Stella Pizza Part Deux

A few weeks after my initial visit with my friend, L, I returned to Stella with the pizza loving Tourist Tree to try more pies.

We started with the broccoli rabe with garlic and ricotta salata. The broccoli rabe was a bit on the soft side but was better than the one I had during the last visit. We enjoyed the shaved cheese on top except the top portion of the dish was not warm.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Vongole. Clams, Broccoli Rabe, Pancetta, Mozzarella.


The first thing I noticed with the pizza was the burnt blisters on the pie. It got me excited thinking the crust could be very crispy from the high heat in the wood burning oven, or…it was overcooked to a crisp.

My first bit did not disappoint me. The crust was as crisp as a cracker and answered my biting into it with a definite crackling sound. I much enjoyed the texture and favor combination of the crust, the sweetness, saltiness, and gooeyness of the cheese, the saltiness and chewiness of the clams, and the taste of the pancetta that was sprinkled on top. I thought there would be more broccoli rabe on the pizza but it took an eagle’s eyes to spot those finely chopped greens sprinkled sparsely among the other toppings.

Tourist Tree did not like the pie as much as I did. She thought the clam was too salty from the brine. My initial excitement over the pie was slightly dampened by my second slice with the crust not being as crispy and firm as my first slice. An examination of the remaining pizza revealed that the crust did not have an even crispiness throughout the pie. Some parts of it were firm and crisp, others were not.

 
 
 
 

San Daniele. Smoked Mozzarella, Prosciutto, Baby Arugula


The first thing we noticed when the pie was delivered to us was the size of the pie. The rim of the pie was much thicker and rounder than our other pie. There was also much less blistering on the surface. The appearance also confirmed my suspicion that the crust was not crispy. The pizza was nicely topped with plenty of prosciutto but it seemed that it had gone for a swim in the salt bath before ending up on our pizza. I understand that Starr prides himself on using high quality ingredients but this prosciutto seemed to have fallen off a Sysco truck and landed on the pizza counter.

After two trips a fortnight apart, 3 plates of appetizers, 4 pies plus a few odd slices; it is evidence that this restaurant is still on a learning curve after just a little over 2 weeks in business. It was interesting to see that the pies coming out of the oven could be so different. Yes, they were all hand made and cooked individually in a wood burning oven which takes skill to maintain a constant temperature. I do not expect them to maintain exact consistency but I do expect them to be like brothers and sisters with similar characteristics, not a tribe with people from all over the village. I did notice that they were tossing far less pies in the trash this time. Maybe a few more should have been tossed.