Stella!

This restaurant was in a word — amazing. The food was something of a treat, especially the lobster. You and your table have to choose if you want the 4 course meal or 7 course meal, so that the presentation is harmonious around the table. We selected the 4 course since there were options for each course so that allowed for some flexibility. I had the deviled egg with caviar and crème fraische (OMGGGGG yum), and then veal sweet breads, lobster, and bananas foster. I also elected to get the wine pairing which made for a lovely supplemental taste, and they do the selection for you so no fuss. Yay.
The chairs were comfy, and ambiance great. If you need to impress a girl, fellas, this is the place!
The only negative I should mention is the cost. This wasn’t an issue for us as it was a company paid for dinner. However, with 6 people, 5 of whom got the wine pairing ($ 60 extra pp) and two who had the lobster 3^rd course (a $ 15 extra charge), our bill came to $ 1,300. Yeah. BUT, it is totally worth the money, especially if you aren’t the one spending it! I would estimate a 4 course dinner for two, with the wine pairing and filet instead of lobster would be around $ 85+$ 60+$ 85+$ 60= ~$ 300. If you can afford it, do it. It is one of those bucket list experiences.

Note: Stella! has gone out of business, as of June 10^th, 2014. The owner has filed for bankruptcy.

Stella! was 1 in a small list of restaurants offering vegetarian fare in New Orleans so we made sure to get rezzies well ahead of time, to ensure our spot was secured
Went w/​the 4-​Course Vegetarian Tasting Menu. They also offered a 6-​Course version but having been eating at the Fairgrounds all day, we didn’t think there was enough stomach real estate for it… but thanks so much for offering!
Ladies were sporting nice dresses & there were men’s dinner-​jackets aplenty — so although not required, best be prepared!
Amuse Bouche — Radish picked right out of their garden w/​a dollop of a cream cheese somethingorother… it was good w/​the lovely bitterness of the radish
Warm Asparagus Salad — really liked the egg addition & gave this dish a nice creamy, richness that added to the perfectly cooked asparagus — still had a bit of crunch!
Cheese & Pickled Green Strawberries — this was a nice & unique dish. The cheese was super creamy & soft & toned down the tart pickle of the strawberries. Very unique dish!
Gnocchi — the mushrooms added a wonderful earthy flavor to the perfect potato pillows — wished this had been our main dish!
Veggie Medley — here is where they lost us. Lots of veggies that had been oven-​roasted in olive oil. Made the veggies all taste the same, even though there was a lot of variety. Was hoping for maybe a farro, quinoa, or something to use as a pairing but this was just like they took a bunch of side dish veggies & put them on a plate
Desserts included the White Chocolate Tart that came w/​a fun take on a root beer float — this had the ice cream in an ale… it was yummy
Little tray of «parting» desserts to send us on our merry way & we left there full & happy
We’d totally come back to Stella! & are thankful for another vegetarian option in New Orleans!

Except for the excellent service and the elegant space (although the environmental controls could use some tweaking), Stella would deserve 2 stars. The food just wasn’t good. Unique, yes. Flavorful, no.
I had the four course dinner.
— The beef and oyster tartare was forgettable. I could taste the egg foam and a little bit of the traditional beef tartare flavor, but the oyster was non-​existent. I get the minimalism, but tartare should be more bold.
— My spicy prawns were anything but. Maybe a slight tickle at the back of the throat. Maybe.
— The lobster supplement should be a lobster decrement. There really was no flavor whatsoever and I would say that the lobster was slightly overcooked. I should have had the pastrami.
— The rhubarb dessert was ok. Except for the unidentifiable orange fruit, which was not good.
My dining companion also had the four course meal and except for the pastrami (and the wine pairings, which he really enjoyed) was similarly disappointed. That’s the last time I go to a place that I overhear two people on my flight from Phoenix raving about.

