Dining Out: Stella

Tonight I met my childhood nanny for dinner in the South End. Her birthday is at the end of August and my birthday is at the end of September so we always pick a night in between to celebrate together. We tossed around several ideas for a place to meet up and ultimately decided on Stella in the South End.

Stella is just beyond the intersection of West Dedham Street and Washington Street in the South End. As you approach the restaurant you immediately notice the sidewalk seating on their spacious outdoor patio. Given the intense heat today, I headed right inside.

While waiting for my dinner date to arrive I took a seat at the bar. I was immediately struck by how handsome the bartenders were! My adoration only lasted about three minutes when I overheard two of the bartenders making fun of a patron at the other end of the bar. Very poor form.

I ordered a watermelon martini which came garnished with a fresh piece of watermelon. I was expecting it to taste like a jolly rancher, but instead of being sticky and sweet, it was smooth and refreshing. I stopped myself after one because I could tell they were dangerously good!

When my dinner date arrived we were seated at a table in the window. All of the tables and chairs in Stella are white. Its a very clean, minimalist design.

While we reviewed the menu, we were served individual pieces of foccacia bread to nosh on.

We decided to start by splitting the arugula, endive, lemon and parmesan salad. They split the dish for us on to two plates (I love when they do that!) and we devoured them quickly. The greens were fresh and crisp, the parmesan was delicious and there was a perfect amount of lemon.

For dinner I ordered the gnocchi. Each pasta puff was lightly grilled and the dish was topped with a spicy tomato sauce that had just the right amount of kick.

My dinner date ordered the salmon which came over spaghetti squash and was topped with arugula.

We agreed to take a look at the dessert menu, but waited about 20 minutes before placing our order. We were already so full! We did finally decided to split one item.

The chocolate torte came with hot fudge and a scoop of vanilla gelato. It was heavenly! The torte was light enough that you could actually finish it and the chocolate flavor was super decadent.

Minus the smack talking bartenders, every part of the Stella experience was perfect. A beautiful restaurant, friendly wait staff, expertly flavored food and all in a swanky neighborhood. For your next girls night, hang with Stella.

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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Stella
1525 Washington Street
02118 Boston , MA
United States
Massachusetts US