[Evelyn]

Deep in the French Quarter, away from the noise and hustle, I found the an incredible gem, Stella! The restaurant, located in the Hotel Provincial, is not a new one, although it recently underwent a $1 million dollar renovation. It's been in existence since 2001, when the chef, Scott Boswell chose New Orleans to open his flagship venture. Chef Boswell has worked in France, also at Jean Georges in New York and trained in Tokyo at Massa, with Iron Chef Italian, Masahiko Kobe. The menu reflects a blend of his experiences. The cuisine incorporates Asian, Creole, Italian and French accents in dishes that are well thought out and balanced. The main dining area is warm and comfortable. Large paned windows dressed with swags give views of ivy covered walls. French doors open to a courtyard with a lovely fountain, beautiful greenery and bright flowers. The room itself is decorated in French country style and dimly lit by wrought iron chandeliers and sconces with flickering candles. And, the service is the best I have experienced in New Orleans-ever. It is polite, knowledgeable and unobtrusive. Silverware is delivered on a linen covered tray, by white gloved waiters. Even thought the restaurant was fully booked, the meal flowed smoothly. I experienced nary an empty water glass or underfilled wine glass all evening. Pacing of the meal was excellent.

The menu contains many interesting dishes. I considered trying to cobble together my own tasting. But, the seven course tasting menu, which changes daily, really caught my eye. My own personal siren song is that of local Louisiana and Gulf seafood, and this menu incorporated plenty. Decision made.

Wine: 2006 Philippe Colin Les Chaumeus, Chassagne Montrachet

Amuse: Mango champagne soup with Louisiana Gulf shrimp and taro root. A lovely, light spoonful of delicate soup topped with a grilled shrimp and crispy taro strips.

1st Course: Louisiana Jumbo Lump Crab, Gulf Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Baby Arugula, Grilled Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Salsa, 100-Year-Old Balsamic Vinegar and Sweet Corn Emulsion-A layer of creamy avocado salad, topped with large lumps of crab and bites of gently poached shrimp. Peppery baby arugula tossed with just a touch of the smoky red pepper salsa and roasted corn. A dot of the viscuous, sweet balsamic and a froth of the milky corn emulsion dressing the plate. Excellent.

2nd Course: Spring Asparagus Puree with First of the Season Morel Mushroom Custard, Louisiana Jumbo Lumb Crab and Extra Vigin Olive Oil-The influence of Chef Boswell's time in Japan could be seen in this dish, a Louisiana version of chawan mushi. The lid was removed from the bowl, uncovering a bright green layer of aparagus puree dotted with olive oil. I was instructed by my waiter to blend the hidden layer of warm, delicate, barely set mushroom custard with the puree and large lumps of crab and morels. Spring in a bowl. Excellent.

3rd Course: Gulf Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Risotto with Carmelized Maitake Mushrooms, Baby Corn, English Peas, Local Scallions and Melted Brie-Nicely toothsome risotto dotted with largish bites of golden mushrooms and Gulf shrimp. Bright green, sweet peas slivers of scallion and slices of yellow baby corn. A hint of spiciness from the diced andouille. A bit of "funk" from the melted, stringy brie. I have to admit, I wasn't sure all those ingredients would work. But, they did. Ver Good.

4th Course: "Fish and Chips"-Tempura Beer Battered Hawaiian Sunfish with Local Sweet Potato Puree, Curried Taro Root Chips and Spicy Red Chili Caramel-A nicely fried, moist piece of sunfish resting atop braised baby bok choy and accompanied by a slash of the sweet/spicy chili sauce. To the side, a dollop of the bright orange, velvety puree studded with large taro chips. This dish just didn't work for me, a case of personal preference rather than poor execution. Although, I did enjoy the sweet potato puree and the baby bok choy. Fair.

5th Course: Steak and Egg-Seared Prime Filet of Beef Tenderloin and Sunny Side Up Clyde's Farm Araucana Egg with "Breakfast" Potatoes, Truffled Hollandaise and "Texas Toast" with Foie Gras Butter-This is one of those courses that, even though it is a simple combination, admittedly with some excellent twists, just makes you want to lick the plate. A silver dollar size, thick piece of perfectly rare beef arrives atop golden, crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside diced potato. Next to it, a barely cooked bright orange yolked egg atop a thick cut of golden brioche toast. A thick and silky yellow hollandaise, touched with truffle finishing the plate. Although I didn't lick the plate, I did use the toast to make sure I got to enjoy every single bit on the plate. Excellent.

6th Course: Meadow Creek Dairy Grayson with Dried Bing Cherry Compote and Candied Pistachio-A nice slice of cheese, at the proper temperature with toasted slices of brioche. The tart compote touched with a tad of spice and the crunchy pistachios. Good.

