Springtime Outdoor Dining at Stella

Saturday was a rare thing: a beautiful New England March day. At 70 degrees, it was warm enough to dine outside. We usually have to wait until May for such pleasures, but for whatever reason, fortune smiled upon us and shed a brilliant March-tremulous light over the city. It seemed that all the world was outside on Newbury Street, where I went for gelato with a friend of mine. We stopped in at Piattini and had two kinds: Thai coconut milk and rosemary-honey. Piattini gets its gelato from Capogiro, and they were both lovely. I’d have photographed them, but they were white and boring in appearance. In taste, however, they were a different story altogether. With just a hint of sweetness and a very light texture, they rivaled the gelati of Italy, and I appreciated that they offered these interesting flavors in addition to a few old favorites like chocolate-hazelnut.

Afterwards, it was time to get away from the spring-delirious hordes on Newbury Street, so we headed over to the South End in search of quiet and a restaurant patio. Unfortunately, this turned out to be more difficult than we expected, but at long last, we landed a table at Stella, an Italian restaurant on Washington Street. While the menu was generally unexciting, I was pleased with my linguine with asparagus cream, poached egg, truffle, and thyme. When the plate arrived I was dubious, as the noodles were sitting in a pool of sauce, but after tossing it together and slicing up the egg, it turned out to be quite good. The linguine was clearly homemade, the egg well-poached. It was loaded with fresh parsley, which offered a welcome respite from the richness of the asparagus cream sauce. However, I did not taste much thyme or truffle, not that I’m complaining. I have never been a fan of truffle oil, which is what I assume they used. My friend Lauren ordered orecchiete with tomato sauce and meatballs, which was swimming in sauce. She did not seem to be a huge fan of it. I don’t feel like I tried a wide enough array of dishes to offer a definitive opinion on Stella, but I can certainly say that the linguine and the atmosphere were worth it.

Regardless of the amount of sauce on anyone’s pasta, I appreciated the patio and the fact that every chair on it included a blanket. Let’s face it; it’s not that warm out yet, particularly once the sun begins its inexorable descent into the horizon, so the blankets were a nice touch. I also really liked the minimal yet comfortable décor inside the restaurant. I may head there again before the patio at Toro opens up and I have a wider array of outdoor dining options available.