Pizza Favorites and the NYC Pizza Survey for thoughts on DiFara and other pizzeria. IMO it is hands-down the best place in the City for a certain style of pizza (Italian-American stainless steel deck oven "pizza parlor" pizza). For those people for whom the toppings are the focal point of the pizza, DiFara almost always comes out as the best. Those of us whose focus is primarily on the crust find that DiFara lags behind many other pizzerie (primarily those using wood or coal ovens) in this aspect. Bottom line, though, is that it's a damn good pizza. Perhaps we should continue any discusion about DiFara in the DiFara Pizza thread.

[Daniel]

Had another solid meal there this evening.. The five year old loves the frito misto.. As do I.. Its calamari, a whole red mullet, and a few pieces of shrimp.. After I debone the mullet, she eats the entire thing..Tonight she wanted to eat the head, I am so proud of her.. She also ate most of the "o's" aka calamari as she calls it.. I never order calamari anywhere, but I must say, its exceptional here.. Light, crispy, fantastic..

Another stand out is the tiramisu.. The best I have had in the city.. Its a huge square of cream filled with chocolate chunks and just a little soaked cookie at the bottom..

The pasta with clam sauce is just ok.. I had a veal special tonight with mushrooms that was really enjoyable..

Edited October 28, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Daniel]

Went there for brunch today..

Raw Baby Artichoke Salad.. Lemon vinagraette...

Pizza-

Wood Oven temp... Colder then normal.. Early day..

Homemade Tagliatelle w/shrimp..

[sadie_siamesecat]

Went there for dinner last night with a group of people (6 total) Should have brought the digital--but forgot so will leave detailed descriptions for another time...Highlights included the chicken livers, veal special with shitake mushroomw and pasta special with sea bream, asparagus, and olives.

We always finish with the 15-cheese plate. I personally choose to believe that he brings them back in his suitcase--perhaps it's a fairy tale, but it's one I like. I find the food to be consistent like the rest of the posters--the only complaint about last night is that Carmine is in Italy, so we didn't get the speed-description of the cheeses, which we feel always adds to the experience. However, you DO get larger pieces, so I suppose it's just a trade off!

[Daniel]

I agree Sadie... I believe in the cheese fairy too .. Had a solid dinner there.. Started with a pizza w/ prosciutto..Had grilled scallops on an arugala, radiccio, frisee salad.. Lemon olive oil... Fantastic. Then had spaghetti and clam sauce.. I always ask for red pepper and they bring out a dish and spoon.. The clam sauce is a little too brothy, I like to pour the olive oil they give you for the bread on the pasta.. A lotta red peppers..

We ended with a cheese plate and some dessert wines.. The cheese was fabulous as always.. A stand out was like a more solid textured ricotta.. I want to make a cake out of this... He served an excellent lavender honey, quince paste, and a fig compote.. All were great. I have a new phone that has a voice recording option.. I asked Carmine to talk into the phone.. He refused.. Oh well, his speach is worth the price of admission..

[Nathan]

I ate here on Friday night.

This place is cheap...seriously cheap.

unbelievably cheap for Manhattan actually.

do they have a sweetheart deal on their rent or something?

food was pretty good actually. pastas are a standout -- the portions are large though...it'd be hard to follow a complete appetizer, pasta, entree format here. indeed..some of the entree prices are low enough that I'd question the quality of the meat. we stuck with apps and pastas and were very happy.

the wine by the glass list is also excellent and priced well below Manhattan norms.

[Pan]

Do you know if they're willing to serve a half-portion of a primo if you choose to have a secondo?

[Nathan]

I don't know.

considering that apps are like $6 or $7...they couldn't do that without losing money. you're better off just not eating half of it.

[Pan]

I don't know.

considering that apps are like $6 or $7...they couldn't do that without losing money.  you're better off just not eating half of it.

←

Primi are not apps; they're pasta or risotto courses or soups.

