Stelline
429 Gough Street
Tel: 415-626-4292
This great little Italian restaurant has been doing the inexpensive lunch and dinner routine in the Civic Center area longer than Pasta Pomodoro has been in existence, and they last because they do it really well. They are slightly more expensive Palomino but they offer a choice of soup or salad at both lunch and dinner and an endless supply of very good garlic bread at each meal. It's a small trattoria and it is always bustling with good vibes, seductive aromas and a cheerful nonchalance that is intoxicating. Sometimes I think Italians got an extra dose of the genetic happiness X factor. How can anyone always be so damned UP? Whatever, it's just a lot of fun eating and partying here because of that mystery.
I said it's small, and that's a big part of the atmosphere; lot's of movement, the staff racing around the small room, happy faces, steaming plates of pasta, a gentle roar of laughter acting like a contagion, all of which create a festival of food and fun. And it's good food, too. I mentioned the aromatic ambience, and it's a heady mixture of garlic, rosemary, basil, oregano, balsamic, fresh bread, olive oil, sizzling chicken and sautéed scampi. It's a wonderful melange of sensory pleasure heightened by the beaming faces of staff and patrons alike.
I almost always opt for the fresh minestrone over the house salad, only because of the seductive scent that grabs me when entering, but the salad is generous, well dressed and made from fine greens and croutons fashioned from the garlic bread they lay out the minute you're seated. They also offer a special soup, about 6 other salads that are distinct and equally well prepared. Other appetizers include: polenta topped with pesto and gorgonzola at $4.25, caprese at $5.50, a tomato sauce version of scampi at $6.50, patatine, roasted potatoes with spicy garlic aioli at $4.25, Francesco salad, baby greens, chicken, raisins, pinenuts, lemon and olive oil at $6.25 and a Leonardo Salad, sun-dried tomotoes, fresh basil, artichokes and balsamic vinaigrette at $6.25. They're all good primarily because of the quality and freshness of the ingredients.
Pastas are the heart and soul of Stelline, and they're generous, usually house made and always prepared to order. They're pastas of choice include spaghetti, rigatoni, fusilli and capellini, each served in traditional and innovative preparations including: sun dried tomato, arugula, pine nuts, garlic and hot peppers; meatballs in an ossobuco sauce; pancetta, onion, tomato and pecorino cheese; roasted tomato, basil, parmesan and extra virgin olive oil. They also offer cannelloni with spinach, ricotta and a light tomato cream sauce, and 4 regular entrées; petto, sautéed chicken breast layered with prosciutto, fontina and a sun dried tomato sauce at $10.50; ossobuco, braised veal shank and vegetables over soft polenta at $10.50; gamberoni, sautéed shrimps in garlic, olive oil, parsley and lemon served over spaghetti at $12.25; piccata, chicken breast with lemon, wine and capers over pasta at $9.50; and fugata, roasted eggplant filled with rigatoni pesto topped with mozzarella and tomato at $8.50. There are usually several specials ranging from $10.50 to $14.50 and they're always excellent. They offer Chianti, Pinot Grigio, a private label Chardonnay and Cabernet, all at 4.00 a glass and $17.00 a bottle. They serve Moretti Beer and my favorite non-alcoholic beer, Haake Beck, both at $3.50. Dessert is a passable tirimisu at $4.50, and coffee is seldom charged for.
This is a real gem, it's always a celebration, the food is very good, the prices are cheap, and I highly recommend Stelline.
Reproduction of material from posthoc is prohibited without written permission.
Copyright 2002, Posthoc, Inc.