EatingOUT: 

If you’re in the mood to have a meal where you feel as if you’ve "dined out," then you owe it to yourself to experience the elegance of Celsius (50-C Wilmington Ave). And no, that doesn’t mean a giant bite out of your wallet. Look for the many special "All Night" deals (including evenings that offer buy one entrée and get one free) and you can have a first class dinner for very moderate prices. The non-special prices are not geared to put you into sticker shock either.

Celsius bills itself as a Mediterranean restaurant and one foot in the door can lead you to believe you’ve arrived at the Cote D’Azur. Warm, brushed saffron-colored walls are hung with tasteful French posters and decorated with murals evocative of the Mediterranean. Spectacular flower arrangements continue the mood. Banquettes and round tables set the scene for intimate dining.

The Belo-Russe accent of our server, Alex, was enough to pleasantly distract Susan and me from the recitation of the daily specials. Never have the words "Bouillabaisse Marseillaise" or "Sea Bass Filet" sounded sexier! We did snap out of it and concentrated on ordering appetizers. Susan chose the Seared Ahi Tuna over baby spinach drizzled with a sesame and ginger vinaigrette topped with seaweed salad. The tuna was fork-tender, pink, and melt-in-your-mouth good. How does this sound: Oysters Florentine—Broiled oysters with spinach, Béarnaise sauce topped with Gruyere cheese on a bed of Fleur de Sel? It sounded irresistible to me, and I wasn’t disappointed. The five plump oysters stuffed into shells plentiful with cheese and spinach disappeared in a blink.

There’s a wide and tempting array of salads and pastas but we moved on to the entrees to make sure we had room for dessert. Susan’s choice was the Rack of Lamb Tagine: A terrific selection of six Moroccan style lamb chops fanned artistically over couscous and spinach, topped with a wonderful sun-dried plum and harissa demi-glace. I’m a believer of "when in the Mediterranean, do as the Mediterraneans do," so Bouillabaisse seemed to fit the mood. One whiff of the saffron laden broth almost transported me to Nice! What’s not to love about a stew with shrimp, scallops, mussels, red snapper, cod, salmon and topped off with a cold-water lobster tail? Every savory spoonful was lapped up with gusto.

Dessert selections featured the classic Profiterolles (homemade cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream and smothered with chocolate sauce), Grand Marnier crème brulee, Port wine poached pear tart, an assortment of fruit sorbets, Chambord cheesecake (go Susan go!) and Celsius’ Decadent chocolate cake (Marion, should you really? Oh yeah!!). Whoever thought to put creamy cheesecake on a layer of raspberries, then top it with a glaze of Chambord deserves to be in the Dessert Hall of Fame. Raspberry liqueur glazed to satin AND raspberries are almost too sensuous to be allowed in public. Decadent chocolate is a more than apt description of the piece of cake that was put in front of me. This glorious desert justifiably was the winner of the 1998/99 Chocolate Festival. As if the richness of the cake were not enough (and believe me it was) it arrived slathered with a chocolate sauce that could be a desert in itself. A word of caution—even I, Dessert Queen Par Excellence, couldn’t finish all of this.

There’s an extensive wine list which, hallelujah, offers a number of choices of wine by the glass or half-bottle. As a bonus, wine by the bottle is offered at 50% off on Sundays. And, every Friday you can enjoy homemade Sangria.

Tapas, those tempting little dishes made popular in Spain, are served nightly and after 10 p.m. on Saturdays. This is a wonderful way to sample a variety of dishes such as Mini Crab Cake, Coconut Shrimp, Fried Calamari, Ceviche, and even sautéed Frog Legs to mention just a few. Bear in mind these are only samples—changes may occur during different seasons.