Trattoria Stella
| Address: | 1200 W 11th St, Traverse City, MI 49684, USA |
| Phone: | +1 231-929-8989 |
| Site: | stellatc.com |
| Rating: | 4.6 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 5–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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Erin Nienhuis
Wow!! Amazing experience at Trattoria Stella! We were seated in one of the nooks of the arches area of the restaurant, which was very cozy and private. Our waiter, Stu, was excellent! He answered our questions about the history of the asylum before the basement was turned into a restaurant. He told some great stories and helped us with our food and wine selections for the evening. He was very considerate when boxing up our food. The restaurant itself was beautiful. For something that used to be a root cellar to an insane asylum, it was really a very cool place to have dinner. We had the foie gras, duck liver pate, roasted bone marrow, mussels, and white pizza as appetizers. Everything was cooked to perfection and plated beautifully. The mussels were served in a creamy spicy sauce that I had never experienced before. There was also house-made focaccia with a delicious seasoning served for the table, and oil and vinegar for dipping. For our main entrees, there was a lamb special and a ribeye special. Between the four of us, we ordered two of the ribeyes and one of the lamb, and one of the tortelli pasta dishes. Everything looked and tasted amazing. The ribeye was served with roasted potatoes and thin-sliced crunchy mushrooms, and steamed broccoli and jalapenos. The lamb was served with potato gnocchi. We had a ton of leftovers, but Stu made sure that everything was boxed up (including what was left of the appetizers, and an extra serving of the bread) and made sure that we had everything that we needed. It was definitely worth driving the 3.5 hours for a dinner at Stella!
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Alyssa Heider
Oh Stellas, how I love thee. Let me count the ways... Never in my life have I had better food. My advice for people wanting to dine at stellas: •Make a reservation. This is a really nice place that gets packed durring the on season. If you dont you will end up at the common table (which is a unique experience in its self, not all negative). •Request Mo for a server if youve never been here before. She is amazing and by far my favorite server. She is prompt, attentive, and can answer any question that can and will pop in your head. •Do not expect a cheap dinner. Stellas is a farm to table kind of restaurant with skilled chefs and delicious food that is well worth the price. You will want to get a 3 course meal and eat until you hate yourself, trust me. •Do not be afraid to try new or different things. Stellas has a seasonal menu so food items change frequently. If you get something you absolutely love, take a picture on the menu and keep it in mind for next year. In warped words of forest Gump, stellas is like a box of chocolates... you never know what youre gonna get, but rest assured it will be delicious.
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Ashley Dunbar
This restaurant is located in the old Traverse City asylum that has recently been refurbished. To start we had the beef checks that were very tender and full of flavor. However, the pairing for this dish left a bitter taste on your palette that was not pleasant at the end of the dish. The cannellini bean & onion soup was very flavorful and great on a cold day that is often when in Traverse City. For main entrees we had the spicy pasta with cauliflower & seared duck breast. The duck breast was cooked perfectly and had a sauce that was separate to the spicy pasta. As these two were paired together, I felt that the sauces did not go well together but individually the components were great. The other main entrée was the rabbit mouse filled pasta that was in a blush sauce. This was my favorite of the two entrees but overall this restaurant is pushing the culinary envelope for the Traverse City area and is a great dining experience.
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Shelee Bush
First of all, a stunningly sexy unusual place to eat. Dark and mysterious. Weve eaten here before and decided to come back tonite. The service was a little cloying and over extending and the water/plate clearing person was too hovering and somewhat rushed us to clear our plates. The server asked us how we liked every dish we took a bite of...just tried far too hard to get approval. The food itself was good, the duck liver pate was excellent, though the accompanying berries tasted like turpentine. The scallops were too salty and had too much corn in proportion on the plate. My husband like his pork rib. The lemon crostata was bland and the dough soggy with a strange tasteless paste and more berries...diasappointing. Order the panacotta instead. We will be back next year though, because of the atmosphere and relatively fair price. Wait staff, dont try SO hard, let the experience and food speak for itself.
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A Private User
The restaurant setting was beautiful. Very clean! The smells when you walk in are intoxicating. The service was top notch. Our server was very knowledgeable about every menu item-both alcohol and food. My husband and I went with his cousin and her husband while on vacation. My husband, being an executive chef for 10 years, was very I impressed with the food. The menu changes daily and had a very good assortment of foods. We had sweet bread, duck liver pate, octopus, grouper, a squash flower pasta, and the chefs cut for the day-lamb. We also tried some beers and whiskey and 1 espresso and a blueberry dessert, and the bill was just over $100. The menu was very well priced and not at all unreasonable. We wish we could go back over and over! Its also in an old mental facility, which is very cool! The winery on the property made for a great stop before dinner!
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Ben Blissett
Took my wifey out for a date a couple weeks back. I can honestly say that I have never had a better overall dining experience. Our server, Stuart, treated us with a great deal of respect and didnt do the standard barge-in during conversation to see how we were doing but demonstrated a sixth sense concerning when we did have a question. We didnt have to wait for drinks or refills, and the food was outstanding. I was accidentally served a Founders KBS in lieu of a Founders Breakfast Stout (heartbreaker, I know), and instead of modifying the tab to reflect this, he just took it off entirely for the mistake. Will continue to frequent. If youre looking for fine dining with a truly different experience in Traverse City, this is your place.
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tim neal
Awful. The service was slow and disorganized and the food was worse. When we got there we were told there was a 25 minute wait. After waiting about 20 minutes we were told we could sit at a hightop in the bar area while we were waiting. It took 10 more minutes to get a drink. After about 15 more minutes they came and got us. My wife went to the table while I tried to pay for our drinks. That took 5 minutes. It took the waiter 10 minutes to even acknowledge us at our table. 10 more to take our order. It took 20 minutes to get our salads. You get the picture. We both ordered different pasta dishes and they both were inedible. Overall we were there over 2 hours and had a very unpleasant experience. Would not recommend to anyone.
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Lindsay Kennedy
Beyond exceptional service. I worked in fine dining for almost a decade and have prided myself on providing exceptional service...the staff at Trattoria Stella make me look sloppy. Considerate, thoughtful...one particular runner bussed a table next to ours and my fiance didnt even realize it because she did it as quiet as possible. We ordered an appetizer to share and the runner came prepared to the table and gave us the option to split it for us. When we said yes he did so in the room bc he was prepared to do so. It is rare, even in fine dining, for the staff to be that considerate. Each of the staff did infallible work. Food was excellent and the server helped direct us through the menu.
