Greenville "Town" Magazine
By M. Linda LeeStella’s Southern Bistro in Simpsonville
If I had a restaurant, I would no doubt name it after one of my dogs—most likely our dear departed yellow Labrador retriever, Cassie. So I was delighted to learn that Stella’s is named not for either of its owners, Jason and Julia Scholz, but for their eight-year-old black Lab, Stella.
Befitting a Lab’s happy-go-lucky spirit, Stella’s is a casual, welcoming place, with Julia playing the gracious hostess and managing the front of the house. White wainscoting and cool pale blue walls give off a decidedly Lowcountry vibe—not surprising since Chef Jason and his wife lived in Charleston before moving to the Upstate in 2006 to open High Cotton in downtown Greenville, where he was executive chef before parting to open his own restaurant.
The South Carolina coast inspires menu staples such as Charleston she-crab soup, shrimp and grits, and Lowcountry crab cakes, while the soul of the South shines through in a pan-roasted Carolina mountain trout, accompanied by a sweet corn and heirloom hominy succotash. A chalkboard in the main room heralds the list of local products that star on the plate.
A frisée salad adorned with sweet, grilled, local peaches and salty shreds of Benton’s country ham makes a lovely prelude, as does my husband’s green-tomato gazpacho. Flavored with mint and incorporating a dollop of crabmeat, the gazpacho is a refreshing cold soup on a sultry night.
Service is friendly and knowledgeable, though harried on this visit when the place is packed. Had we ordered five minutes earlier, I might have gotten that last order of grilled South Carolina quail stuffed with house-made boudin. But I am far from disappointed with the luscious Bull Hill Ranch grass-fed hanger steak, which arrives medium rare and drizzled with garlic butter. Fingerling potatoes roasted in duck fat come alongside; the waitress advises me to cut open the accompanying blue-cheese fritter so that its savory horseradish-spiked goodness melts over the fingerling slices—as if they need improvement.
Tender, flaky and mild, the wreck fish, a special that caught my husband’s eye, benefits from a light heirloom tomato sauce and a briny olive-caper relish. A South Carolina peach cobbler ends our meal in rustic style; toasty caramel sauce oozes between the peaches, while a scoop of vanilla ice cream gilds the lily.
With talented Chef Jason in the kitchen and a cornucopia of top-quality seasonal ingredients to work with, Stella’s rightly takes its place among the Upstate’s best restaurants. And if that’s not enough, you’ve gotta love a place that’s named for a Labrador retriever.
Location:
684-C Fairview Rd,
Simpsonville
(864) 757-1212
www.stellasbistro.com
Hours:
Mon–Fri, 11:30am–
2:30pm; 5:30–10pm
Sat, 5:30–10pm
Closed Sunday
Price of dishes:
Entrées, $19.50–$25
Source: http://www.towngreenville.com/eat-and-drink/restaurant-review/181-bark-a-bite.html
