Stella's

I went to Stella’s Fish Cafe & Prestige Oyster Bar in Uptown last night. Stella's had been suggested by my co-worker Brenda several times. (Perhaps I should say she suggested it once, then I asked her to remind me of the name three or four times.) The restaurant is very close to what I've wanted in the Twin Cities for some time, namely a somewhat casual seafood restaurant, with really great fish.

I had the small plate "Sesame-crusted Ahi Tuna with wasabi and ponzu sauce", fresh bluepoint oysters, and the "Spinach salad with hot pancetta bacon dressing." The tuna was perfectly done (meaning very rare) and the oysters were very fresh and extremely tasty. The salad was huge and was perfect for sharing. The dressing was a little sweet for my taste, but complimented the salad nicely. The best part of the salad was the slightly spicy croutons made from a corn bread.

This is the first time I've eaten raw oysters in the middle of the country. I've always felt a little squeamish about ordering them so far from the ocean. I still don't think I'll make a habit of ordering them in Minnesota, but these were absolutely delicious. Jeannie was brave and tried her first raw oyster. She downed it like a champ but is in no hurry to make it her next vice.

My wife and I also split the Hot Crab and Spinach dip. This was pretty good stuff and was plenty large for sharing.

I'll be going back to Stella's. There were lots of items I still wanted to try. We walked up to the deck on the fourth floor after dinner. It seemed like a great place to eat dinner. It was cool and breezy even on a warm evening and was high enough up that you didn't hear much road noise. I'll be eating on the roof next time.

P.S. They have valet parking, of parking in uptown is too challenging for your tastes.