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Mon., Wed-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon., Wed-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Despite the fact that most of the products used in Bay Area restaurants come from this area, somehow this area hasn't become a dining hotspot (lack of general tourism, maybe?)
I feel like they have it too easy, yet for whatever reason, no one else is doing it. Great meal start to finish. We split two appetizers, there was a very good salad (but it was still just a salad, I really tried to convince my friend to order something more adventurous). We also got the slow-cooked octopous. Absolutely delicious; so tender, in a nice sauce (although I didn't taste the mint that they said on the menu).
The oyster pizza though; just, wow. Without the oysters, this might ahve been one of the best pizzas ever. Perfect crust, perfectly spiced...but there were lots of oysters on it too! A terrific bargain. Reminds me that dining out can sometimes be economical too - it probably would have cost me more than $18 to put that pizza together - and it might not have been as good. It was especially cool having driven by the oyster farm on the way to our restaurant - the ultimate "farm to table" experience.
I did think $10 for desserts was overpriced for the restaurant - so we got the only one that wasn't - the icecream and sorbet with biscotti. The sorbet was like crystallized apple cider - and the chocolate salted caramel was subtle yet delicious.
Best of all, they really have mastered the art of "casually attentive" service that so many restaurants try for, yet fail by going too far to one end of the spectrum.
To be fair, I did go on a Thursday evening, when the place was maybe about half full.
Would I drive over the bridge from the city to go here? Mayyyyyyyyyyybe.
But if I'm already in Marin? Undoubtedly.
A stell[in]ar experience from start to finish.
Really... this lovely restaurant is a hip dining spot in quiet Point Reyes. Seriously fabulous food and great atmostphere... servers are not snooty but real and to the point... no bs-ing necessary here as the food speaks for itself. We had some oysters on the half shell, some clams in a salty broth but went well with the delicate flavors of the clam (great to dip your bread in), my gentleman-friend ordered the goat and I had the Black Cod which was served over Cauliflower Smashed Potatoes, Lemon & Braised Escarole. Everything was Terrific except the Cauliflower dish which was a dirty brown color, had no texture and was quite bland. There was a lot of it too. I thought it would be neat if they took the cauliflower and formed it in a shape of a patty then flash fried it, it would look nice in between the cod and the greens... oh well.., that's my opinion for you.
Sans cauliflower, I could say it was honestly one of my Top 5 Dining Experiences (in regards to the food alone) in 2009. I look forward to going back in the near future!
We also brought in a bottle of Justin's Isoceles '04 and the corkage fee was reasonable... it went great with their cuisine.
Osteria Stellina gets two starts for their food. And that's it.
The restaurant was understaffed. Although we had a reservation and were seated immediately, it seemed as if there wasn't anyone to help us for what seemed to be 10 minutes. I remember seeing our waitress twice and when I looked for her so that my boyfriend could order a beverage (she left before he could), she was having a conversation. She didn't know what a Jerusalem artichoke was... and they were serving Jerusalem artichoke soup.
The place was a little loud and very cramped. I couldn't put my jacket on the seat behind me because I would have taken up room on the table that was touching my chair.
When the wine was brought to our table, it was immediately poured into cups. Not glasses. There was no time for sniffing and tasting, It was just poured and the pourer walked away, never to be seen again.
I won't go back the next time I am in Point Reyes, unless its day time and dead inside. Even then I will probably go down the street.
I booked a reservation here for our anniversary weekend in Point Reyes. We had never dined here before but I read good things about the restaurant when doing some research on the area. I was really glad we made reservations because the place was packed. And..how to put this delicately..as aging hipsters usually Mr Q and I feel like the oldest people in the room but that was definitely not the case here. Older crowd, for sure. Service was a bit odd as we were seated between another table & a dividing wall-we had to kind of yell our orders at the server & I had a hard time hearing her. It was very loud inside.
