09/22/18
Stella Van Buren is a nice, hip Italian spot in the new Westin in Downtown Milwaukee. I usually avoid hotel restaurants, but Stella looked like it had a tasty menu and it has a well-regarded local chef at the helm. I came here with a couple buddies and we shared several items, all of which were solid. The crispy parmesan truffle potatoes, kale and brussels sprout salad, and chicken parm were all rotation caliber and worth ordering. My favorite dish of the night was the baked rigatoni. Basically a gourmet mac n cheese, this pasta dish is coated in a parmesan cream with ground fennel sausage mixed in and crispy breadcrumbs on top - standard, solid, and yummy. What made this dish bigtime were two unexpected additions. The first was a perfectly runny egg yolk on top to amp up the richness and creaminess. The other was snap peas in with the cream and sausage, which were little pops of freshness in an otherwise heavy dish. Stella is definitely a restaurant worthy of consideration if you're in Downtown Milwaukee.