Stella

I dine out frequently and am usually quite understanding when things don’t go perfectly, but this was honestly one of the most frustrating dining experiences I’ve had. From the start, there were multiple issues. The plates we were initially served were dirty. Although our server helped replace them, it already set a negative tone. After taking a sip of water, I noticed debris in the glass as well. We were told the oven was broken, and it appeared that there was dust and residue throughout the service area as a result. The only solution offered at the time was to replace the water. The food itself was disappointing. The carrots were completely burnt and blackened, and the steak we ordered medium came out much closer to medium-rare, with a very raw center. Service was also very disorganized. While the server assisting us went to ask the kitchen to rework the food, another server came by and cleared our salad even though we were still actively eating. To be fair, the restaurant ultimately comped the salad and the steak, and I do appreciate the effort made by the staff to address the situation. That said, for a restaurant where the average spend is $50–$100 per person, the overall experience — from food quality to cleanliness and service coordination — fell well below expectations. I appreciate the effort, but this experience left a lasting negative impression.

I honestly don’t even know where to start. We arrived roughly 10 minutes early for our 7:45 PM reservation. We asked the host stand if we could grab a drink at the lobby bar but were told it was for hotel guests only. This turned out to be untrue, as we walked over anyway and they happily served us. When we returned to the stand at 7:55 PM, our table was still not ready, despite the fact that we could see several used tables sitting uncleaned. Once we were finally seated, our server, Jay, told us that everything was "going to be a while," which was confusing considering there were only about six other tables seated at the time. We ordered our first round of drinks and the $14 cornbread. When we asked for water for the table, Jay said, "Okay, yeah, I guess, but it might be a while." Then, when he returned with our drinks and we said we were ready to order our food, he again said, "Okay, yeah, I guess, but it’s going to be a while." This didn't make sense to me—I would assume the sooner you put the order in, the sooner the food would come. Fast forward 45 minutes: We had finished a bottle of wine and all our cocktails, and our food had still not arrived. When we asked for an update, the waiter said he would check, but instead returned with a plate of "unused" calamari. He told us it had just been sitting there, so we could have it as a consolation prize for the wait. When we asked for small side plates to share it, he actually rolled his eyes as if he expected us to just use our hands. It was pretty unreal at that point. When the main courses finally arrived, the quality was poor. My wife was served a mushroom risotto that was gooey and creamy but very clearly had zero mushrooms in it. The salmon and short rib were just okay. To top it all off, our friends were splitting the steak frites. It was conveniently split for them in the kitchen, but served very cold. The fries had clearly been double-cooked, as they were dark brown and rock hard. When we complained about the meat being cold, Jay told us, "Well, you’re just going to have to be patient because they’re going to have to make a new one for you." They did eventually comp the steak and offered free dessert, but when they served the replacement steak, it was—unbelievably—still cold.

honestly this may have been the best hospitality I’ve had in a while! My friends and I showed up at 10 am not realizing they closed at 11 and the host/server was kind enough to let us stay. It was 10 of us and only one of her and I think 1 cook as well. The waitress was so kind, she took everyone’s order, she was on top of things all the meanwhile cleaning up the rest of the restaurant. For such a big group everything came out so quick + the portion sizes were 10/10! My friends and I enjoyed it so much and hope to visit Truckee again to come here, but a lot earlier rather than an hour before closing. Shout out to the waitress + cook, we appreciated it so much and wish I would’ve asked for their names so they could get the recognition they deserve. 20/10 recommend!

Saw a mention about happy hour 3-5 pm with bocce so stopped in. Was seated in front patio, nice atmosphere but we were the only ones here at 4 pm on a Sunday! And bocce is on back patio. Was told we could go back but we just had bevies and left.

Love this place! We thought that this would be our new permanent anniversary restaurant. Last year when we went we had an amazing interaction with the chef when we inquired about the candied lemons and green bean app. He said that he brought the lemons from the home town where my wife grew up in Sonoma County. So fast forward to this evening and, she asked if there was any chance that the chef was still offering that dish. Our male waiter said "I have no idea what you are talking about. " Then walked away. What a sick! Reuned our evening. ALSO! When I made the reservations I had added this was our wedding anniversary. Not that I expect a free dessert or anything but, to be acknowledged would have been nice. We got nothing, not even a congratulations.

This was a favorite place of mine the past few years and it's only gotten better with the new chef and changes they've made. They now have full service waiters and more seating options. The menu choices became fewer but there is nothing on it that disappoints. The cauliflower is a staple and a must. The Tartine bread starter (not shown) was divine and great for sharing. The halibut had so much flavor! They have unique combinations of ingredients that complement each other really well.

I stayed at Gravity Haus for a couple days this week, and ate at Stella twice for breakfast and once for dinner. I’d definitely eat here again, especially if I stay in Truckee again. The breakfast on the first day was really nice! The coffee was pretty good even though it was self-serve. I got the traditional breakfast and loooooved the potatoes and bacon. The potatoes were particularly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The scrambled eggs were bland and overcooked though. That night I had dinner there, got the seared scallops which were probably the best cooked scallops I’ve had in a long time. We also had the truffle gnocchi, rack of lamb, rice pudding, and cheesecake. Overall, the food was excellent but each thing had a small miss short of being absolutely perfect. For example, some of the greens in the scallop entree was overly salty or that the cheesecake’s brown butter crumble had some bigger granules of sugar that made the experience gritty and felt like pieces of sand. Still highly recommend this place though. Then the following morning we stopped by to have breakfast. I got the traditional breakfast and was a bit surprised. The waitress (a different person from yesterday) noticed my reaction and asked if I had any questions. I told her that the scrambled eggs looked better compared to yesterday’s. She explained that it’s a different chef (and yes it was). I enjoyed the eggs more and the bread. The bacon was still good, maybe a bit crispier if some people like that more. The potatoes were less crispy and fluffy though. Still good and would come again! I was only disappointed that their coffee machine wasn’t working when we had breakfast the second day. My husband and I each ordered the berry smoothie though and found it to be good and not too sweet! Both days the service was very attentive and nice. Chef Watkins came to talk to patrons at dinner service as well.

We’ve dined at restaurants around the world and we were delighted with the creativity of the chef and the talent in the kitchen. The service was excellent too. We started with the oysters which were yummy. We followed up with the miso eggplant appetizer which was amazing. We’ve never tasted anything like it. We highly recommend giving it a try. It packs a punch flavor-wise so we recommend splitting it. We opted for the bone marrow entree with chimchurri sauce which was not as we expected. We’ve had it simply served with salt so the acidic flavor of the sauce and salad was unexpected. We also had the octopus which was truly delicious. This we also recommend. It was a lovely combination of flavors and textures. We ended with the deconstructed cheesecake which they served with a candle in honor of my birthday. Tasty stuff. We’d talked to a few folks in Truckee who had mixed reviews of the restaurant which made us nervous about our choice but we were very happy with the choice. Don’t let the casual atmosphere mislead you. The menu is creative and well worth checking out.