Still, Brian Del Gado, one of the owners, was upbeat when I stopped in last night, happy that customers are already finding their way to the place.
What they'll find when they arrive: an impressive array of reasonably priced wines, a small beer list, and a handy check-off ticket offering "Cheeses, Meat and Sweets" at 3 for $15, 4 for $18, or 6 for $26.
The meats -- prosciutto, speak, mortadella -- are all sourced by the Cellar, but the cheeses come from the Truffle. "We couldn't do it better," he says. Likewise, the sweets come from the nearby Sweet Life and the bread that accompanies all orders from the Bread Company, just a few blocks away in Highland.
The street outside might be a mess -- but once you're inside the Cellar, looking at life through rose-colored glasses, things seem very serene.