Stella Restaurant   

If you're looking for upscale and creative approaches to seafood, steak and pasta served with style, look to Stella! Housed in the elegant, intimate Hotel Provincial, the restaurant appeals to the finest of diners. Chef Scott Boswell is putting his distinctive (and delectable) signature on such stellar offerings as jumbo gulf shrimp and scallops with truffle-scented new-potato hash and caviar butter, Maine lobster and fresh ricotta cheese in ravioli topped with Louisiana crawfish etoufee. Chef Boswell is a Lousianan who trained at the Culinary Institute of America. Boswell also studied with master chefs in Europe and Tokyo, including Chef Kobe, 'Iron Chef's' Italian master. His familiarity with Gulf, nouveau American, European and Asian styles are evident on his ecclectic menu: tandoori salmon, Hudson Valley foie gras, rabbit dirty rice and a truffled everything. Daily specials are shout-out-loud delicious as are the desserts. The bananas Foster French toast earns raves as do fruit sorbets served under an impossible coat of burnt sugar. The newly appointed dining room is as cushy and serene as a European country house. Local gourmands are taking notice of this kitchen's tasty and eclectic offerings. Stella's proximity to a hotel does not make it the domain of tourists. Here, dining is a serious business: no cell phones, no tank tops and no reservations for parties of six without a credit card. -- Michaela Morrissey