Third time's a charm in South End

Stella in South End. (File photo)

It's a steamy late-June evening, and Stella pulses with people. They crowd the bar area and surge into the dining room, mobbing the hostess as they inquire about tables. Waiters and waitresses hurry steaming bowls of pasta with Bolognese and fancifully topped pizzas to waiting diners. Outside, the laughter and conversation of people sitting on the terrace cause pedestrians a block away to turn and stare at the bright lights of the restaurant.

In the summer of 2005, Stella is where it's at.

Open not quite two months, this restaurant may be the perfect embodiment of the old adage, "The third time's the charm." Two previous restaurants in this location -- Blackstone on the Square, followed by Gallia -- showed early promise, only to sputter into oblivion. But Stella, named for the baby daughter of owners Evan and Candace Deluty, seems to have immediately attracted the new wealth of the South End -- the young, the gay, and the hip, as well as empty-nesters who have moved into the area's plush condos.

Evan Deluty, who with his wife also owns Torch on Beacon Hill, says he and his chef, Joe Cassinelli, wanted a neighborhood restaurant where customers could come several nights a week. But the buzz about Stella far outdoes that modest declaration. In a phone interview, Deluty says that for the restaurant's first night in business, over Memorial Day weekend, bookings had to be cut off at 100 to keep the kitchen from being overwhelmed.

There are good reasons for Stella's instant success, the most notable being the look of the place. Looks matter in today's restaurants, and Stella has gorgeous bones. Designed by the Susan Orpin Group, with Celeste Cooper as lead consultant -- think Mistral in white -- the long windows and high ceilings let light in and spread it to the outside. The white-on-white palette makes the place feel even airier, and the minimalist molded white chairs, high-tech nylon weave flooring, and marble-topped tables add to the clean lines. The decor of the former restaurants ran to dark woods and fabric, as though the aim were to isolate customers from the street. Perhaps as a sign that gentrification is reaching all the way down Washington street, Stella seems to invite the world in.

(The only oddity in the careful design scheme is the waitstaff outfits. The waiters and waitresses wear clingy, white nylon T-shirts and white pants, while the runners and bussers wear the same outfit, except in black. Unless the wearer is pencil thin, the white garb looks a little like a medical technician's uniform. Why did the helpers get the more flattering black?)

Another good reason for Stella's popularity is its pricing. Chef Cassinelli formerly worked at Teatro in the Theater District, and Stella's menu features the same tight range of prices: There are no appetizers under $9, but on the other hand there are no entrees above $26. And, Deluty says proudly, the signature cocktails are $8, substantially below the price of many concoctions around town. The wine list, mostly Italian, has many offerings under $40 and fairly reasonable wines by the glass. That pricing makes it feasible to order a few dishes and a glass of wine, and slip out the door for less than $50.

As for the menu -- made up of offerings that might be called Italian lite -- the food can range from all right to really fine, and some dishes are worthy of high concentration. Crudo misto, the Italian version of sashimi, consists of pristine curls of tuna and salmon under a tart lemoncello vinaigrette with a salt-sprinkled bread stick to offset the citrus flavors. The Bolognese sauce over taglitelle has a meaty depth, but still is light enough not to sink like a stone. A cherry tomato salad with tiny buttons of mozzarella, chunks of red onion, and ribbons of basil boasts a good, sharp vinaigrette that pulls all the elements together.

From glancing around the room, the grilled pizzas seem to be the crowd-pleasers. A pizza with three kinds of mushrooms and white truffle oil is topped with plenty of funghi, arugula, and cheese: so much so that the topping overwhelms the crust and makes it soggy. A simpler pepperoni version with just a modicum of the salami, a little garlic, and bits of piquillo peppers is better, using the crispness of the crust to its advantage.

Simplicity reigns in the main courses, which is great if the cooking is on-target, but not good at all if a dish is overcooked. The restaurant world's workhorse, salmon, is beautifully handled on one visit, its accompaniment of tomatoes, arugula, and an Italian potato salad in red wine vinaigrette giving the fish a fresh, lively backdrop. A steak is a steak anywhere, with the most important element being the grilling, and at Stella a ribeye is juicy and flavorful. The fries with it -- called frite, despite the Italian menu -- are tasty, too, though the cones of fries sprinkled with pepperoncini (hot pepper flakes) look enticing. And tuna arrabiatta -- "angry style" -- offsets the peppery, garlicky coating on the fish with a pleasing and pretty yellow grape tomato caponata with a hint of sweetness in the dressing. And swordfish Siciliano has the same mix of sweet-tart accompaniments to the strong-flavored fish.

On the other hand, pork Milanese with a coating of mozzarella would be fine if the meat hadn't been overcooked. And the tuna, fine on a second visit, was almost dry on the first. Although there are only four pasta selections, we manage to get two that taste alot alike. Fettuccine with asparagus cream and a poached egg is rich, and much too creamy. Ditto for orcchiette with smoked salmon, peas, and creme fraiche, so much so that the richness diminishes the high-quality ingredients.

Desserts aren't Stella's strong points, either. Cannolis are filled with thick, stiff cream, sticky and sweet. Tiramisu is not a particularly striking version of the old favorite. The best is a coffee mousse, light and airy with crushed almond biscotti as a counterpoint.

But maybe dessert isn't the point. After all, to fit in among the beautiful at Stella, dessert might be too much, anyway. The place is the epicenter of cool right now, and if you choose wisely, you can even eat well.