Si, Si, Cecelia's
Cecelia’s Ristorante & Martini Bar is prepared to guide their guests through the tastes of fall with their brand new fall menu. Although it is getting a bit too cold for the patio, the hardy food inside will warm things right up.
I started out with the Harvest Salad ($8) and the “Lumpy” Crab Cakes ($9). The Harvest Salad was served with a rosemary citrus vinaigrette, and topped with apricots, beets, pine nuts, walnuts, dried cranberries, and other assorted dried fruits. The slight bitterness of the baby spinach counterbalanced the sweetness of the dried fruits and the zest in the vinaigrette, resulting in a great, flavorful salad. The pair of “Lumpy” Crab Cakes was pan seared and served with a spicy chipotle aioli. The crab cakes had great texture and color, but the spicy chipotle sauce made the dish. If your taste buds are sensitive to spicy food, go easy on the spicy chipotle aioli because it definitely packs some heat.
My guest and I took the opportunity to sample a couple of cocktails. The martini list was full of fun surprises, along with the must-haves and the classics. The Chocolate Espresso Martini came highly recommended. I’m not one to mix my liquor with my coffee products, but it was pretty impressive. Although, I admit it would have been better had I saved it to pair with my dessert. The Lemon Drop Martini was a great drink, but I must say that my favorite one was the Pomegranate Martini, made with Three Olives Pomegranate Vodka and Triple Sec, and served in a sugar-rimmed glass ($8).
The entrée of Braised Lamb Shank ($20) is a must! Lamb always has the effect of warming a person up (or as my mom likes to put it ‘it warms the blood’), and after cooking for 9 ½ hours, it surely does. The dish comes out steaming and it definitely makes a statement with its presentation. The color of the dish is wonderful. The lamb, the potatoes, the slow cooked bits of carrots, the mushrooms and the herb garnish bring the hues and the taste of fall to the dinner table.
Even though a steak knife was brought, it left clean; the meat simply fell off the bone, juicy and flavorful. A simple dish with a complex taste, the flavor of the lamb was exquisite. The lamb is paired with whipped Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and a side of Wild Mushroom Bolognese, which add to the fall feel of the dish. The mushrooms also soak up all the juices from the slow-cooked lamb and are simply wonderful. This dish is full of heart and it does not feel rushed at all. It comes out perfect, as if the chefs had been preparing it all day, just for you.
The desserts here are amazing, so make sure you save room for them. I highly recommend the Cassata Cake and the Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse. Linda Pierri, mother-in-law of owner Dave Barbara, makes all the baked desserts for Cecelia’s. The Cassata was rich and wonderful without being overwhelming in sweetness; the cake layers were moist, and the cake had great texture and taste throughout. The peanut butter chocolate mousse was served like a slice of cake. Compared to the Cassata, it was a little bit sweeter. I recommend pairing this with a nice cup of coffee, but for a person with a sweet tooth, this is a fine way to end a great meal.
The fall menu at Cecelia’s is impressive, and its location on Elmwood Avenue makes it a convenient stop for some great food and great martinis. General Manager, Kelly Donaher, informed me that Cecelia’s also offers a very popular Sunday Brunch. The atmosphere was cozy and the service was great. Do not miss the Braised Lamb Shank; this entrée alone is worth the trip.
Cecelia’s Ristorante & Martini Bar
716 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222
716.883.8066
www.ceceliasristorante.com
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NorPark
I'll never go to this place again. My wife and I went there one late afternoon during the end of summer. When we walked up to the patio there were about 5-6 unfriendly servers pacing about, but no hostess at the hostess stand, so we decided to go to the bar, grab a drink and go sit at one of the tables outside. The place was dead inside and outside, a few people at the bar inside and one of table of people outside. So we take a seat at a table, the hostess was now at her podium, until she stomped over and rudely asked us if we were going to be eating or just having drinks. We replied we planned to have a few drinks and perhaps grab a app.. She rudely asked us to move to another section of the patio if we were not going to order food because this table was apparently for 'customers'. Apparently a few rounds of overpriced drinks doesn't make one a 'customer', or constitute one to deserve to be spoken to without a bitchy attitude from the hostess, when if fact if she would have been doing her job in the first place this whole 'problem' could have been avoided. If this place was jamming with people and we had taken a table that was reserved I could understand, but he place was literally dead. We should have noted that before we bothered to enter.
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Dakovich
That big patio mixed with the popularity of the martini bar is a blessing and a curse. On one hand there are so many people who want to grab a drink and just go and chill on the patio, and on the other hand they have a restaurant that needs to reserve space for its dining crowd. Always a fight between the drinking crowd and the dining crowd. It would be nice if there was a more defined split between which area is for the drinkers and which are dining tables. That being said, its unfortunate that you had an unpleasant experience. Did you talk with a manager? Have you contacted the owner after this event happened? Maybe if they knew about it they would try and make it right. Everybody has a bad day. From your story it sounds like something serious must have been going wrong because EVERY server was unfriendly, and the hostess was stomping rudely. I'd imagine you caught everyone setting the restaurant for the dinner rush right before the kitchen was offically open. Might explain where the hostess was. In either event, drop the owner an email, I'm sure they'll take care of you. Also, from what I've heard there has been a shift in managment very recently. This should make a HUGE difference in the quality of experience you will recieve. Cheers.