7th Course: Chocolate Cake with Hot Buttered Pink Lemonade-I grew up loving Minute Maid pink lemonade, so this dish had my attention. A warm, moist chocolate cake, topped with a dollop of excellent ganache. The surrounding sauce, tart, bright pink (just as I remember the color of Minute Maid to be) and incredibly buttery. The cake was excellent, I'm still not too sure about the sauce. But, it did evoke some pleasant childhood memories. Interesting.

Mignardis: Banana Meringue and Blackberry Marshmallow

As I wandered out into the warm, drizzly evening I knew I had found another restaurant to add to my list of "have to go to restaurants when in New Orleans". The atmosphere, service and food at Stella! combine to make for an excellent evening.

[Liza]

I just licked the screen.

[Evelyn]

Another excellent meal at Stella! The tasting menu, which was quite similar to one I had about a year ago. New riffs on a theme, though. The local I dined with, was depressed by the fact that he'd been missing out on such an excellent place to dine since this was his first experience there. He's already gone back once since our dinner a little over a week ago. Service was outstanding, as it has been on every other visit. We were enjoying the evening, so I don't have detailed notes. But, suffice it to say, Stella! is producing, IMO, the best food in New Orleans. I will also mention that the local critic (who was on the short list for the NY Times job) seems to think it's pretty impressive, too. Five Beans from Brett Anderson.

Amuse 1: Lousiana Gulf Shrimp Kimchee with mango and champagne
Amuse 2: Kabayaki Wonton with coconut curry sauce

Course 1: Lousiana Jumbo Lump Crab and Shrimp with Grilled Corn, Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Salad and Sweet Corn Emulsion-Heavenly fresh Lousiana seafood allowed to shine through with the tastes of summer joining it on the plate. Excellent.

Course 2: Pan Grilled Roasted Summer Asparagus with Wild Porcini Mushroom, Clyde's Farm Red and Yellow Onions and Green Apsaragus Porridge Emuslion-Hidden beneath an emerald green bath of elegant asparagus flavor, a touch of crunch from perfectly cooked aspargus, beautiful large slices of porcini and tender onions covering a silky, flan-like 'porridge'. Excellent.

Course 3: Canadian Lobster Risotto with Carmelized Baby Shiitake and Porcini Mushrooms, English Peas, Local Scallions and Italian Summer Truffles-I could smell the truffles as the dish was placed before. Me could it, summer truffles with flavor and texture. Miracles do happen. They were excellent. As was the risotto dotted with perfectly cooked bits of lobster, bright green, sweetly flavored peas and delicately carmelized mushrooms. Excellent.

Course 4: Tempura Maryland Softshell Crab, Crawfish New Potato Salad, Spicy Kumquat Butter-Because local crabs were not available, Maryland crabs were on the menu. I have to admit to a bias to southern crabs. But, this crab was perfectly fried, not a touch of greasiness, the batter light and crunchy. It didn't sway me from my bias. But, it was an excellent substitute. The accompanying spicy kumquat butter a good foil for the mildly flavored crab. The potato salad with tender bites of crawfish providing that feeling of attending a summer picnic. Very Good.

Course 5: Steak and Egg- Steak and Egg-Seared Prime Filet of Beef Tenderloin and Sunny Side Up Clyde's Farm Araucana Egg with "Breakfast" Potatoes, Truffled Hollandaise and "Texas Toast" with Foie Gras Butter- I am thrilled this dish remains on the menu. All elements prepared perfectly, as they have been each time I've enjoyed it. Excellent.

Cheese: Rogue River Blue with Dried Bing Cherry Compote & Candied Pistachios

Dessert: Chocolate Cake with Hot Buttered Pink Lemonade

I highly recommend that if you are in New Orleans, Stella! should be at the top of your list for evening dining in New Orleans.

[rancho_gordo]

And one of the best-named restaurants ever!

[ulterior epicure]

Coincidence is a curious thing. Sometimes, it can be a b*tch.

Just before dessert, the sommelier arrived with a bottle of Champagne, a gift from the chef, Scott Boswell.

To explain how this happened, let me rewind to the beginning of our meal at his restaurant, Stella!

While waiting for our first courses to arrive, I noticed an email drop in my inbox from an acquaintance – in another city and state – who knew I was in New Orleans. Was I going to Stella!?, he wanted to know.

As a matter of fact, I responded, I was just sitting down to dinner there. I added that service was slow. Incredibly slow. We had been sitting dry and hungry for over thirty minutes after ordering. No explanation. No apology. Nothing. It was a rough start.

