Friday, October 30, 2009
Restaurant News Opening Night at Stella Marris
Posted by Susan Ellis on Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Last night, Food News writer Pam Denney and I went to the soft opening of Stella Marris, Steve Cooper's restaurant that had been the subject of protests by Cordovans who were concerned about Cooper's background in adult entertainment.
To say the place — which is two-story and seats 330 — is ornate doesn't quite describe it...
Even the bathroom boasts top-of-the-line hand-dryers by Dyson.
The name of the restaurant means "star of the sea." Here's one: a lobster surrounded by shrimp.
One of the restaurant's signature dishes is the crawfish mac 'n' cheese. Pam thought it was delicious.
Eight-hundred folks were invited for the opening. Among them: Amy and Lee Filderman and Sammy Rosenberg.
Here's a familiar face: chef Derk Meitzler, formerly of Cafe 61.
Cooper sat down to chat with us in one of the restaurant's private rooms. He admitted it's been a long and difficult road to get Stella Marris open but was nothing but optimistic about the spot and the surrounding area.
The kitchen has two lobster tanks and a staff of about 20. We went in to look around and ran into Orlando Fason who had both a big smile and a big knife.
Don and Rita DeWeese, owners of Gibson Donuts, danced to the music provided by Hudson & Saleeby. Don said, "My wife loves to dance, and you've got to keep your wife happy."
Stella Marris opens to the public this weekend. It's located at 7955 Fischer Steel Road.
Comments (13)
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It's a little on the pricey side, but not too bad. On the dinner menu: 5-cheese seafood manicotti for $17, 12-oz ribeye for $22, shrimp and grits, 19. But there's also a late-night menu with small plates (sliders, fish tacos, tuna carpaccio) that runs from $8 to $10.
I wonder if a high-end restaurant of this size can survive in this economy. Sounds like a good idea - three years ago.
Steaks anywhere else are at least $22.00, even the chain steak places, so I don't see that the prices are bad at all especially for an upscale restaurant. The food was excellent!! Memphis has a reputation for being backwards so I think we need more restaurants like this. This is not a chain, it's a one of a kind. I love to go to Atlanta because of the unique places to eat. This is it! Looks like Italian posh and Ceasar's palace. The management and chefs are some of the best in Memphis. I love that this is out East.
I went to Stella Marris approximately 2 weeks ago. It is worth going just to see the place. The prices of the food was reasonable for what you receive. The dance floor was opened at 10pm and I enjoyed watching everyone stepping and dancing. The band was Almost Famous and they were great. One of the singers had this cowboy hat that was awesome and as he was singing, he looked as if he was in love with mic. I truly enjoyed myself, and my husband did too. Three couples total went. We have not stopped talking about it. The chandlier's were awesome and definitely eye catching. I can't forget the stair case.
A group of us went to Stella Marris last weekend. The food was wonderful and moderately priced, the service outstanding, and the atmosphere fantastic. Yes indeed, Memphis is lacking in restaurants of this caliber. We cannot wait to go back.
How is the bar there? Is there much of a clientele who are there to socialize and have an appetizer, or is it strictly a full dinner kind of place?
A bunch of us hit the place Saturday night for the first time, and it is certanly the place to be for a a gvreat dinner and dancing. Bartenders were great and the staff made us fell like VIP's :-) The band Cover Shot was hot and kept us dancing really enjoyed them and will be back to see them. Top notch place!!!Well Done!!
My kid played a baseball game at First Tn fields and hit a home run across the street and busted the Stella marris sign out front. get it fixed Steve.
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