Shining Star: La Stella a Northern Italian Delight

The best-kept secret tucked modestly among an array of establishments on Bloomfield Avenue, La Stella offers fine Northern Italian cuisine at reasonable prices, served with warmth to make you feel at home, in a thoughtfully renovated space with plenty of parking available in the back.

Opened in 2005 by owner and chef Jacob Sela and his wife, a BYOB family restaurant located at 405 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell, La Stella—"the star" in Italian—has undergone a metamorphosis before a grand opening at the beginning of this year.

One major change involves a new partnership with Sela's cousin, Tony Vrenezi, now co-owner and co-chef. Both Sela and Vrenezi have roots in Albania and Bari, Italy.

Large-scale renovations to both the exterior and interior of the restaurant constitute part of the transformation. Walls that formerly hid the establishment from street view have been taken down; new windows and French doors grace the entrance area while new tiles have been installed in the kitchen and a fresh coat of paint for the interior space.

"We love the location," Sela said. "It's a good location. So we decided to open up the area surrounding the front windows to make the place stand out more. To let the place breathe more easily."

Patrons have included prominent local leaders such as mayors and Sen. Richard Codey. Mainly, La Stella relies on word-of-mouth recommendations and a strong network of devout customers.

Previously a chef in other Northern Jersey Italian restaurants, such as La Spuntino in Totowa for 10 years and also Portobello in Oakland for about five years, Sela has been in the business for a total of 26 years. 

He prepares both the diverse range of dishes presented on La Stella's menu and the daily specials with practiced talent, finessed sharpness and full-bodied experience.

In addition, Vrenezi brings one of his credentials—10 years of working as a waiter and chef at the New York Athletic Club by Central Park—into the kitchen as well.

Together, these two head chefs merge their inherent talents and hard-earned kitchen skills to generate a whole new caliber of dining adventure.

"Cooking is a natural gift," Sela said. "When I prepare food, I feel it in my hands.  There's a natural touch. I love what I do. It really makes me happy."

That love for his work and creations certainly translates into the restaurant's dishes.

Consider the medley appetizer simply—and appropriately—named Hot Antipasto Extravaganza for Two. As with everything else, generous in portion, this enormous appetizer includes eggplant rollatini, clams casino, clams oreganato, shrimp scampi, fried calamari and stuffed mushrooms, all lightly placed in a provenciale sauce. 

It's an excellent way to sample a variety of appetizers offered individually. The eggplant rollatini was a wealthy bite of soft eggplant ballooning with sauce, the clams were cooked to the right consistency, the shrimp was fresh and formidable in size, the crispy fried calamari was among the best I've ever tried and the stuffed mushrooms were plump and juicy, as if just plucked from the forest.

Among the cold antipasto, imported Italian mozzarella cheese accompanied by roasted red bell peppers, sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil make up the Caprese, forming a refreshing start to the meal.

Toasted bread, crisp in exterior, marshmallowy soft beneath, is brought out with butter squares early in the meal by Vrenezi's wife, who is part of the waitstaff along with one of his daughters.

The Caesar's Salad has an original scrumptious dressing designed by the chefs lavishly pooling across fresh Romaine lettuce and fine Romano cheese.

If one is feeling voracious in appetite, the Homemade Tortellini Carbonara is a must. A blur of cream, cheese, pasta and prosciutto, it is a dish that will happily fill the stomach and never require additional snacking afterwards. Not to mention its ability to facilitate a deep serene slumber a few hours later.

My companion who crossed state lines to accompany me to La Stella on several occasions is a self-professed "seafood nerd" and is fond of Linguini Positano, a wild correspondence between a light tomato sauce and an assortment of clams, mussels and calamari. A pleasant intermingling of seafood flavoring, the sauce found its way into the tender shellfish. 

My personal staple, chicken parmigiana, features large pieces of chicken and a liberal amount of sauce—precisely the way I like it. The meat is thick and complemented with a fragrant sauce and a good-textured pasta to balance the chicken.

For vegetarians, I recommend the cappellini primavera, which is made with angel hair, a range of fresh vegetables, garlic and lathered with virgin olive oil—a breezy, satisfying dish.

Sela and Vrenezi plan to introduce lighter dishes to the menu for the upcoming warmer months.

A strong espresso (also available in decaf) concludes the meal with an energetic, assertive punctuation. An assortment of desserts are also offered.

Despite having visited La Stella several times, my dinner companion and I probably tried no more than a small fraction of its diverse and large menu.

"What makes me happy is to prepare a dish and have it be what I imagined, the way I want it," Sela said. "I love what I do and want to have customers enjoy their meals here."

Address: 405 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell

Serving: Open Tuesday through Friday for lunch and dinner; Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m.; Sunday from 2 to 9 p.m. Lunch entrées $7.95. Dinner entrées $12.95 to $21.95. In the back, alfresco seating for 15 to 20, private party room for 75.

Phone: 973-228-9944

Bottom line:  If you're looking for hearty, generous Italian food served in a caramelized familial ambiance (without seeing the wallet shrink considerably), La Stella, this star, illuminates.