I really wanted to love Stella! — my husband and I very much looked forward to going there during JazzFest — but we don’t understand what all the fuss is about.
The good things first: The room is lovely and Stella! has a very nice, albeit somewhat too-​formal, atmosphere. The service is very good, attentive, informative. The bread was wonderful — both the rustic rye and especially the duck-​fat rolls — were delicious. We should know because we had three orders of the bread… because we were hungry!
Which brings me to my biggest problem with Stella! I like good food, and I don’t need huge portions, but for goodness sake if I’m ordering a four-​course meal for $ 65 I’d like courses that are bigger than a teaspoonful of food. The food I had was fine: beef and oyster tartare, sweetbreads with carrots, duck three ways — though none of it was particularly memorable. What I do remember is that I had two precious bites of each course, and then the food was gone! I also have to say that the dessert — a riff on bananas foster — was a mess. Little, tiny bites of spongy things that all tasted mildly banany-​ish but also oddly synthetic. It was confusing and not good. Wine pairing was also not great, but that may just be where my taste in wine diverges from that of the sommelier, which is something I can easily forgive.
What’s not forgivable is that the meal cost $ 400 and I had to go home and make my husband scrambled eggs b/​c he was hungry. I appreciate fine dining but come on!

Stellllahh! It’s been far too long since I’ve been privy to Stella! and Chef Boswell’s inventive menu. So long in fact, I was unaware they’d changed over to tasting only. No matter, you’ll love the journey.
Stella! is elegantly decorated, intimate, yet unstuffy. The only knock of the evening was service. Although to be fair, we came in for a late meal during the middle of the week, so it was only a speed bump. For dueling dishes, opt for the four course, as we did. While I began with a unique play on Tartare — Beef and Oyster, my husband went with a more traditional Black Truffle-​Foie Gras Terrine. The Tartare won hands down with it’s beautiful play with the briny oysters, rich meat, and light pickled shallots to cut through it all. Next up, the Spicy Asian Chili Prawns are a menu staple for a reason. Served New Orleans style, head-​on, the prawns are moist and delicate with of warming spice throughout. For the main course, my husband went with another menu classic, Duck Five Ways, and I diverged to the Roasted Prime Strip. If you’ve never experienced the duck, do so, with the confit leg by far my favorite due to its tender, melting, rich rendition. The Roasted Prime Strip, while expertly prepared, is just an steak without a wow. However, the Short Rib Pastrami, completely stole the show: marbled, smoky, and tender. Finally, for dessert, Mint Chocolate Mousse, was light, airy, and a perfect counter to all the heavy richness of the meal.

Had a great time here. Perhaps a little too sedate atmosphere-​wise at times. But the Chef’s Four Course Prix Fixe with Wine Pairing is the way to go. The Tasting of Duck Five Ways isn’t perfect, but it’s cool. And the Mint Chocolate 4^th Course is honestly the best dessert I’ve ever had in my life.

5-​stars, well deserving! After walking by Stella! over a year ago on a previous trip to NOLA, my fiancé and I were enticed by the ambience and décor. Upon researching restaurants for our most recent trip, I came across Stella! referenced multiple times as a top 10 New Orleans restaurant. Without knowing too much more, we decided to give it a try.
The experience easily ranked as one of our best dining experiences of the last few years. We decided to sample 8 dishes from the 4-​course menu (2 orders) – without going into explicit detail (and also guessing that the dishes revolve), everything was exquisite: the preparation, the taste, the presentation, the service, the wine pairing.
Understanding the caveat that you get what you pay for, expect a not so modest bill, but for a tremendous culinary experience. Stella! is an easy 5-​star review, and the next time we’re in town, I hope to celebrate here again.

«Stellaaaahhhh!!!» My theatre roots certainly appreciate the Tennessee Williams reference. My taste buds and eye for décor appreciated it even more…
Yes, Stella is pricey… I disagree with the reviewers who knock it down as a result. You pay for ambiance, uniquely rich and memorable dishes, and impeccable service.
Plus, they have a caviar and vodka menu. What’s not to love?! Definitely would love to return when we return to Nola!