Mr Q had orrichetti with sausage and I ordered the beef cheeks. I enjoyed the beef cheeks-it was basically tender beef chunks in a wine sauce, kind of like a beef stew. Mr Q's orrichetti was at a rather cold temperature when it was served, which irked me, but he didn't seem to mind. We also had a beet salad (really small, with like 4 beet slices) and a salad with shaved fennel and parmesan with lemon dressing (super tangy..almost too much so). For desert we shared this amazing absinthe ice cream with homemade peppermint patties on top. Normally not a super fan of the mint & chocolate combo but this was amazing. I wasn't bowled over by our meal but if nothing else I'd definitely come back for desert.
It's a long drive from Mendocino to SF down highway 1 and a stop at Point Reyes to refuel was much needed. Stellina was the perfect place for it with a welcoming atmosphere, comforting surroundings and really good Italian food. The secret is in simplicity here: Home-made orriechete with fresh tomatoes, basil and extra virgin olive oil; Thinly-sliced beets with organic arugula drizzled with ricotta salata; delicious thin-crust pizza and a fine beer list.
I wish Point Reyes was not so far away from the city, but this is probably an added reason to make the drive out there...
Went here for a special occasion dinner while staying in Pt. Reyes. Their wine list is rather short--only 2 choices for bottle of cabernet, one $55, one $100! We got a fish special and the oyster pizza. The fish was well cooked but had bland cauliflower mash and inedible bitter broccoli rabe underneath. The oyster pizza was an abomination--no sauce, no cheese, just leeks and a few oysters on a cracker crust. Mushy, bland, and pointless--it wasn't even vegan with the oysters, so at least put some cheese or something flavorful on there! Dessert was good but didn't make up for the meal. Waiter was fairly attentive but not friendly and never smiled a bit. Very disappointing experience, especially for the price.
I give Stellita an "A" for effort. I went there for lunch last week while on my way up to Pt. Reyes seashore. I ordered the grilled cheese sandwich and mixed green salad. I had specifically asked for NO meat on my grilled cheese, but it came out wrong. Now I know I should have sent it back, but we were on a schedule. So I picked the meat out of the sandwich and ate it. It was really good; the cheese was perfectly gooey and the bread was perfectly crusty. Midway through my sandwich, the cook came out into the dining room and told me that he had just realized he had prepared it incorrectly and asked if he could give us a free dessert on the house. I thought that was really considerate and would give them another try if I'm ever in the area again.
Why bragging for homemade pasta if then you serve me off-the-shelf spaghetti?
Oh well, I may be biased but when you look at the menu for 20 minutes and cannot choose, the reasons are two:
- everything looks delicious
- it's too simple but written in a complicated way
I go for the second here.
Also, and this was kind of unacceptable: why charging me $12 for a glass of supposedly delicious wine and then pour it into a tumbler?
What's the point?
During a recent expedition to Point Reyes Seashore, we decided to eat in the town of Point Reyes Station before heading home to San Jose. When driving through the town on Highway 1, it is obvious that this is the must eat place in town. At first we drove right past the place, not knowing it was our destination. My advice is to keep an eye out for the busy place on the corner past the saloon.
The restaurant (even the restrooms) are super tiny, so be prepared to wait. However, the pizzas alone are worth the wait. The crust is simple excellent. The most recommended dish was the goat, caught locally in Point Reyes' local ranches. It was tender and didn't disappoint.
We didn't try dessert but the lemon cookie sandwich seemed to be very popular. My only complaint is why not offer other ice cream flavors for the cookie sandwich.
4 out of 5 and if trapped in Point Reyes again, this will be glimmer of hope!
Caprese salad: yum! I also recommend the beans & greens (cappellini beans and swiss chard). My husband had the grille cheese sandwich and was in heaven. We didn't have room for dessert. Bummer. I would have liked to try the ice cream sandwich.
My friend, Christian said there was a relatively new place to check out so we drove to Point Reyes last night.
