re: Restaurant recs in Nola near Audubon Park?

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ETA: I think it was Nikinik who said it's actually pretty good.

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Yep. Here's my review...

A friend and I went to The Cellar for a Yelp dinner. There were about 10 people in attendance.

To start, the chef put out every single appetizer that is on their menu! It was set out on platters and you just helped yourself family style. Everything was DELICIOUS! I especially enjoyed the charcuterie plate with pickled fennel and also the seasonal pizzetta, which was a house made flatbread topped with fresh basil pesto, homemade crab boil mozzarella and prosciutto. YUM!

For my entrée I had the Spicy Creole Shrimp and Grits. The shrimp were the perfect amount of spice, and the grits were smooth and creamy. This was served with some greens with smoked bacon in it. While this dish was very, very good, I would've liked a little bit of sauce on the grits.

I am not a big dessert person, but the dessert was the highlight of the night! Homemade strawberry ice cream sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies sitting on top of salted caramel. It was too amazing for words.

For my wine, I did a wine flight, and all three of the wines that I tried were very good. I especially liked the Crios Torrentos...a light and crisp white.

Although I was attending a Yelp event and it was a set price ($25), I can tell you that their regular menu prices are more than reasonable, with no entrée over $12, and the wines at $6-$8 a glass.

It was really nice that chef Melissa came out and talked to everyone as a group and also individually. You can tell she has a true passion for what she's doing. As a fellow cook and foodie, I really appreciated this.

I was thrilled when she said that they were working on a happy hour menu and drink specials!

Rouse's has really hit it out of the park with this concept and feel it would be even more successful at their huge and relatively new CBD location!

I only had one complaint about The Cellar and that was the lighting. It was much too bright and it was white. I hate white light and no one seems to look good in it. O.k....I did look cute...but I could've looked even cuter in a soft yellow light with some little candles on the table. I think a rethink of the lighting is necessary if they want to truly make you feel like you're not in a grocery store.