[Nathan]

I don't know.

considering that apps are like $6 or $7...they couldn't do that without losing money.  you're better off just not eating half of it.

←

Primi are not apps; they're pasta or risotto courses or soups.

←

I know. everything at Celeste is in the $6-10 range besides secondi

[Sneakeater]

You're saying that full-size pasta servings at Celeste are $6-$10? That's remarkable.

(I refuse to believe that the clientele of this restaurant is sufficiently conversant with traditional Italian dining that most of them order 4-course meals instead of having a bowl of pasta for their main dish.)

[Nathan]

yes.

fwiw, a significant proportion of the clientele on Friday night were European (specifically, I heard plenty of French and Italian)...yeah, I was surprised by that as well.

edit: I made pasta my main course precisely because a. the portion was too large and b. I had significant reservations as to how good a $15 filet mignon entree could be (the stracetti di manzo).

Edited February 27, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[Sneakeater]

That's remarkable.

I certainly agree with you that that's the ordering strategy to adopt when faced with a $15 beef filet entree.

[Nathan]

and the thing is, the pasta was pretty good!

[Felonius]

I love this place and eat here often. I almost hate to say so, because I don't want the lines to get any longer!

First of all, Celeste has to be the best food bargain in NYC other than Gray's Papaya on the low end or the lunch at Jean-Georges on the high end. The pasta courses are all about $9.00 and large enough to be a filling main course. My favorites are the ricotta and spinach ravioli in butter and sage sauce and the fresh pasta with sheeps milk cheese and shrimp. I also like the stracetti di manzo. Nothing special perhaps, but very flavorful with the sage potatoes and a value at $15.00.

Everything is good and a bargain, but the cheese course with individual homemade condiments for each cheese is as good as any I've had in the city. Truly outstanding on some nights, depending on what cheeses Carmine has on offer.

Also, the waitstaff is very friendly and enthusiastic, and the kitchen is efficient. Once you sit down, your food will generally arrive minutes after it is ordered.

There are also some good wines at very reasonable prices. If you're into wine, talk to Carmine (the owner, who is working the floor with great gusto most nights) and ask him to bring you something special. He usually has plenty of higher end bottles not on the list, which he will recommend if you ask. One particularly nice wine on the list is a Valpolicello Ripasso ($39 I think) that is a lovely sort of "poor man's Amarone". Its richness matches well with many of the dishes and is great if you like this particular style of wine.

Edited March 1, 2007 by Felonius (log)

[cganzer]

I know they don't deliver, but how do they feel about takeout orders?

[Nathan]

I think I saw some takeout being done when I was there. Not going to swear to it though.

[larrylee]

We live in the 'hood and we like eating here. Agreed that it's cheap. I believe it's also cash-only, and I have no idea about take-out. Best thing is to call: (212) 874-4559.

The one thing I can't figure out is the difference between the regular pasta dishes and the pasta specials. In our experience, the pasta specials have always been something off the regular menu. It's more expensive, but beyond that we haven't been able to figure it out.

Some pics from brunch.

[Daniel]

Celeste was on last night.. One thing I will say about this place, the fritto has remained perfect.. I have never ordered a plate of Fritto Misto, or Fried Ricotta, or anything fried that did not come out perfectly cooked.. Last night was no exception..

A plate of Fried Zucchini Blossoms and Grilled Shrimp.. Perhaps the most perfectly fried versions I have ever had.. This or Batalli's place in Vegas..

Having not been here in awhile, I was kind of looking forward to having the shrimp and cabbage dish.. The pasta last night was cooked perfectly. Chewy, perfectly dressed, a real wonderful dish..

Super thin sliced of filet over arugala lightly dressed in lemon juice, with some thinly sliced Parm..

Hazelnut Gelato.. Big fan...

Miss K ordered the 3 second Mousse Cake.. Rumor has it, the cake was terrific.. The picture is the only evidence it existed.. Just happy my hands werent around the cake too long..