Really cool city. Point Reyes Station is a tiny community nested near both scenic Californian mountains and Highway 1 (coast).
Meals:
We sat down to a nice place and ordered 2 starters and a bottle of red wine from a local vintner. This is where it went downhill.
The starters were a carrot/ginger soup, grapes, tomatoes with goat cheese. The soup was bland yet the grapes/cheese was tasty.
Our server was sweet yet unfortunately, the wine she served was tepid (this is a major faux paus when serving wine and zero excuse).
Furthermore, the red wine was young and not all that good (at $45 a bottle, Stellina should be ashamed to serve this, seriously),
The server understood and knocked $20 off the wine (in my opinion, this was not enough. She should of simply taken the wine off the bill).
Thankfully, I brought a Chateau St. Jean Merlot...
The meals arrived (beef cheeks and a fish dish). The beef was flavorful yet the fish cooke a bit too much.
Best part of the meal was the flour-less dark chocolate cake.
Sorry, Osteria, you're are going to have to step up your game.
ciao,
sam
I wanted Osteria Stellina to be a five star review. I want to find this omg amazing place in the middle of nowhere and be impressed my the unique and wonderful food. I would give this 3 1/2 stars
All of the food here does taste great and I am now a fan of oyster pizza yet when I think back on the meal most of it isn't that memorable. I remember more how tiny the beet salad was, small that at the most snobbish San Francisco place.
I have to say my mother in law who was visiting from France and my French wife both loved the food they go and the octopus dish was good. I found the dishes to underseasoned and inconsistant in terms of size and quality.
If you are in Point Reyes Station this definitetly the place to go to but I don't know if I would make a special drive there just for this restaurant.
We had three small dishes and a pizza.
I am not sure why people gave this place two stars, when I came here, everyone seem to enjoy their meals a great deal. We came here because Dave at Osbrey Peak highly recommended this new restaurant, it was our first meal at Point Reyes and it was as good as it gets. We ordered the oyster as starter and it was REALLY good! We also had the sardine and something else (I forgot) for appetizer and they were REALLY GOOD! For the main course the bf had the goat (not lamb, there is a difference), and I had the chicken. The chicken was so-so but the sauce was delicious, the goat was really tender and the bf absolutely loved it. I don't remember complaining about anything other than the chicken was a little dry. Overall the service was great, the food was fantastic and light, and the ambience is cool. This place is a must go if you are ever in the area!
Minus one star for the 30-minute wait for our 6:30 reservation.
The kitchen was clearly slammed. This place is small and popular, and on this particular Saturday night had several parties of six or more. The host was good enough to comp us a drink while we cooled our heels in the reasonably comfortable waiting area.
We were just not feeling adventurous enough to try lamb brains or testicles, so our appetizers were Dungeness crab bisque (from Bodega Bay, thank you very much) and beet salad with ricotta salata. Both were delicious and the portions were appropriately modest. It's an appetizer, after all.
Our entrees were the black cod over mashed roasted cauliflower with bok choy -- the cauliflower was the highlight for me -- and the house-made penne with more wintry/springy veggies than I was expecting in June. Don't mushrooms, fava beans and red onions (and come to think of it, cauliflower) say March or April to you? Anyway, the fresh pasta was awesome. The unshelled fava beans, not so much. The first couple bites, I delicately pulled the tough parts from my mouth. Then I performed surgery on the entire dish before proceeding, by which time it was cold. Too bad.
Moving on to dessert: I had heard about the Meyer lemon ice cream sandwich, and it did not disappoint. The cookies were just soft enough, in that gingery-molasses way, to stick a fork through without sending all the ice cream squishing out. The ice cream was not too sweet, and the Meyer lemon was not overwhelmed. The flourless TCHO chocolate cake would more accurately be described as a bar. It is as dense and rich as you might expect from a slab of pure cacao.
