Osteria Stella has brought back a lost Italian tradition of Knoxviile.Closing the business a few years ago, unable to continue for monetary reasons from interested buyers and inept investors, Naples Italian Restaurant on Kingston Pike, for nearly 40 years, was the only restaurant in Knoxville where only one dining couple could eat in total privacy. One curtain clad corner booth where the walls were lined with customer signed bottles of wine expressing gratitude. People had to call months in advance to reserve the special private dinner.Osteria Stella has three curtain clad booths for at least two couples each! Seeing prized memorable nostalgia in numbers is just the beginning here at Osteria Stella!For a uniquely northern Italian dinner, I recommend ordering the castelvetrano olives and the mozzarella di bufala. You want something to nibble with the incredible wine you will be sipping while waiting for the main highlights from the kitchen to arrive! These starting menu choices pair well with all wine.If you are an observant diner, you will see three red rectangles on the dinner menu. There is a reason for that, and I recommend having all three in one seating if this is your first visit.The arancino is what a grandma made her family in northern Italy hundreds of years ago; soft inside and crispy outside, just enough meat ragù and mozzarella melted inside to fill each carefully knifed bite, with pickled onion slices on top and peas blended in the meat ragù, gives the wonderful combination of sweet and sour.The rigatoni cacio y pepe is a delicious balance of a lightly salty pecorino ramano sauce and a lightly peppery finish sprinkled on top of chewy slightly firm rigatoni. Hundreds of years ago, tomatoes were difficult to grow in the colder parts of northern Italy, difficult to get from southern Italy as well, so this pasta choice is a great representation of the northern Italian region.If there is one entrée word in Italian that is coveted and revered, ossobuco is the ‘migliore’. This must have even has the special surprise inside the bone! The veal shank is extremely soft, as if cooked for 48 hours as slow as possible. I advise asking for a spoon because you will want every drop in the bowl.Finally, and poignantly, the focal point artwork in the dining room is a well chosen ‘golden rule’ guide in life:‘sii coraggiosa, sii forte, sii gentile’.Translation for those without a smartphone:‘be brave, be strong, be kind’.
The food was delicious! The table enjoyed chicken marsala, Seabass, and the risotto with chicken. The craft cocktails were also very beautiful and delicious! Our server Savanna was exceptional. Can’t wait to go back!
Amazing food, amazing service. A place to go for a special celebration!
First time trying Osteria Stella and if you are looking for upscale authentic Italian dining, this is the spot for you! I ordered the Risotto and it was absolutely delicious. Cocktail menu features lots of traditional and fun Italian drinks along with some other classics. I ordered an espresso martini which I would highly recommend. Food is for sure on the pricier side but I have tried most all the Italian restaurants in Knoxville and honestly nothing compares. Staff was knowledgeable on the menu and helpful when ordering. Atmosphere was really chill and dark and I could have a conversation with my partner without raising my voice which is alway nice. I personally think it’s worth the $, but understand a place like this isn’t for everyone. Can’t wait to come back and try the rest of the menu:)
My sister and I visited on April 15th and had a wonderful visit! Our server Kyle was amazing and very helpful. The interior is gorgeous and the place settings have so much attention to detail. The food was amazing and the wine list was phenomenal. We tried the Buffalo mozzarella, the special which was a broccoli blossom with whipped ricotta and the house bread. All delicious. And then we shared the gnocchi and cacio de Pepe. Both amazing! I would highly recommend this spot for a special occasion or a date night.
Excellent food! From the antipasto to the dessert was phenomenal!
The gnocchi changed my life! Truly an exquisite dining experience for me and the gals. Every dish we ordered was out of this world delicious! Don’t sleep on the Arancino either ?
First visit, I will come back. The vegetable lasagna was amazing. I did mean to order veg disk but was not disappointed. The chicken dish was also excellent. Service was good. Great environment with small but tasty menu.
It’s fine. I probably wouldn’t make an effort to revisit. It’s not great, it’s not bad…it’s fine. The bar is weak. Not much to choose from and the cocktails are all fine. The appetizers were ok. The meatballs tasted “gamey”. The octopus was kinda ok. The Arancino was probably the best app. Nothing knocked my socks off. For the main dishes, I had the Ossobuco which was ok. It had a really strong lemon flavor which was very odd and a bit off putting. But, I still ate it all…it was tender and the sauce was good…it just wasn’t memorable. My wife’s fish dish was good, but very very scant…not something to order if you are hungry, but probably the best dish on the menu as far as taste. The gnocchi was mushy, almost like little mashed potato balls…which is very weird. The service is the best thing the restaurant has going for it. The servers are all really great. Overall, not worth overlooking many other restaurants for.
Kale salad was great, chicken was extremely tender and cannolis were divine. Everything had great flavor. Also had the mozzarella with bread (Focaccia) and Charcuterie both were very satisfying.