Restaurant Review- Stella Trattoria

The same folks that brought us Osteria 832 and the popular noodle chain Doc Chey’s recently unveiled their (slightly) more upscale Italian concept, Stella Neighborhood Trattoria.

Located in the Grant Park neighborhood and bordering historic Oakland Cemetery, Stella still feels a little shiny and new to be called a local spot. The ground-level patio offered welcome breezes on a recent fall evening, but, unlike nearby seafood mecca Six Feet Under, affords diners no view of the cemetery. And that’s a shame, because the mixed-use complex that houses Stella isn’t much to look at.

The comparisons between Stella and another casual pasta spot, Figo, are inevitable. Although Figo is a chain, corporate has done a better job integrating the restaurants into their respective neighborhoods—the spot on the Westside leans towards industrial chic, the locale in the Highlands, cozy and worn-in. However, the food at Stella has a leg up on Figo, both in quality (many of the organic ingredients have local pedigrees) and in selection (daily specials reflected the early fall season nicely).

A starter of crisp, fried calamari with garlic aioli and crunchy basil leaves succeeded in providing my daily dose of grease. Every so slightly chewy, the calamari was nonetheless well seasoned and fresh tasting. The portion was on the smaller size, but who really needs the usual 4 lbs. of fried food we receive as an “appetizer”? It was nice to still be hungry for my main course.

For my main course, I chose the boscaiola, a dish of cremini mushrooms, spinach and pancetta tossed with cavatapi in a creamy mascarpone sauce. (An aside—servers, please learn how to pronounce the names of your dishes.) Believe it or not, the pasta was a little too on this side of al dente for my taste—a few minutes longer in the pot would have allowed it to really melt in the mouth. The veggies tasted fresh and the sauce was perfectly seasoned (I didn’t even miss the salt and pepper shakers that weren’t on our table), but the pancetta was cut a little large. My dining companion’s dish didn’t fare quiet as well. The “Tuscan Chicken” pasta (spinach fettuccine tossed with organic chicken and sun-dried tomatoes in a cream sauce) could have benefited from the addition of some fresh herbs and Parmesan shaved on top. But, the portion was generous for the price and none of it went to waste.

The wine list was a highlight for me—almost everything is available by the glass and all but one varietal is under $10 (I had a lovely dry Riesling, a steal for $6). One complaint—the server had to come back to inform us that the requested beer was unavailable. Sell-outs happen, but servers should stay on top of the no-go list.

All in all, Stella is a welcome addition to the rapidly gentrifying scene in Grant Park. I’m told that it’s family friendly, which is nice for an intown spot I suppose, but I do hope it doesn’t become overrun with screaming toddlers, ala Osteria 832. Flinging pasta against the wall to test for doneness is one thing, but flinging it at fellow dinners is quite another.