Our charmless, absentee waiter will have been fired by the next time we visit, replaced no doubt by one of the extremely pleasant food runners.
I kind of liked the wine being served in juice glasses, but my sweetie was put off by it, especially when he saw other tables getting stemware.
I loved the daring menu and felt like taking it home to study trends in underappreciated meats, even if I have no plans to eat goat shoulder anytime soon.
It's great that they serve Taylor Maid coffee, my favorite, but I really wish a restaurant boasting of its dedication to local foods would spell Sebastopol correctly.
All of these quibbles are really minor when you consider that until Stellina opened, I think of all my regular west Marin dining spots as charming but hardly destinations. Stellina is the kind of place that makes you want to plan more Point Reyes hikes so you can work up a big appetite and see what new stuff is on the menu.
This was a last minute, Saturday night decision. My sister-in-law was visiting from Oregon. She loves Pt. Reyes. When we arrived, it was 4:45pm and there was a line at the door. After checking, we found out that the place was sold out for the night, but our hostess suggested that we stay in line and see if a couple of the counter seats opened up. YES !!!
I ordered the Beef Cheeks. What the heck? Never heard of Beef Cheeks, so I launched a full blown inquiry. The servers description made my mouth water. I decided to go outside my comfort zone. It was worth it.
My sister-in-law had the Chicken Thighs. She was very pleased too.
I will go back. NOT on a Saturday night though, unless I call ahead.
Expected great things and got a dinner for four that was underwhelming. Very small salad and soup portions for the charge. Long wait for main courses. Small glass of wine for the price. Ethereal beans and greens ? My homemade version is much better. Rethink your review Bauer ! Great bread and butter !
One of the charms of Point Reyes is its excellent dining options at the end of a day in nature.
We have now been to Osteria Stellina twice - the first time pleasantly surprised by the taste and quality of the food, and last night by how well it holds its own after our recent epicurious vacation in Italy.
The appetizers and pastas are among the best in restaurants of this class - all the pastas are handmade and the sauces are fresh and flavorful without being heavy. We also love the octupus and sardine appetizers. The mains are great too, but perhap relatively less memorable.
Service on both occasions was top-notch.
The house wine, which we typically steer clear of when dining in the U.S., is actually very good. And goes with almost anything on the menu.
Suitable for couples, families and groups.
I don't get to the great outdoors as much as I would like. So I was thrilled when a friend invited me to go hiking up at Point Reyes.
Before heading off to the hike we decided to get lunch in Point Reyes Station. We walked around all the different restaurants but we both agreed that Stellina looked the best.
When we walked in we were struck with the beautiful the dark wood, light blue walls, and other accent pieces made the place very modern but still filled with life.
We were offered delicious organic bread and organic Strauss butter to start with. I ordered the penne pasta with kale and white beans and my friend ordered the pizza with roasted tomatoes.
My dish was delicious and the kale and white beans with a light olive oil sauce really hit the spot. My friend's dish however, was the real standout. The pizza was absolutely perfect. It was thin crust with no tomato sauce but the roasted tomatoes on top of it really enhanced the flavor so much that it didn't need sauce. It had the perfect balance of salt and oil to make it savory without being greasy.
The service was nice and attentive without being fussy. I also thought that for 30 dollars (including an iced tea) the meal was very well priced considering the food was organic, local, and delicious.
I know the next time I am going hiking I am going to make an extra trek to Stellina's for the amazing pizza and great ambiance.
OS is a great addition to Pt. Reyes Station. I'm giving it 5 stars because it is the perfect kind of restaurant for the town and perfect for our occasion, which was returning from the 10 mile Tomales Point hike.
We were famished and dusty, and I was worried I looked a bit too bedraggled for a fine restaurant. Not to worry. Osteria Stellina is casual enough, that I was presentable without having to give myself a makeover.
The food was perfect for us. Hubby had a beef stew which he said was outstanding (in fact he kept repeating that after every bite - enough already, OK?). I had the chicory salad with goat cheese - local Redwood Hill Farm goat cheese, I might add. It was delicious. Bread was scrumptious.
