Oklahoma City has a lot of wonderful restaurants. For delicious food and mimosas for a great Sunday Funday, try Stella Modern Italian Cuisine.
I was raised Catholic and went to church every Sunday as a kid, but I rarely go now. There’s honestly not really any reason that I don’t. So I decided to try and change that, beginning today, which just happens to be Easter Sunday. There’s a Catholic church here Stillwater, but I also wanted to do Sunday brunch someplace fun. Earlier in the week I went online to research Catholic churches in OKC, and found St. Francis of Assisi, just a few miles from downtown. I wanted to find something relatively close for brunch. It took some searching, because most restaurants were booked solid for Easter brunch. I eventually found one at Stella Modern Italian Cuisine not long after Mass ended.
I was going to dine solo, which I do often and really don’t mind. But when my friend Angi offered to meet me, I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for a fun lunch date. Stella is in the heart of Midtown OKC, one of the Oklahoma City Districts. The entry foyer of the restaurant is round, with the hostess stand, waiting area, and a very tall ceiling. Immediately past the foyer is the bar area. You can sit at the bar, or at a long row of tables behind. One side of the tables are chairs, and the other is a long red couch. I love the big pop of color. There’s a dining area just beyond the bar, and then 2 more main dining areas to the left of the bar area. We were seated at a table by the window in the back dining area of the restaurant. There are windows throughout, providing lots of natural light. Their pizzas are prepared in a brick oven, which you can watch if you sit at the bar. One of the features of Sunday brunch is a bloody Mary bar. I don’t do bloody Mary’s, but they did look really good, as they had lots of assorted items to add to them. If I drank bloody Mary’s I would have been very happy.
Another feature of Sunday brunch is mimosas, and Angi and I both love them, so we got a carafe. These mimosas are made with Prosecco, which I like more than champagne. It’s lighter, and very refreshing.
I mean it’s brunch, so mimosas are required. And we got our fill of calcium from the OJ. I love the glasses and the plates. Modern, clean lines, unique shapes.
Mini carrot cake muffins were the first food to arrive at our table, on the house.
These were served warm, and were so delicious. I’m pretty sure they make these all day long, because they provide 2 per person. And since they were so small, I didn’t feel bad about eating them both.
Stella is open for lunch and dinner, and serves lunch, dinner and brunch menus. The menus feature appetizers, soups, salads, brick oven pizzas, entrees, and desserts.
We were both hungry, so we decided to start with an appetizer, and ordered the bruschetta
I honestly didn’t even notice that it was a trio until the plate arrived at our table. Each bruschetta was split in half, so it was a total of 6 pieces. Angi doesn’t eat tomatoes so I ate the entire tomato/basil/olive oil. I didn’t really need to eat them both, but the bread was fabulous and the tomatoes were very fresh. I very rarely eat ricotta except in ravioli, but I think I’m missing out. This ricotta was light and airy, and had an excellent flavor. I don’t particularly care for salami, but this one was really good. The onion jam & bacon was excellent.
We asked the server for recommendations, and she raved about the lemon ricotta pancakes. I had thought about pizza, then remembered I was planning to make it for dinner. But the way she raved about the ribeye pizza, I knew I couldn’t pass it up. We decided to get both and split them.
The pizza was excellent. I mean who can turn down ribeye, onions and cheese? Our server added hand-shaved parmesan cheese at the table, which is always so much better than anything in a bottle. The ribeye was served rare, and I would normally never eat it that way. But it was very thinly sliced and seasoned really well, and the other ingredients almost made you forget you were eating rare meat. The whole thing was such a fantastic mix of flavors.
The pancakes were light and fluffy from the ricotta. Sometimes recipes go overboard with lemon and you feel like you’re sucking on one. But this lemon flavor was just enough to add brightness to the dish. I have to admit I was very happy Angi didn’t eat the bacon, so I was able to eat it myself.
We didn’t get fresh fruit, but we got pear jam with the maple syrup, and it was really delicious on the pancakes. It was cold, but a great contrast to the warm pancakes and the warm syrup.
Our server asked if we wanted dessert, but we were both full so we passed.
Will I go back? No question. The food was excellent, the service was great, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. They’ve won the Diner’s Choice 2 years in a row, and I can see why. And there are lots of great things on the menu that I want to try. Oh, and they partner with Keep it Local OK. This program offers discounts at Oklahoma-owned businesses throughout the state, so we got a discount!
Karyl Henry
Saturday 4th of July 2015
I agree on the church holiday celebrations. I think my favorite is Christmas midnight mass, with the beautiful singing
Karyl Henry
Saturday 4th of July 2015
I agree on the church holiday celebrations. I think my favorite is Christmas midnight mass, with the beautiful singing
Karyl Henry
Saturday 4th of July 2015
The pancakes were so good!! Definitely could have had more of them
Karyl Henry
Saturday 4th of July 2015
Thanks Jccee! I really enjoyed the food and the company. We had a great afternoon
Karyl Henry
Saturday 4th of July 2015
We did! Every time I drive by it I think about going back