Stella

"I never met a dame yet that didn't know if she was good-looking or not without being told, and there's some of them that give themselves credit for more than they've got." - Stanley Kowalski

Stella... you think you're pretty and you boast Eye-talian fare but yet I was pleasantly surprised. I had never been a fan of Doc Chey's with their faux Asian grub. So when they opened this joint, I was pretty much in stitches from laughter. I heard Stellaaaa at first, then Adriannnn in the background... it was a real knee slapper. How authentic could it be? Is it old school Italian grub? No... but it'll do for the urban pioneers in this area. I'll give HomeGrown this much... it's affordable chow.

Mussels "bianco" - The PEI mussels were plump and fwesh but the white wine and garlic bwoth tasted like "binaca". It was just too watery and kinda bland. The foccacia bwead seemed like it came from the Last Supper... hard, old and dusty.

Margherita 'ZA - With fwesh mozza ($2 extwa) was not too shabby. I don't get why restos give you the option b/t shredded or fwesh mozza. It's like... "Do you want old ass shredded cheez in a bag or fresh sliced cheez? Ah, I'll take the fromunda cheez pweez!" Besides the cheez issue, the 'organic wheat' crust was thin, crispy and nicely charred on the bottom. The slice actually folded without breaking apart. The 'organic' sauce was a bit watery and bland. The basil was added after it came outta the oven... which is wrong. It ain't NYC style or approved by the Naples Pizza Association but it was decent nonetheless.

Pork Ragu - Fwesh pappardelle was decent and al dente but it was all stuck together like a 200 yr old house with 20 layers of wallpaper. The "slow cooked" pork ragu seemed like it was from last week... I think it was Jack Link's jerky instead of Riverview Farm pork. The shaved pecorino romano cheez was ok. Overall, this dish coulda been verra good if it was prepared a bit better. I would order it again.

I can't really bitch slap this place b/c it really doesn't try too hard to be something they're not. Just a decent neighborhood pasta joint on the cheap. The service is attentive and nice. The menu is pretty simple and straight forward... just keep the execution consistent and this place could be a winner or is that wiener if we're talking about their sausages?

A good addition to this armpit of Atlanta. Just don't venture too far off Memorial or else it'll get hairy... well, there is Ria's a few doors down.

Burp.

563 Memorial Dr
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 688-4238

www.stellaatlanta.com