The Tasting Room Is Now Cellar & Flame

New name reflects an evolving concept

Listen to your customers. That’s the lesson Carolyn Weeks took to heart, and it’s the reason The Tasting Room became Cellar & Flame.

“Cellar & Flame is the name catching up with what we became. It evolved over the last five years. It wasn’t intentional,” says Weeks.

The downtown Traverse City restaurant is led by Carolyn, her husband Derek Weeks, and Christine Skibowski. When the eatery debuted as The Tasting Room in 2021, the goal was to showcase their spirits. It was intended to serve as a gathering place, somewhere family and friends could congregate after work, slow down, have a drink and enjoy themselves.

“Come in, hang out,” says Weeks of the original concept. They offered some small plates to balance things out.

But it turned out that while people would indeed come in for a drink, they often didn’t linger. The small plates weren’t enough, so their customers went somewhere else for dinner. “You start off [with] what you think everybody wants. No, no, it isn’t. It was shocking,” Week admits.

Changing Course

“There was a call for more entrees,” she continues. “We’re guest-focused. It’s something we learned from the guests. It’s what they wanted. Within six months [of opening], customers were telling us they wanted more dinners.”

The team listened and embraced the changes. The menu has now grown to include appetizers, salads, entrees including steaks and seafood, and more. And now, the name has changed too. “The flame is the wood fire,” Weeks explains, where much of the cooking is done. Cellar? Well, that’s where you keep wine, and theirs is extensive. A quick peek at the menu shows roughly 200 options, ranging from affordable by-the-glass picks to $250+ bottles.

So the name is in keeping with the offerings. It just took a while to get there. The owners didn’t want to abandon the original concept and those who came in to partake of the signature beverages, from cocktails to wine. But eventually they realized the name “The Tasting Room” might actually be holding them back from greater success. “At least five times a night we had to tell people what we were. They had no idea we served food,” says Weeks.

Now the question is, can two downtown steakhouses survive, even thrive, so close together? Cellar & Flame and The Pretty Penny, another steak-forward restaurant which opened earlier this year, are only about three blocks from one another.

Weeks sees no reason why not. Though the pace has slowed since summer, she’s confident there will still be plenty of people finding their way downtown to eat and drink. She says many locals actually avoid downtown in the summer, but return once the throngs of visitors dissipate. She likens it to family relaxing together after a busy season. “It’s like our family came back. We recognize faces, know our guests.”

And she wouldn’t be anywhere else. “We wanted to be downtown. We love the vibe of downtown. We call it our happy place,” she says.

What to Order

The restaurant’s décor reflects that happy place aesthetic, with cozy seating and light pouring in from the riverside. Large garage doors open when the weather cooperates for al fresco dining. “We suffer all winter for the small window of good weather,” Weeks says. “We want to open it up.”

Here’s what we would go for sitting on that lovely patio overlooking the river. Starters on the raw and cold bar include oysters, burrata, and ahi tuna, while the hot starters include calamari, Wellington bites, and Cellar & Flame’s signature meatballs. Featured soups and salads include Goats and Greens and a morel bisque.

Moving on to the main event, there are five steak selections. Filets, New York strip, and ribeyes, each USDA Prime, which are then hand-selected and personally inspected. Other entrees? Absolutely. Twin lobster tails and lobster mac and cheese, chicken, chops, and halibut, even elk medallions.

As the commercials say, but wait, there’s more. “Every week we do a feature,” says Weeks. “New fish, new concepts, new things.”

She says certain items do stand out to customers. “The signature filet is one of our biggest sellers,” Weeks says of the eight-ounce filet mignon, which is finished with black truffle butter and served with a twice baked potato. “Everybody loves truffle butter.”

Another prize catch is the halibut, topped with prosecco beurre blanc and served with creamy parmesan risotto.

The best thing on the menu? Well, it might not even be one of the entrees, as Weeks points to the restaurant’s signature meatballs. “We grind all our [steaks] in house,” Weeks says, and the meatballs are made from the trimmings from the steaks, plus veal and Italian sausage. They are then braised in San Marzano tomato sauce with fresh herbs and served with garlic bread.

While Cellar & Flame has expanded its focus, Weeks says it is still all about the atmosphere. That goes back to the original concept of a place to come and relax, grab a drink with friends, and hang out. The only difference is now people can spend time together without needing to go somewhere else for dinner. “Come in and stay, enjoy, and not be rushed. People want to dine out, have an experience, be taken care of,” she says.

Find Cellar & Flame at 155 Garland St. in Traverse City. (231) 525-0555; cellarandflame.com

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