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Stella opened its doors just three months ago in September as a labor of love by renowned restaurateur Stephen Starr of Buddakan and Morimoto fame. The place has a funky 'recycled' feel to it, using old chalkboards and wood planks from the Coney Island boardwalk for tables (NY respect points).
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Not long after being seated, I ordered one Margherita and one Tartufo (black truffle, egg, Fontina and Parmesan). As no surprise, the Margherita arrived just minutes later-
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Followed shortly thereafter by the Tartufo. The waitress broke the yolk and evenly distributed it across the pie:
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I'll start with the Margherita: it was better than I expected. The flavor of the tomatoes and especially the crust were divine, and the buffalo mozz didn't turn the whole pizza into a Neapolitan swamp. That being said, I do think they could have left it in that beautiful oven of theirs for 30 more seconds- while the cornicione was excellent with great hole structure, I think it could have used just a *little* more char, but I'm being petty.
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I found it strange that Stella sliced their pies into six slices rather than four, though it worked out in our favor since there were three of us chowing down. I usually don't mind whether basil is thrown on a pie before or after the oven, but in Stella's case I think they should consider putting it on first.
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Next came the stinky but delicious Tartufo. I think the Fontina is the primary culprit behind the pungent odor.
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It actually looks pretty gross, doesn't it? I promise it's not. While I'm not usually one for straying from the Margherita when it comes to research purposes, I'm really glad I ordered this pie. In fact, I don't know if I've ever seen this on any other menu.
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You can see just how fluffy the cornicione is. The egg was the icing on the cake- err, well you know what I mean. It was the best part of the pie, and gave some balance to the otherwise overwhelming truffle oil.
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Nice speckles of char, eh? The oven is right at the front of the joint, surrounded by a large prep station and three guys hard at work (two prepping, one tending the oven).
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My only disconcerting feeling about the place was a question that didn't start nagging at me until I left: who's behind this pizza? Did Starr create a pie he was happy with, then train a dedicated stand-in pizzaiolo? Where'd the dough recipe come from? Who taught these fine gentlemen to make such a great pizza?
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I'm a huge supporter of the owner-operated pizzeria business plan- it puts a face as to who's responsible for what you're eating, and they're exactly that: responsible for every pizza that comes out of the oven. I loved Stella and I'll definitely be back, I just wish I knew who was responsible for the product.
Great review, great pics. Though I highly doubt it was the fontina on the Tartufo that made it stinky. The truffle oil on the other hand...phew! Now that's pungent.
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