I can't say enough how thrilled I was to see a by the glass wine list that didn't have every wine $12 or more with a token $8 glass. Here at OS, all glasses were reasonably priced. In fact the whole meal was very reasonable.
Service was as good as it gets. We were greeted immediately, never had to wait for anything. We got our wine just a couple minutes after ordering. Food didn't take long to come out. Plates were cleared as soon as we were done. Didn't have to wait for the bill. Waiter was super pleasant.
As hubby was paying the bill I said "Give him a BIG tip." Hubby said 'This is your kind of place." (Meaning no wait time, and good vegetarian options.) When we make those two statements about the same place, it's a 5 star place.
After a nice drive west and a little time exploring, my (lovely) wife and I found the unassuming location; we had chosen an early time to leave us time for some ocean viewing (in the "evening light" my wife so loves) and because it always is easier with my wheelchair.
The menu is not an extensive but is more than adequate, offering six first courses, soups and salads, and six entrees. I had the shrimp bisque and, while it was creamy and appealing it lacked any seafood flavor. Audrey had a beet and arugula salad that was flavorful and well-dressed from my sampling.
Then on to the beef cheeks for me, a tender and flavorful dish that was full of flavor, and the cod for Audrey, which she loved and, though not truly a fish lover, seemed to be full of flavor and well-prepared.
Then on to desserts, the almost world-famous gingerbread & lemon ice cream sandwich for me (I won the staredown there as we agreed diversifying our choices was our goal!) and the panna cotta for Aud. Sorry to spend so much time on dessert but it was a delightful end to the meal and really, with the food, presentation and service (attentive, available and an accurate resource on the menu but not overly intrusive). Well worth the travel! Don't go expecting to be wowed but expect good food and you will be rewarded!
i wish we could've loved this place. the ambiance was lovely, but the service was always sort of off (slow to take our order, lost track of what course we were on) and the entrees were quite unmemorable. the highlight? dessert! i highly recommend that (especially the ice cream sandwich - MMM!)
This is a San Francisco-worthy restaurant in little Point Reyes Station. It has a modern, upscale decor, but down-home friendly and attentive service. And we needed a lot of service...
We started out with a glass of wine and a shared beet salad. The salad was lovely, although I don't think I've ever seen beets shaved so thinly! I noted that my wine was "smouldering" like a romance novel character, and was surprised to find some weird fiber-like things at the bottom...
Our server explained how sediment crystallizes at the bottom of some bottles, ground some up between her fingers to demonstrate, and immediately brought a fresh drink on the house. Server = 1 point.
We ordered 2 entree dishes to share and were eagerly awaiting them. When the arrived, we dug in. Sadly, dining partner cannot tolerate garlic or any spiciness, and both entrees were ridiculously spicy and garlicky, which was not indicated on the menu at all! Server rushed to get us a bland version of the pasta dish, and dinner was saved. Server = 1 point.
While my poor tender-tummied sweetie would rate Stellina differently, spicy little me gives them 5+ stars for service, and 4.5 stars for food. I would give their menu writer a 2, however -- you have to tell people if something's going to be spicy!
It was my boyfriend's birthday and we were in Inverness staying up high in the trees overlooking the crashing waves of Tomales Bay. I needed a special restaurant to mark the occasion and ring it in proper, but being unfamiliar with the area, I turned to this little website called... Yelp.
I called up in advance to get the scoop. Since Manka's had burned down, I really didn't know of any restaurants with atmo in the area, and rumor had it Osteria Stellina excelled in using fresh, local ingredients.
Host: Hello, Osteria Stellina
Me: Hi there, would you consider your restaurant to be romantic?
Host: Um, errr... yes.
Me: Okay then. See you soon!
