Trattoria Stella — Restaurant in Traverse City

I am honestly disappointed in the way our dinner went tonight. We heard rave reviews about this place regarding not only the food but also the experience of eating in a historical building. Our reservation was at 9pm for 5 people and we were seated within 5 minutes. Our server, Janna, brought us water within a few minutes as well but didn't come back to take our drink orders for another 20 minutes. At the same time, we put in our appetizer orders. Our drinks came within 15 minutes and our apps another 15 minutes after that. The drinks were mostly not that bad, we enjoyed the strawberry margarita but the mocktails were either too sugary or too smoky. I couldn't drink it anymore and asked our server for a cherry coke when she came back for our entrees. We ordered Bruschetta but didn't realize it did not come with tomato. It was bread with melted cheese and spinach on top with barely any chickpeas or asparagus that the menu said it came with. Select pieces of bread had the asparagus and chickpeas where others didn't. The oysters with the housemade hot sauce and diced cucumber/onion were actually enjoyable. Enough that we were eating out of the cucumber/onion mix while waiting forever for our server to come back because we were starving. It took another 30 minutes for our server, Janna, to come back and take our entree orders. At this time a basket of bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil were placed on our table. While we were asking her about the menu she told us that multiple menu items were out of stock or changed due to chef error. We placed our orders and waited another 30 minutes for our food to come out but were disappointed in what was plated. Our ravioli and fettuccine had chunks of tomato throughout the dish. The fettuccine was not even fettuccine, it was more like papardelle with a few pieces of fettuccine mixed in and it tasted like egg yolk mixed with tomato and pesto sauce. At this point we had been there for almost 2 hours and just wanted to leave. When our server came back with a dessert menu we just asked for the check and did not take any boxes home. As a side note, the bathrooms smelled absolutely awful like horse manure and the dishes smelled like must and mildew. There was nothing interesting about the building besides that it is an old building that was repurposed. We were shocked because the reviews were so high but were very disappointed in not only the service but the quality of the...

Review based on a first time one time visit.

Reservation for 7:30, arrived an hour early and was unable to be seated at that time. Totally understandable because this was the only restaurant open on a Monday in the area, however front of house noted our early arrival and we were seated at 7p.

Ambience is dark, brick, candle lit with light music. We were seated at a high top for 4 with only 2 of us, a nice win for table space.

Service was 10/10. Our waitress was knowledgeable and prompt. We started with drinks. Beer options were minimal with 1 draft beer and 1 draft cider, and a few local bottled favorites. Cocktails were very good with a good array of options. Wine list was accommodating for the connoisseur.

Appetizers included the bone marrow and chefs choice meat/cheese tray. The bone marrow was roasted to perfection and tasted heartily of beef fat. The bread included was dense and just right for the marrow pairing. The chefs choice charcuterie included 2 meats and 2 cheeses. The meats were a wonderful pairing to the cheeses and the small accoutrements added positively to the overall board.

Dinner included the orrecchiette and maltagliati. Both were seasoned well and tasted authentic right down to a house made pasta. Off the menu specials included a veal chop and duck foie gras. The walleye was out and substituted for sole.

Dessert options were plentiful, we opted for a strawberry pastry plate that was perfectly balanced, finished with a coffee to go.

Overall Trattoria Stella has an amazing ambiance considering it’s centrally located in a historical asylum. Come earlier and enjoy the local shops and tours, however on a Monday at 6:30p you’ll wander the halls with not much to do if you’re waiting on a table. I’m hard pressed to give 1 and 5 star reviews, and Trattoria Stella would have gotten a 5 star had there been at least one mainstay steak option on the menu aside from the veal chop special. This isn’t necessarily a negative considering the restaurant isn’t a steakhouse and merely my opinion. That said, Trattoria Stella’s menu is well balanced, accommodating and flavorful. We left full and happy. Total bill without tip: $199.28

I highly recommend Trattoria Stella for a laid back fine dining experience with a historical atmosphere and a...

Treat yoself!! Get the beef carpaccio! Eat all the pasta! Get so much food that they have to roll you out the door with to-go bags! The leftovers are divine! If you don't have room for dessert, take it to-go... Or stop eating dinner, get that to-go and get dessert! I can't say enough about this place. The staff is so professional and friendly. The restaurant itself is cavernous with so many private nook's and crannies for seating. The flavors are masterfully composed, my mouth is watering thinking about it. Stop reading this and make a reservation😊 Edit had to visit again last night to take my father who is visiting... and had another beautiful experience. The staff here is consistently professional, knowledgeable, and friendly. This time, we went a lil nuts on the antipastis and, by golly, we didn't regret it for one second!! The spanish octopus is my new obsession🤤It's cooked to perfection, not even slightly rubbery or chewy, it's meaty and carries the smokey flavor of the grill and pairs perfectly with the sausage and tomato bean sauce it comes with! The calamari is long sections, breaded n fried, but then put into a flavorful spicy tomato sauce and the consistency is... There's no other way to say it, it's perfect. You have to get one of each oyster on the menu or you're really doing yourself a disservice. The fixings they come with are to die for, I'd pay just to eat a plate of them.... A smokey hot pepper sauce, finely chopped cucumber n red onion, and fresh grated horseradish. White pizza chefs kiss Lasagna chefs kiss Hake chefs kiss Penne bolognese chefs kiss Omg don't even start me on the panna cotta. I can't get over it. Life changing!! The vanilla bean meringue with blood orange n grapefruit n mint... So refreshing n delicious! This chef needs a michelin star. For real. My dad has been all over Italy, eaten at Don Alfonso's, and said he thinks this was right up there with it and even better!! (Although the company he was in may have helped😉) I'm gonna try to move into a small corner of this place and not get noticed!! Haha I need a whole food column in the record eagle that I can weekly devote to raving over my love of trattoria stella and the expertly composed flavors,...