The details are too convoluted to recount, but, in short, the contents of that email reached Boswell’s ears. Unbeknownst to me, Boswell was sitting right next to the email recipient.

What Boswell did not know at the time is that after sending that email, my friends and I sat another half hour between our second courses and our main courses. Again, no explanation. No apology. Nothing. And we sat another half hour between our main courses and our desserts. Again, not a single explanation or acknowledgment.

That’s when the bottle of Champagne arrived.

We weren’t the only ones experiencing slow service that night. Trouble was afoot in the front of the house, and probably the back as well; something was wrong.

Silverware was habitually misplaced. Plates were incorrectly assigned and delivered unannounced. Wine was poured erratically – sometimes twenty minutes before its paired dish arrived, sometimes a few minutes after.

And, it seemed, the worse things got, the more the servers avoided our table. I have eaten in enough restaurants to know that when mistakes start happening with a table, it can be very easy to let things get worse rather than stopping, apologizing, and trying to start afresh.

You would never have known by watching the efficiency and professionalism of the bartenders though. We arrived just before eight o’clock and comfortably squeezed in a cocktail and a half before being seated. They make a delightful French 75 and do a wonderful interpretation of a Sazerac in a dimpled glass.

To add insult to injury, a tart, cruel stream of cold air was directed at our table through the half-inch gap between the set of double doors near us. It was rainy and miserable outside. We were freezing. At one point, the doors blew open. There being no servers around, my friend got up and closed them.

Service and climate control issues aside, the food at Stella! was uneven. Inexcusably disappointing dishes, like the “Vegetarian Daily Composition,” were served alongside marvelous creations, like “Pan-Roasted Grouper.” That vegetable main course – priced at $31 – was the type of obligatory and overpriced afterthought that most vegetarians fear in high-end restaurants. It amounted to a small assortment of beautiful vegetables, a couple of croquettes, and some sauce, all of which arrived on the colder side of acceptable. It looked more like a first course.

Next to it was a gorgeous $34 filet of grouper worthy of praise. It was crusted with popcorn crumbs and draped across a mound of macque choux studded with crawfish tails and surrounded by a moat of rich onion butter brightened with sour cream. The flaky, moist fish was delicious.

The tasting menu – a $195, 7-course truffle progression – required the participation of the entire table (even though the hostess confirmed by phone that it did not). I asked to see the truffles. More impressed with the black ones than the white ones (not surprising given we were well into January), I inquired where these Italian black truffles were from. The server informed me that they were Burgundian. When I pointed out that the menu stated that they were Italian truffles, she insisted that they were from Italy but were called “Burgundian” truffles.* I demurred. The five of us ordered a la carte. And one of my friends and I supplemented a few courses from the tasting menu to share.

I know I try this group's patience with my long posts, so, I'll just give you the dishes we ate and then describe a few that were noteworthy. If you want all the pedantic details, you know where to look.

-

Amuse Bouche
Kimchi shrimp with mango champagne.


First Courses

Roasted Potato and Truffle Gnocchi
Iberico Belotta Ham, Local Scallions,
Sweet Corn and Oregano Florets. ($18)

Chef’s Garden Bibb Lettuces
Organic Mixed Radishes with Sweet Red Onion
Local Blueberry Vinaigrette ($12)

Local Louisiana Citrus Salad
Louisiana Blue Crab Spicy Kumquat Marmalade,
Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette and Nitro Satsuma Crème Soda Suspension. ($15)

Hudson Valley Foie Gras BLT
Foie Gras Confit, Truffle Mayonnaise,
Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips and Sweet Persian Cucumber Pickles. ($22)

Lobster, Egg and Caviar
Farm Egg, Canadian Lobster and American Paddlefish Caviar. ($24)


Second Courses

Caramelized Hen of the Woods Mushroom Risotto
Local Scallions and Black Winter Truffles. ($18 with a $25 supplement)

A Composition of Heirloom Beets
Heirloom Beet Carpaccio with Red and Yellow Beet Sorbet,
Confit of Baby Beets, Spun Beet Honey and Purple Beet Air. ($17)


Third Courses

Pan-Seared Georges Bank Dry Pack Scallops
Jumbo Gulf Shrimp with Truffle Andouille New Potato Hash and Caviar Butter. ($33)

Vegetarian Daily Composition
Cauliflower, Beets, Turnips and Brussels with Sugar Snap Peas,
Wild Rice and Potato Croquettes, Cauliflower Puree and Tapenade Butter. ($31)

Pan-Roasted Grouper
Hot Buttered Popcorn Crust, Louisiana Crawfish and Local Corn Maque Choux
Sour Cream and Onion Butter. ($34)

