Rouse’s, the ever-inventive local grocery chain, has installed a full service restaurant inside the Tchoupitoulas Street store.  Located in the rear of the store’s wine department, The Cellar is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 am to 8 pm.  Check out the menu here.  Available a la carte or as a $20, 5 course prix fixe, it’s a step up from the usual supermarket salad bar or plastic tray sushi.  [The (some)Times Picayune covered The Cellar back in October, but I quit subscribing, so I missed the initial publicity.]

I haven’t sampled the food at The Cellar, though I have eaten my share of “hot lunches” served at Rouse’s rural locations, where the fare runs toward white beans, gumbo, jambalaya, and fried catfish.  If the Uptown location upholds the chain’s country standards, shopper-diners should be pleased.

Has anyone tried The Cellar?  Comments, please.  It is generating positive Yelp reviews (but we all know the worth of THAT).