THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Westside Cellar Cafe & Wine Store

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Westside Cellar Cafe & Wine Store Restaurant Review:

This small, narrow space really packs in the people and the activities. Wine tastings are held in the back room Wednesdays and Saturdays, and selections from the 300-label rotating list are sampled. Once a month, individual winemakers are spotlighted at wine dinners. And about twice a month, live entertainment keeps things hopping. Other nights, tables are jammed with locals and residents of nearby Camarillo or Westlake Village. The cheese plates are a thing of beauty, stocked with fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts and a delicious version of Persian haroset (think fruitcake). Dinners are less reliable. Sometimes the food pairings are overwrought and too complicated for their own good. But there are certainly always some good choices on the eclectic seasonal menu. The crab cakes are sauced with a spicy coconut curry. The seared duck breast with a pomegranate-port reduction is almost always on the menu. So is some version of seared ahi. Desserts are usually overlooked in favor of the aforementioned cheese plates. A selection of ten or so cheeses includes sheep’s milk, goat’s milk and cow’s milk varieties from Holland, France, Spain, Italy and California. Additional accompaniments like quince paste, olive oil, truffle honey or orange and onion marmalade can be ordered.