What an amazing meal!!! My husband and I went here this evening as part of our honeymoon celebration. our waiter, Ryan, was so attentive to detail. He was waiter and sommelier all in one. I really appreciated his explanations of all the wines we had in relation to the dishes we chose. Super knowledgeable and friendly.
Stella has two dinner options: a 4-​course prix fixe ($ 85 per person) where you get to choose from a selection of options and a 7-​course chef’s tasting ($ 125 per person) that is selected for you. My husband and I opted for the 4-​course only because we wanted to choose different choices and taste each other’s dishes! We added on the wine pairing for an additional $ 60 per person.
Delicious amuse bouche: some sort of fried beets — It was one bite of deliciousness!
Every dish was incredible and wowed our taste buds. I think my dessert is hands down the best dessert I’ve ever had. See photos for details. The wines were absolutely perfect pairings. Service was wonderful — we felt like kings and queens. We also ordered one cocktail each before dinner and those were quite tasty as well — as was the DELICIOUS bread.
After the four courses, we received four chocolates each — they were AMAZING. Because it was our honeymoon, they threw in an extra 2. Our coffee orders were free.
Seriously — amazing meal. We’ve eaten at some of the country’s best restaurants and thsi is definitely among my top 3.

My fiancé and I are foodies from Washington DC, home to some of the best restaurants in the country. After conducting a significant amount of research on vegetarian dining options in New Orleans, we quickly came upon Stella! We made reservations well in advance for the New Years Eve four-​course vegetarian tasting menu. Mind you, we have eaten at restaurants in DC/​NYC such as: Alta, Dirt Candy, Volt, Rasika, Komi, Zaytinya, Jaleo, Woodberry Kitchen, etc. and this place doesn’t even breathe the same air as those places!
If you are a vegetarian diner who has eaten at impressive restaurants in larger cities (think NYC, Chicago, DC), expect to be severely disappointed! The amuse bouche was probably one of the worst bites of food I have ever eaten – it was some sort of a cracker with a spread on top. The next two dishes, which are supposed to be the main dishes, were essentially salads, and not very creative or flavorful, at that. Lastly, the dessert seemed like it contained burnt sugar and had an awful after taste. Our total bill exceeded $ 300 (not including alcohol) and we did not eat one bite of food that we would ever want to taste again.
The service was awkward and clumsy, to say the least. The servers seemed to stumble over their words and weren’t cohesive in their manner of serving the various dishes (at one point, a server brought my fiancé his dish, quickly realized some silverware was missing, so he took my fiancé’s entire plate without apologizing and then brought it back after the silverware had been brought). The servers didn’t have the synchronicity I would expect from a place that charges so much and that has created the ambiance it purports to have.
On a positive, the hostesses were fantastic! They called us a cab immediately so we could head to a New Years Eve party and they even checked up on the cab after they found we were still waiting. They even graciously offered to take some pictures of us all dressed up for our party!
All in all, I would say, if you are a vegetarian diner, prepare to leave with empty pockets and an empty stomach. You’re much better off choosing a more relaxed, casual atmosphere with better food!

Stella! was an amazing, amazing meal. We did the 7 course tasting menu with the wine pairing and loved it. Favorite courses were the glazed foie gras with citrus and the lamb/​lamb neck. Both were incredible and worked perfectly with the wine. The rest were obviously still delicious, but those two were stand outs. As a foodie, it was quite an experience and I would recommend to anyone willing to shell out the money and sit down for a good 4 hours.
The service was great. Waiters were friendly and interesting to talk to if you chatted them up a bit. Clearly they are all food lovers, and I applaud that.
Tip: keep the menu with you during the entire meal so you can have a better idea of exactly what you’re eating. This way you can make sure to note things you might not remember after they announce the course.

The «4 course» meal is $ 85. We ordered 4 different horderves and none of them were good. Service was excellent, partly because we were the only ones in the place for most of the meal. The main course was very good and the desert good.
Just don’t believe this place is any where near the price they charge.

