Hard not to love this upscale, somewhat pricey but ultimately classy and adventurous restaurant. You'd almost miss it driving by, that's how unremarkable it is from the outside, but once you step inside (and down actually, as it's set up almost like a basement restaurant in Italy) there's no mistaking the delicious food that comes at you from all angles. The menu has a great selection of appetizers, salads, pastas, fish/seafood, meats, and chicken dishes, but it's the lengthy daily specials that are what really offers up the surprises. Creamy oyster soup, steamed clams in garlic, wine, olive oil & lemon, fresh anchovy platter with carmelized onions, fettucini with a creamy tomato sauce filled with succulent lobster meat, and quail stuffed with sausage, wrapped in pancheta and served over polenta are just some of the tasty items we've had here. Yes, the wines are expensive, and desserts, while great, also will run up your tab, but if you are looking for a great meal, a dinner for two (2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 2 drinks) will run you about $100 and it's well worth it. Service is fantastic, and the ambience is nice, though very dark.
Review Source:For years I wanted to try this restaurant and after reading so many great reviews I knew it was time to give it a try. Â My hubby and I went on a Wednesday night and there were about five tables of customers but I wasn't surprised since it was the middle of the week. Â I liked the decor immediately - warm, dimly lit and inviting - like you were inside your grandmothers house - with serving stations at the front and the back of the dining room. Â So the waiter comes over and leaves us with a wine list and two menus and after about 10 minutes comes to get our drink orders. Â Upon getting our drinks he asks us if we want to hear the specials and we immediately say yes as nothing on the menu was grabbing us. Â So he goes through this gargantuous list and I am having a hard time taking it all in. Â Again, nothing sounded really appealing to me among the selections being offered. Â I didn't want the same old same old I can get at any Italian restaurant and yet I didn't want vennison, rabbit, trout, duck, etc. Â Well we settled on the boratta cheese appetizer with prosciutto and peppers and the fried calamari - both were excellent. Â I decided on the sausage stuffed quail wrapped in pancetta on top of polenta and my hubby had the chicken breast with fontina cheese & prosciutto with a brown mushroom sauce - unfortunately our entrees were just not good - the quails were stuffed with an entire sausage link inside each one which overwhelmed the taste and the polenta was a drippy, tasteless mess. Â The chicken breast was a huge breast underneath a glop of cheese and sauce - my hubby ate more than half because he was hungry. Â So the waiter passes by and sees that I have pushed my dish aside but makes no attempt to remove my plate, ask me if I wanted anything else or offer me another drink - in fact they never asked or brought out more than one drink to each of us - strange - especially since we declined water. Â Finally the waiter comes back and sees my plate and I tell him it wasn't for me so he says he would take it off the bill. Â They offer us dessert and I have the cinnamon bread pudding which was divine and my hubby had the strawberry sorbet which was great - our cappucinos were not so great though - they tasted old as if the cappucino machine hadn't been cleaned out in a while and they had an aftertaste. Â Maybe we went on an off night or maybe our entree choices weren't the best choices so I may have to go again and try something else before I say sayonara to this place just yet.
Review Source:4.5. We were passing through the area and hoped to find a great Italian place. Â We did! Â It doesn't look like much from the outside but as soon as you walk through the front door the aroma tells you that you have arrived. The inside is small but very cute and the delights arrive course by course. Endive and leeks with broiled smoked mozzarella. Osso bucca which falls off the bone. Cheesecake made in house. This is one of those places we'll remember in years to come.
Review Source:I was anticipating eating here because I had heard great things (here comes the but) but I was disappointed.  I couldn't express my true feelings to my fella because he shelled out serious $ so I will vent online. This place earned two stars because of the ambience and our awesome server. It lost three stars because my entree was disappointing, the owner yelled at the server, and it is over priced. I had the seafood risotto. It had tiny baby shrimp and itsy bitty scallops. Not ok!  Perhaps this is the authentica style but for  $30 mama wants her jumbos and her divers. My fella had some cruel veal dish that he said was awesome. It better be awesome considering it was  basically ripped from the teat and forced to live its short life out in a dark box.  Anywhoo I think the antipasta station is the way to go and if my memory fails me and I venture back I will probably just order that and hopefully piss the owner off.
Review Source:This high end Tuscan style "ristorante" offers without a doubt some of the  best italian cuisine in the Mid-hudson valley. The ambience is warm and inviting. The staff is second to none, fully informed and extremely professional at all times. Although  we have been dining here for years , for some inexplicable  reason  I have overlooked  reviewing Il Cenacola . Perhaps  it's  wonderful  reputation hardly needed  my  re-affirmations....anyway for the uninitiated I might recommend some of my favorite dishes: Antipasto table... ..take a look at these wonderful offerings  as U enter the restaurant... . U will be hard put to choose any one item ...U might try the misto terra as a starter, if you're in  a veggie kind of mood...or perhaps the  sardines smothered with grilled  onions, or the smoked salmon, or perhaps the imported burrata (creamy mozzarella) covered wth fried peppers, etc... As  for pesce ...try the wonderful huge grilled prawns...