Should I have noted that hint of hesitation in his voice? Oh, most definitely, because Osteria Stellina ended up being a very nice, very new, very modern restaurant, but almost sterile in the romance department. Let's just my fantasy of footsies leading to sweet nothings leading to you know later in our cozy love shack was probably not going to come to fruition.
I turned to the food to offer the sensual experience that would make up for the candle light I had been hoping for. We ordered four appetizers, and each dish, from the mussels to the gratin were slightly off, either oversalted or underwhelming. The thin crust pizza was meh as well. We found solace in an amazing Italian beer and the chocolate dessert.
Note to self: Don't take the boyfriend to a new restaurant before they have their dishes dialed in. If unavoidable, order the chocolate dessert. Tried and true aphrodisiac, baby.
I have dined at Osteria Stellina twice within the past month. I really wanted to love this place. It's close to where I live and the chef/owner, Christian Caiazzo, is producing some very interesting takes on Italian dishes.
The service at Osteria Stellina, however, is atrocious. There seems to be a real disconnect between the quality of food coming out of the kitchen and the poorly trained wait staff. A few problems: (1) wait staff on both visits were unfamiliar with the wine list and couldn't recommend wines for particular dishes; (2) plates were cleared while people were still eating (a HUGE pet-peeve of mine); (3) not once did the staff ask if we were enjoying our meal. Plates were whisked away and we were asked if we wanted to see a dessert menu. We would have liked another bottle of wine with our meal had someone bothered to ask; (4) similar to another poster, the entrée and appetizers were brought to our table at the same time (WTF!?); and (5) the service is perfunctory, bordering on rude.
I might go back for the food, but there really needs to be better oversight and staff training by management if this restaurant will succeed long term.
Get in your car and go. Right now. Seriously.
Amazing service, humble and friendly.
The food is well worth the drive. We had melt-in-your mouth oysters, a perfectly prepared artisan pizza (on par with gialina and delfina), and an amazing seafood stew (most tender mussels i've ever had). The wine list is thoughtfully constructed, and the atmosphere is relaxed (as it should be, this is a small town spot afterall!).
There are several things which go into an enjoyable dining experience, namely food, service, and ambiance. Stellina does food pretty well. The rest of our experience was simply horrific.
Somehow Stellina manages to have all of the negatives of an overly popular San Francisco restaurant with none of the charm one would hope for in West Marin. It was loud, really cramped, the portions were small, the decor was just odd, and our waitress clearly didn't want to be there. We were there on a Wednesday night and there wasn't really a wait, I don't even want to know how awful it would be on a weekend or holiday.
Here's a sampler of how bad the service was: At the very start, the hostess didn't even take us to our table. She just pointed to it and told us that was our table. After a bit of standing around, we decided we'd go sit. The interesting take on service just kept going.
While some of the food ended up being pretty good, I quickly regretted simply ordering because it meant I couldn't leave. The most bizarre moment came when somehow our waitress started chatting up the couple next to us and talking about their vintage Mercedes'. Yes, our waitress apparently had one too. Should I ever acquire one, I now know where to get it polished or whatever in West Marin. I was privy to all this information because there was exactly one thigh width between our table and the next, and our waitress was leaning on my chair with her arm while talking to the other customers.
The restaurant's been around for more than six months now, poor service like we received is no longer growing pains. There did seem to be one friendly and competent waitress who stopped by our table once or twice, so maybe you'll get lucky. However, I would strongly encourage you to skip Stellina and go to the Farm House restaurant in very nearby Olema. There's a new gourmet chef at Farm House and there the experience won't leave a sour taste in your mouth.
SHORT & SWEET: When I asked the manager if he had seen Stellina's recent (and mysteriously unflattering) yelp reviews, he replied "Of course not, I run a restaurant". Sometimes we do get it wrong, don't we? Terrific food, even better service; locals swear by this place; homemade pasta - Penne with spring vegetables or Buccatini with clams. And desert? Buckle up! Ask for the almond tea cake with moist center and vanilla ice cream (not always on menu), or homemade Meyer lemon ice cream sandwich. Their recent writeup in the NYT might shed more (and more educated) light.