What a disappointment.
Let me start off with the positives. The place is beautiful and the mixalogist here pours, quite possibly, the best Negroni I have ever had. Unfortunately, that is it.
Named after one of the characters from «A Streetcar Named Desire», you have 3 choices of price fix menus. A 4 course regular dinner, with 4 selections within each course; a vegetarian version of the 4 course (which absurdly is the same $ 85 as the regular dinner); and the seven course meal which is a $ 125, but does not allow you any choices on this menu
I went for the 4 course which included the Foie Gras Torchon (eh…tasteless); Crispy Veal Sweetbreads (avoid); Roasted Prime Beef (Shoe leather); and Artisanal Cheeses (the best of the 4 course selection).
On top of the abysmal food, our main server’s attitude reminded me of the sweetbreads… gray, tasteless and lacking personality. In fact I feel the only way we connected was when he unapologetically bumped into me each time he was at the table.
After experiencing such a great meal at Stanley’s, I only wish i took a Streetcar past Stella!, back to Stanley as I have no Desire to return… unless it is for a Negroni, which is the ONLY reason it gets two stars.

This review is from my experience a few year ago. I was looking for a place to celebrate my birthday in NOLA. It seems like everywhere I went I heard people raving about Stella! The décor was cozy, but not spectacular or memorable. It took about 10 minutes for our server to grace us with his presence, although we were the only table in the whole restaurant.
The server went over the daily specialties — one of them was kobe beef specially flown from Japan, kept in a storage for 90 days to relax and tenderize meat muscles. The price was 18 dollars for 1oz. And to smooth the deal, the beef will come with the picture of cow (my jaw dropped when he said that), its date of birth and something else. At first I thought he was joking. I don’t want to see a picture of a cow that I am eating.
We ordered Louisiana Prawns as an appetizer, I think I had chilean sea bass or some other fish. My friend ordered «the shrimp dish» as he called it (it was the only shrimp entrée on the menu). The server said: «Shrimp again?» We were a bit surprised at his question. Only later when we got our entrees I realized why. The server ordered 2 prawn appetizers — one as an entrée for my friend. For such a fancy place the server didn’t even know a difference between prawns and shrimps??? On top of everything, he didn’t even apologize and never said something like, sorry I misunderstood you. Instead, he just dropped «well, thats why asked if you really wanted to eat shrimps again.» What?
I’d like to add that most of the night I had to ask for my water to be topped off. You go to Olive Garden or some other crappy chain place, and they always make sure that your drinks are full.
Overall, the servers attitude was condescending and unwelcoming.
The manager did not offer to take the second prawn dish off the bill. We didn’t argue or said anything, just paid the bill and left with a feeling as if someone took a dump in our souls. Definitely not a stellar experience, far far far from a great experience.
Certainly not worth the price.
On the plus side, the presentation of the dishes was some of the best I’ve seen. My entrée was a little boring and lacked flavor.

One of the challenges in NOLA is figuring out which fantastic restaurant to dine at. With so many great restaurants, and a variety of excellent choices, it is difficult to go wrong, and challenging for a restaurant to set itself apart. Stella manages to effectively set itself apart, and shine.
Stella is one of the best, and worthy of a special visit. However, be aware that Stella only serves multi-​course meals… you cannot order specific items. The format is a selection of either a four course, or seven course, meal. I selected the four course, and enjoyed some great dishes. All courses were excellent, but I particularly enjoyed their beef tartare, lobster soup and bananas foster. Service was outstanding, and everything was elegant and delicious!

We went here with high expectations for a spectacular meal but were very disappointed. The service was not up to par for a high end restaurant, the food was decent but not what I would expect. We usually go to fairly high end restaurants and saved Stella for the last day of our trip to New Orleans. There definitely was an air of arrogance given off by much of the staff while we were there. Our experience there almost makes us not want to go here again, but given the rave reviews people gave the place, we are willing to give it another try and hope that we have a different experience.
Visited October 2012