Porcini Crusted Dutch Valley Veal Tenderloin Medallions
Fingerling Potato Confit, Roasted Winter Root Vegetables
Calvados Escargots Herb Reduction. ($42)

Butter-Poached Maine Lobster
Crisp Claws, New Potato Salad,
Heirloom Vegetables and Dill Sauternes Butter. ($49)


Desserts

Cheese Plate
Gloucester, Delice de Bourgogne, and Roaring Forties Blue.
Shaved almonds, honey, green apples,
macerated dried cherries, toast. ($24)

Bananas Foster French Toast
Tahitian Vanilla Bean Ice Cream,
Spicy Candied Walnuts and Crisp Plantains. ($11)

House Made Ice Creams
Praline, Root Beer and Citrus Cream. ($11)

Truffle Scented White Chocolate Panna Cotta
Chocolate Chip and Black Truffle Ice Cream,
Candied Black Garlic and Spun Raw Black Truffle Honey.
(Supplemented from the truffle tasting menu $17)

Black Truffle and Delice de Bourgogne Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Candied Macadamias, Powdered Pistachio and Captain Crunch Nutella Explosion.
(Supplemented from the truffle tasting menu $17)

Petits Fours
Chocolate biscuits with cafe au lait mousse
Coconut macaroons with chocolate
Blackberry meringues
Chocolate-hazelnut truffles
Strawberry marshmallows

-

The best thing about the food at Stella! is the ingredient quality. It’s top shelf. Those black truffles are prime example. A little went a long way.

They perfumed a bowl of gnocchi, serving as an umbrella under which corn, oregano blossoms, and a twirl of salty Iberico Bellotta ham married marvelously, a balance of sweet, salty, and fragrant (“Roasted Potato and Truffle Gnocchi“).

A masterfully turned risotto studded with meaty maitake mushrooms was thoroughly imbued with black truffle aroma. The black truffle flecked the risotto and was shaved atop, its earthy pungency resonating particularly well with the scallions in the dish. This was my favorite dish of the night (“Caramelized Hen of the Woods Mushroom Risotto“).**

And frilly black truffle shavings sprouted generously from mouth of a hollowed egg shell refilled with finely minced lobster bound in a warm egg curd along with caviar (“Lobster, Egg and Caviar“). The scent from the truffle was worth every penny of the $25 surcharge.

Boswell understands well the nature of truffles, a friend of comfort, a delivery system for shock and awe.

He understands this of foie gras as well, which Stella! incorporates into a fancy BLT (“Hudson Valley Foie Gras BLT“). Clever and witty, the playful riff on the humble sandwich isn’t the shocking part. The shocking part is the amount of foie gras you get. Forget the the B, the L, and the T, this was was F.G. in billboard print. At least two inches thick, the sight of the slice of confit foie gras was arresting. This sandwich required a fork, knife, and a Lipitor chaser. Arriving with a stack of potato chips adhered together by sour cream and onion dip and sweet pickles, this was a millionaire’s lunchbox. Awesome...

But creativity and the best ingredients can be ruined by poor execution.

What sounded like a wonderful combination of flavors and textures, the “Local Louisiana Citrus Salad” was wan. The citrus supremes were bright and cheerful, but the crab salad was bland, mute, almost. So were the scrambled eggs in that decadent egg shell of mine. They needed salt.

Worse, there was grit in my friend's plate of “Pan-Seared Georges Bank Dry Pack Scallops,” which tempered the joy from what was an otherwise delicious truffle andouille hash that anchored the plate.

And the citrus cream ice cream, misting with liquid nitrogen in beautiful bowl made of ice, was so bitter that we wondered if it might be pith ice cream (“House Made Ice Creams“).

Chef Boswell has since been made aware of all of these issues and others. Upon his return to New Orleans, Boswell sent me a very nice email in which he apologized for the long wait we endured. In my reply, I thanked him and encouraged him to look into some of the other aspects of Stella!’s operations, both in the front and back of the house.

Presumptuous of me? Perhaps.

But, as I told Boswell, I offered my unedited and honest report of our experience to be helpful, not spiteful. The sincerity of my well-meaning response was received graciously and with a constructive mind. A wonderful dialogue ensued between Boswell and me. Our conversation and his attitude reassured me that our experience was a gross departure from the norm. Praise for Stella! from all corners seems to support this.

But I’m not the kind of diner to dismiss a restaurant easily. Chef Boswell’s persistence and upbeat attitude in the days and weeks that followed was encouraging. I look forward to revisiting Stella! under better circumstances.

[Suzanne F]

He could teach Joe Doe a few things, I'll bet.