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tonyarmani
In the spirit that this country is heading into Depression and the fact that this is Buffalo, NY, I think that BRO should be profiling restaurants that one could get full for under $5, like that one breakfast place in North Buffalo that served a huge breakfast for $2.50.....
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Bufago
This place has sucked for years!
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eating
The herbage shooting out of the end of the lamb shank in the first picture is good for a laugh. Senseless garnish. ALMOST makes me laugh.
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scottnorwood
Tony, i've got an idea for you. How about you write up a nice profile and submit it to BRO. I'm sure if was well written, they'd be more than happy to throw it on here.
As for the critiques of Cecilia's, I noticed that not a single one had anything negative to say about the food. One person bitched about the fact that they sat at a table that is intended for those who are ordering food. Same thing goes at many restaurants around the city including Mother's. I understand your point that it was empty, but how difficult was it to just go to the tables that are designated for drinking? If my memory serves me correctly, they are about 10 feet away. Then we have Bufago's wonderfully in depth commentary. What sucks is your inability to make an intelligent comment about a restaurant you probably haven't been to in years.
So if you can get look past the garnish and the fact that you have to order food to sit at a table, I'd guess Cecilia's is probably a pretty good place to grab a bite. Just my opinion though.
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Hoss
I had a similar experience as Norpark two summers ago. It was very strange. We wanted to have a drink while we waited for some folks, then get some food when the others arrived. We had a nice patio table, about 6 people, then we were told we couldn't order food in that section, and had to wait til a table was available in the other section. Uh, OK, whatever. Then when the table was finally available, we were literally moved to the one immediately next to us. Huh? Lot's of sighing and grumbling could be witnessed from the hostess/server area as well. Not a pleasant experience overall. Sadly, I couldn't tell you how the food tasted, because of he bad taste in my mouth from the bizarre shuffle. I haven't been back since.
It makes sense to keep tables reserved for people intent on dining. But to not offer food in a drinking area seems odd. Even counter-intuitive to boosting profits. If for some reason, it has to be the way it is (permit issues, understaffed, etc...), have the servers explain why, and have them explain it graciously.
It's a nice location, and I know there are fans of the food out there, so hopefully they will get some of this feedback, and maybe reevaluate their patio protocol.
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NorPark
Scott Funny you mention Mother's, because thats my favorite place, cant say anything but great things about Mothers, the food, atmosphere, staff, its all top notch first class. I cant say anything about the food at Cecilia's because frankly, we decided to take our money someplace else, a place that graciously assisted us.
"but how difficult was it to just go to the tables that are designated for drinking? If my memory serves me correctly, they are about 10 feet away."
I guess it is quite difficult, because unless you work there or have been on the patio before and have gone through this, how would one differentiate the 'full service' and 'drinks only' sections. The hostess wasn't at her stand to assist us, and the servers offered none, so we grabbed a drink and sat at one of the empty tables, which were all empty aside from another group of people having drinks. I get the fact there are certain sections, and can respect that fact, i just don't need to get it from some prissy high maintenance classless bitch.
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ToughintheStreets
One of my favorite restaurants in Buffalo. I love the patio and have never had any of the experiences above. Stopped going for a while because after the management change the food dropped off a bit, but I went back a few months ago and the food is back to being great.
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oldwaiter
I think that the above should be a lesson to all restaurant owners/managers. The market is extremely competative and if you don't do things right every time, there are 100 other owners willing to take your business. Why would anyone want to spend their money at a place that makes them feel uncomfortable or unwelcomed? Bad attitudes, inattentive servers, dirty dishes left too long on tables, etc. are all bad for any restaurant---if you experience these things, write a letter, speak to a manager, or just go somewhere they treat you right every time.
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scottnorwood
Point taken NorPark, I can understand your reluctance to stick around for more abuse. I hate rude bitchy servers myself. I've been a server at many of the best Buffalo has including Mother's, and I realized early on in my career that the tips are better when you show a little patience and understanding.
My original post was just to point out that this was a food critique and I was concerned that people were only commenting on things like garnishes and a bad interaction with one bad waitress/hostess who probably just had a crappy day. Honestly, i've only had good experiences at Cecilia's and think the food is pretty good. The drinks, while slightly overpriced, are a great deal on the two for one night. Great patio and always full of beautiful babies in the summer.
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fleur526
I had almost the exact same experience as NorPark and Hoss over the summer. It was surprising because I had been to Cecilia's a few times before, and liked it bc even though it was a little pricey, it was delicious and the atmosphere on the patio was nice. I can see the point of having designated dining areas, but you have to a) make it clear where those areas are, and b) be willing to be a little flexible if you have an empty patio with only two full tables. Being rude and inflexible is a great way to lose customers.
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fleur526
I had almost the exact same experience as NorPark and Hoss over the summer. It was surprising because I had been to Cecilia's a few times before, and liked it bc even though it was a little pricey, it was delicious and the atmosphere on the patio was nice. I can see the point of having designated dining areas, but you have to a) make it clear where those areas are, and b) be willing to be a little flexible if you have an empty patio with only two full tables. Being rude and inflexible is a great way to lose customers.
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