Less than «Stella“r. I’ve been to Stella! 6 or 7 times over the past 4 years. Unfortunately tonight will most likely be my last time.
I went with 4 other people and had called to make a reservation about a week before. I asked for a 6:30 and was told they didn’t have anything until 7:30. Ok, well we figured we’d go early have a drink at 7:00 and then have dinner. We arrive at 6:50 and the place was empty except for a single 2 top. Strike 1.
The menu has changed to a Prix Fixe deal which I’m not crazy about. Strike 2. We are told the table has to have either the 4 selection prix fixe or the 7 selection. There are supplements for kobe beef or lobster. hhhmmm. Whole thing was fishy. Speaking of, I had a smoked fish first course that seriously looked like raw chicken. I took two bites, bleecckk. Second course, had octopus that was good, but not great. Third course I opted opted for the lobster and paid the $ 15 supplement. Was just Ok. Lastly had a bacon ice cream and baked apple dish. Interesting dessert but overall not what I had come to expect of Stella.
For $ 650 with no alcohol for 5 people all I can say is you can do much better in New Orleans. #jumpedtheshark

Mmm the food here was so delicious. My mouth still waters when I think of some of the dishes. I decided to treat myself while in New Orleans.
I was the first one to arrive for the evening and the staff was very pleasant and attentive. The décor is pretty, very elegant and upscale.
I ordered the tangy dynasty cocktail, which was yummy not to sweet and has edible purple flowers.
I chose to get the 4 course prix fix menu. All the courses were beautifully presented. The amuse-​bouche was crackling. This was crunchy with a lime lemon flavouring. Next I had lardo on a cabbage leaf, which was really tasty. The lardo was just the right amount, that it didn’t come off as greasy.
For the first course I ordered the foie grois, the texture was creamy, smooth, and melted in your mouth. This was served with grapes, granola, and bread allowing you make your own bitefuls.
Next I had the char grilled octopus served with tomatillo purée, almonds, pea shoots, garlic and a chickpea chip. The octopus was tender and soft with a nice char grilled flavour.
Next was the tasting of duck 5 ways. My favourite preparation of the duck was the sliced duck meat and the wonton. The duck was juicy soft and tender and the sauce that came with it, complimented the duck.
Lastly for dessert was bananas’ foster on French toast. The dessert was good. But the syrup got a little too sweet for me towards the end. I still enjoyed it and I’m sure the rest of their deserts are good too.
I also got a lovely surprise when I got a complimentary dessert. This included a macaroon, chocolate bon bon, cheesecake chocolate candy, and caramel candy. I really enjoyed the caramel candy.
I loved my dining experience here and would go back when I’m next in New Orleans.

You know… I grade on a scale… And if you’re going to work to be a great restaurant and fine dining experience, you need to be that level. And, unfortunately, Stella missed on that front.
I was in town for a conference with a friend, and one of the traditions we have is to find a great restaurant go dine at. We wanted to get back into Commander’s Palace, but unfortunately they were closed so we found our way here based on numerous recommendations.
The restaurant itself is very nice and quaint. Cute dining room, and certainly a peaceful setting. So far, so good.
After settling in we were greeted by our two servers and ordered cocktails. We knew we wanted to do the tasting menu as it was, so we placed or order, sipped our cocktails and were looking forward to a nice, relaxing night of food, wine and conversation.
And that’s when the evening went sideways. Before we were done our cocktails we already had an amuse bouche in front of us. And then another. And then champagne for the first course and then the first course. It was just in that rapid fire succession, and that was the theme for the night.
Here’s the thing. If I’m at a restaurant with a 7 course tasting menu, I’m in it for the long haul. I want to be able to relax and enjoy my food. But during the entire meal we weren’t able to. We’d finish our food and were instantly greeted by the next dish. At one point I still had a half a glass from the previous course in front of me when we were served the next course. Finally my friend looked at me and said, «Just relax. Enjoy your wine. We’ll get to the food when we feel like it.» We basically held our own strike.
The service was just off.
As for the food, on the whole it was quite good. The scallops were outstanding. The beef cap was delicious. And the first dessert — a spin on strawberries and cream — was wonderful. The biggest miss was the second dessert — it was a beet based dish with sesame rocks and chocolate. To a certain extent it felt like I was on the set of Chopped and the basket contained those ingredients. While I enjoy savory desserts and beets, you can’t overcome the overpowering flavor of beets.
I will give Stella another shot. I did enjoy the food, it really was just the service that I didn’t enjoy.