Sammy the host was wonderful and friendly. The bar service was excellent, and the staff very attentive. Had the goat dish -- superb, melt-in-your mouth delicious! Oysters were excellent too - extremely fresh and local, of course. Meyer lemon ice-cream sandwich topped off the wonderful meal. Enjoyed the ambiance and stayed well past 'closing' time of 9pm and never felt rushed to leave. If there is one restaurant to eat at in Point Reyes, this is IT!
My wife and I stumbled into town late one Friday night on our way out to spend the weekend in Pt Reyes park. . . We were going to grab sandwiches from the Supermarket (right across the street) when we spotted Stellina.
It was EXCELLENT!. . . Food, Ambience, lighting, service, all superb! . . . Even more surprising was that the cost was quite reasonable.
We particularly appreciated the strong emphasis on using local ingredients and supporting eco-friendly farming practices.
ps. We had the Goat shoulder and it was divine, but everything that we ordered (as well as the dishes that we jealously watched our neighboring tables receive) were great.
Fantastic! Simply marvelous in every regard.
Took my honey here for valentine's day. The pre fixe menu was great, and so much food!
We will be back, and soon.
There are food reviews in the rest of the country and then there is what we expect in northern california -- especially in the heart of such bounty. I gave them 2 shots - the first for a dinner - where we learned that they didn't even have tables left for people with reservations and they would be waiting 2 hours. Hmm. not so good at the front of the house. Then we went back for a weekend lunch. The place was pretty empty. The food was what we were after so ordered a few salads and entrees. The food was good for most places in the country but only ok for here. There seemed to be a trying too hardness about each element - one to many spices, covering up the tomatoes with more than just oil and salt. For my dollars in Point Reyes I vote for a few Cow Girl Sandwiches or a trip down the road to the Olema Inn.
This was one of the more interesting restaurants in Western Marin. Nothing on the menu was standard fare. Instead of chicken there was rabbit. Instead of calamari there was an octopus stew. Everything tasted extremely fresh but I have to admit that it wasn't my favorite meal. It wasn't even that they did anything wrong. It just didn't quite taste as I expected I guess. Despite that, it was a really pleasant dinner with a fabulously friendly wait staff.
On a recent vacation in Stinson, we gave this place a try. Frankly I was
surprised that the dining experience wasn't better, given the rave reviews online. The menu was very limited. Our entrees, although they sounded intriguing, were incredibly boring. The food was way overpriced and disappointing. We expected the service to be more polished but found our server to be frankly uninformed and disengaged. Dessert was okay (albeit overpriced, like everything else). This was definitely the dining low point of our Stinson stay. Based on the other reviews, maybe they just were having a bad night, but we probably won't be going back here.
Charmless waitstaff brought appetizer and main course at same time??? When I asked why, they literally turned their back on me. Good food, but the service is, uhhh, undertrained.
We recently headed to Point Reyes for a nice hike and ended the afternoon at Osteria Stellina for a late lunch. We were impressed with the recent SF Chron write up so we had to have the experience. We thought the service was solid. The staff were friendly and accommodated our seating requests without any hesitation. The Joy wanted to try the Grilled Cheese per the review which we both felt was a disappointment. As an entree we ordered a gourmet pizza which included fresh sausage and greens. The pizza was very good. I thought for a moment I was eating at Pizzaolo or Dopo in Oakland. All in all, very nice experience, we may return on our next visit to Point Reyes to see if any changes have been made in the menu. I can't see the high star rating MB gave for the food.
After years of dining in Point Reyes we were more than thrilled to stumble upon Stellina. A big improvement over it's last incarnation as a mexican place, this sweet little corner has really arrived. From the moment we entered and were warmly greeted by the hostess and seated, we felt at home.