Although the branzino deboned at the table always satisfies, I generally will opt for one of  their wonderful carne dishes...veal chop of the day or an outstanding osso buco or perhaps the filet mignon au poivre. My spouse ordered some outstanding lamb chops.If I were a bigger eater  I would throw in a pasta dish ...the bolognese sauce is world class. If U have deep pockets U might try the tagliatelle with black truffles and so on ...the desserts are varied and never fail to satisfy ...last nite we shared a fine ricotta cheese cake with fresh berries and authentic whipped cream. By the way.... for the quality.... the prices are extremely fair.
I thoroughly enjoyed this meal! There was a good selection on the menu, but the list of specials was what was so impressive to me. The waiter not only knew the ingredients of each dish, but also explained some interesting cooking techniques the chef uses on the dishes. I think you have to graduate from the CIA just to be a server there! Lol! Every course was fabulous. The only thing I didn't care for was the house chianti, and that is hardly their fault.
I'm so glad I had a chance to try this place out after hearing such great things about it from my friends. Definitely give this place a try!
One of my all time favorite restaurants. Â I've never been to Italy, but I'll actually be surprise if I find better food when I go. Â This place sets the standard for antipasto, osso bucco, and filet with sherry cream sauce. Â Fresh semolina and egg capellini with shaven truffle and truffle oil is perfection. Â The best of the best outside of NYC. Â In fact, Il Cenacolo puts Batali's Babbo to shame based on my one-time tasting menu experience at the later. Â On my most recent visit the day after Christmas, my family enjoyed the restaurant to ourselves along with Rene Russo's.
Review Source:Spouse and I went here for dinner after a day at Storm King and after reading the other Yelp reviews for this place. It was good, not 5-star, and I'd give it 3.5 if I could.
I was a bit suspicious of a 5-10 minute long specials list, particularly when the "specials" seemed to always be available. Isn't that disingenuous? Our meals were good. The service was slow that night (the waitress came to the table to apologize) and we had to ask for water and bread refills as we waited for our entrees. Do not, do not, do not, get seated near the bread table - as we were- or you'll be bumped by the servers all night.
Who needs to be in NYC to get a fine dining experience? Â Definitely not the patrons of Il Cena'colo. Â What a jewel nestled in the charming Historic Hudson Valley. Â Apparently, this place has been around for about 25 years and has managed to survive on word of mouth. Â For good reason! Â
My sister took me here for lunch today, and we caught up with each other over a fantastic meal. Â Our waitress, Cricket, was very personable and had an excellent understanding of the menu. Â She carefully recited the long list of specials and explained in greater detail any dish that peeked our interests. Â
When we sat down, they served us a hardy amount of bread that they were more than happy to replenish along with some seared zucchini in--I think--a balsamic vinaigrette with garlic. Â For appetizers we had seared Portuguese sardines over arugula and clams in some sort of butter sauce. Â Delicious. Â I've been craving seafood lately, and it was just the perfect amount of fresh and salty with olive oil/ butter. Â I was in heaven. Â My sister suggested that we split the half order of pasta. Â I can't recall the exact noodle, but it was long and thin and neither spaghetti nor angel hair. Â It almost seemed like an egg noodle you'd get at an Asian restaurant. Â My boyfriend would know the name of it. Â (Update: Â My sister reminded me that it was a tagliatelle in a truffle oil). Â Anyway, it was served in a light sauce with fresh shavings of truffles. Â My sister was full, but I went on--mind over matter as a friend of ours says--and had the Red Snapper with a garnish of mussels and other little seafood goodies in a white wine tomato sauce. Â Light, and although I wasn't impressed at first bite, the more subtle tomato wine flavor won me over in the end. Â I think I was expecting a stronger wine flavor. Â Then again, I was also drinking white wine which may have confused my senses. Â Because there is always room for gelato, we had some of their homemade caramel and pistachio gelato. Â Also a winner, especially the caramel. Â
I would recommend this to anyone in area for great food and a very pleasant experience. Â My only caveat is that it looks kind of expensive. Â I says looks because lucky for me, my sister paid, so I don't know how much everything came to. Â But I would definitely recommend it for a special occasion or to take a special person in your life.
Let's start by saying that any place with a specials list that takes 5 or 10 minutes to recite is definitely promising... and this place is no exception. Â The list is seemingly endless, and when coupled with the extensive regular menu, believe me when I say there is something for everyone... or maybe two or three things in fact. One of the few places that I go and consistently have to make tough decisions for each course... oh Cena'colo how I love thee. And if you don't trust me, go and see what James Patterson has to say about it.. Â Â
Some of the standouts for me have been the sea bass, asparagus with parmesan app, lamb shank, all of the raviolis, and the fresh antipasta. Â Seriously good traditional italian food...
The price, well.. it's expensive. So save it for your special occasions and you won't be disappointed. Â It just might be your best meal in OC....
My sister in law and brother in law have taken my wife and I to Il Cena'colo the last two years over the Christmas holiday. Â What a FANTASTIC restaurant! From the moment you walk in, the dark romatic atmosphere is great! Â As the hostess seats you, you can't help but notice the enormous antipasto table with all sorts of meat, cheeses and spreads...oh my gosh! Â The food is amazing, and just last December I had one of the best dishes I have had anywhere. Â They had a special Italian post roast served on a bed of mashed potatoes with truffle oil...oh my G*D! Â I will order it again when we go in December if it is on the menu! Â As a matter of fact, I will call ahead to make sure it is on the menu! Â Everyone at the table, although they were happy with their dishes, were bummed they did not order my dish!
If you live in the Newburgh area...make sure you check out this place!
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