Raves from Texas Monthly
Pat Sharpe chooses Stella Sola as “Pat’s Pick” in the January issue of Texas Monthly.
Stella Sola—whose name means “lone star” in Italian and whose owners describe its menu as “Texan Tuscan”—has arrived on the scene like a bottle rocket. That the kitchen should be so accomplished so soon is astounding.
– Patricia Sharpe, January 2010
Best of Houston 2010: Best Brunch Restaurant
Houston Press
(original article)
Yes, Stella Sola is owned by local celebrity chef Bryan Caswell, and yes, Stella Sola can be a bit pricey for dinner and wine, but brunch is its great egalitarian offering. Served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday, brunch brings nothing less than this “Texas-Tuscan” restaurant’s spot-on food at far more reasonable rates. Knock down a “toad in a hole,” with egg housed in homemade brioche, along with ham, mushrooms and cheese, for only $9, or grab a plate of shrimp and polenta (which is really just grits) with some bacon for $11. And since this is an Italian-inspired eatery — Stella Sola means “Lone Star” in Italian — don’t forget a glass of Prosecco to wash it all down.
Choice Tables: Houston
by Salma Abdelnour, New York Times
(original article)
It’s tough for an ambitious Houston chef to make a go of it on seafood alone, and in late November, Mr. Caswell — fresh off the debut of the second branch of his hit sliders-and-wine joint, Little Bigs — opened a new restaurant, Stella Sola, in a brick town house in the trendy Heights district. Stella Sola merges the flavors of Tuscany and Texas, an idea that turns out not to be as bizarre as it sounds, with dishes like pappardelle with ricotta and an intensely meaty ragù of Texas wild boar, and, more directly, a charcuterie platter of Texan and Tuscan meats, cured in-house by the up-and-coming salumi star Justin Basye, formerly of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, in Westchester County, New York.
I visited Stella Sola once during its first few weeks of service, and the place was, predictably, slammed. A couple of dishes were perhaps sent out too hastily as the kitchen found its footing. That wild-boar pappardelle and a sautéed tripletail, a Gulf fish, with Asiago broth were both a bit over-salted, but the salumi plate was superb — the Tuscan-style lardo silky and lush, the smoked andouille and venison kielbasa spicy and assertive. And butternut squash ravioli, often an uninspired choice, was transcendent here: the delicate, creamy-sweet pouches showered with crushed pecans and amaretti cookies.
2009’s Best New Restaurants
by Theresa Byrne-Dodge, My Table
(original article)
This space – custom built for Robert Gadsby’s short-lived Bedford – got a quick overhaul last fall by chef Bryan Caswell and partner Bill Floyd (they own Reef) before bowing in as a Texas-Tuscan restaurant. (The name is Italian for “lone star.”) Justin Basye, previously with Voice, is the chef de cuisine, and he’s already become quite famous in the local food world for his charcuterie platter (a hot restaurant trend) and roasted marrow bones (ditto).