Our server stopped by a short time after and graciously answered our questions about the menu. I had the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich with house cured pastrami- crunchy, melty- I was very happy. My husband had the special salad with chicken and cherries, an offbeat combination that worked surprisingly well. Great coffee. The grand finale was the chocolate torte with caramel sauce... omigod so good. We had to battle to share it.
Overall a lovely lunch. The service was attentive from start to finish and we felt well taken care of. We look forward to bringing our friends and coming back.
we went to pt reyes for the weekend and stayed at motel inverness and the front desk receptionist recommended this place and it was wonderful! (there isn't a sign on the bldg for the restaurant, though)
for appetizer we had the octopus, which had a wonderful tomato based sauce
for entree, we had the seafood pasta and the goat shoulder. there were fancier names but i cant remember it now. it was our first time eating goat and it was sooo tender and good. and there were so many clams in our pasta dish. more so than other restaurants.
for dessert we had the ice cream sandwich, which im usually not a fan but this one was delicious. the cookie part was good and so was the ice cream!!! the combination worked very well together.
it was a nice ambiance and environment and fairly priced. i would definitely go there again
Enjoyed this place quite a bit for lunch last Saturday after a hike out Bear Valley Trail to Arch Rock and back. The staff were all friendly and helpful, the ambiance simple but warm and inviting with some whimsical touches. Started with a fava leaf salad, not knowing at the time that this had been identified in both the NY Times and the SF Chronicle as the latest dining trend. MB of the Chronicle called it one of the best apps he's had in recent memory, but I'm not sure I would go that far. The nettle pizza was delightful. For an extra $2 they added what seemed like $4 worth of sausage, but I think it would have been better with just the nettles. I agree with another reviewer that the meyer lemon ice cream sandwich was a huge standout. Will definitely return to sample the more extensive dinner menu.
For once I agree with Michael Bauer, this is a phenomenal restaurant. The food is thoughtfully created, and everything is executed perfectly, making excellent use of local ingredients. You can really tell that there's a chef in the kitchen. Stellina reminds me a lot of Delfina just after it opened, around 1999.
Caiazzo's delivers minimalist interpretations of the region's unrivaled local products in his appetizers, and uses the same local products to elevate his entrees, many of which make use slightly less expensive cuts liek goat, beef cheeks and cod. But he had a show-stopping local loin and rack of spring lamb on the menu too, that was one of the best preparations of that cut I've ever tasted.
The wine list is solid, showcasing local wines but augmenting with appropriate pairings from elsewhere, and the coffee drinks are excellent, just as you'd expect from a man who ran a coffee bar.
The interior has a city feel, and doesn't retain much of the rusticiity of Western Marin. It's appropriate for the food, and I hope the locals continue to embrace it, because they've got something truly special here.
I stayed in Pt. Reyes on Saturday night on a mini bike tour and based on recommendations of a friend and our inn owner, came over to Stellina for dinner. It was *wonderful* - pleased to see goat on the menu (after just reading about goat being the "hip new" meat these days... still waiting for ostrich to get this label...) and all the food was fresh, super tasty, and prepared with a lot of attention and enthusiasm. Our waitress was fantastic and attentive; she even comped us the pound cake when my boyfriend decided he wasn't a fan. The meyer-lemon ginger-cookie sandwich was dee-vine.
We liked it so much, we came back for lunch on Sunday, and had an experience much more on par with what I'd expect for such a new restaurant - there were only 2 other groups of people, but the waitress still managed to be snobby and inattentive (we were wearing bike clothes), my macchiato was beyond bitter, and the pizza was damp and greasy. But the grilled-cheese was amazing! So it's hit-or-miss, but enough hits that I bet they'll redeem themselves and I'll definitely be back.
Point Reyes Station, CA
Category: Restaurants
Point Reyes Station, CA
Category: American (Traditional)
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Category: Hotels
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Category: Restaurants
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