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Pizzeria Stella in pictures
Photo | Drew Lazor
Pizzeria Stella in pictures
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Earlier today, Meal Ticket popped in to a staff training session at Pizzeria Stella (Second and Lombard streets, 215-320-8000) to snag some pics of Stephen Starr's latest venture, slated to open this Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 11 a.m. 3 p.m.
Developed in less than five months in what was a Cosi (aka Jennifer Weiner's fave place), Stella features quite a few recycled elements, from tables crafted out of discarded planks from Coney Island's boardwalk to the mismatched chairs reclaimed from a Pennsylvania elementary school. Room for 45 outside on folding chairs from the defunct Philadelphia Civic Center. The 7,000-pound wood-burning oven, visible from every one of the 80 interior seats, was built by a company in Texas, which shipped the thing all the way to Philly in one piece. It reaches temperatures in the blistering 700- to 800-degree range, meaning a pizza can go from a ball of dough to piping-hot and plated in as little as 4 minutes, according to SRO VP of operations Bradlee Bartram.
Starr, who embarked on several serious pizza research quests with his crew this summer (one including Inquirer scribe Rick Nichols), says he collected bits and pieces of the best pies he tried to develop the ideal approach for Stella's 12-inchers, which run from $11 to $17. The crust is the dealbreaker, says the detail-obsessed Starr � he's started paying closer attention to "the weather forecast two or three days ahead," as humid days (like today) can influence the characteristics of resting dough.
Elsewhere to on the menu, you've got antipasti (an octopus and calamari plate; arancini; salt cod; a lentil ragu with sweet fennel sausage) a small selection of salads (roasted beet and arugula; grilled radicchio) and Italian meats like cotto, soppressata and prosciutto. For dessert, they're doing gelato from a "secret family recipe" � flavors include olive oil, ricotta and chocolate. We've actually got the full menu, but no access to a scanner at the moment; will add it tomorrow morning. (UPDATE: Here's a PDF of the full menu. h/t: Philly Insider) For now, we've transcribed the 12 pizzas on offer for y'all below. (For what it's worth, Starr's personal favorite is the pistachio.)
Hours: Sun.-Thu., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-midnight.
- Margherita: San Marzano tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil
- Marinara: San Marzano tomato, oregano, garlic
- Bianca: buffalo mozzarella, garlic, basil
- Sausage: sweet fennel sausage, hot peper, tomato, basil
- Pepperoni: Abruzze pepperoni, oregano, mozzarella, tomato
- Tartufo: black truffle, fontina, egg parmesan
- San Daniele: smoked mozzarella, prosciutto, baby arugula
- Pistachio: red onion, pistachio, fontina, extra virgin olive oil
- Oliva Nera: ricotta, rosemary, Gaeta olive, tomato
- Vongole: clams, guanciale, broccoli rabe
- Spinach: baby spinach, sun-dried tomato, garlic, pine nuts
- Quatro Formaggi: tomato, mozzarella, fontina, scamorza, taleggio
The beer selection is meager. He could have made it a BYO, but that's not "Starr style." (BTW, $3 for a soda?)
[...] Pizzeria Stella in Pictures [Meal Ticket] The Day the Earth Stood Stella [Thrillist] Stella! [The Insider] [...]
The beer selection is terrible and expensive. Why does he charge $6 for a bottle of beer?? Its not fun to go out when you spend more on beer than food.
Birra Morretti really brings back fond memories of getting scowled at in the supermercato by otherwise chic and dignified Italians, as you filled the bottom of your Barbie-sized shopping card with clinking individual bottles of the stuff for 77 euro cents each. The beer selection in Roma was depressing in 2004.
[...] Starr’s Headhouse Square pizza place, which Meal Ticket first wrote about in September, is on the move � they’re taking over the space directly next door, and will gain 30 table [...]
thanks for sharing!
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