Oh! The Places You'll Go: Stella's
One of my fondest memories from DOC First-Year Trips does not involve digging up pineapple Canadian Ground Fruit, hiking to the Top of Holt’s Ledge on the Appalachian Trail or yum-yumming apple crisp. Instead, one moment that sticks out occurred while on the bus ride from the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge back to campus, when I was simultaneously fighting to stay awake and attempting to take as shallow of breaths as possible to combat the BO stench wafting off everyone save for the bus driver. My eyes half-open, I fantasized about taking the longest shower of my life and eating a meal that didn’t consist of yogurt-covered raisins and Cabot cheese.
At some point in this daze, I heard my trip leader comment on a restaurant we were driving by. It was called Stella's, she said, and it was supposed to be great. Being the foodie that I am, I immediately snapped out of my post-Trips stupor and craned my head toward the window to get a look at this supposedly great dining establishment. It was a tiny white building nestled along the main throughway. A sufficient mental snapshot engrained into my mind, I returned to a state of half-consciousness until we got to campus and I proceeded to take what may have not been the longest, but was definitely the best, shower of my life.
When my mom met me at my dorm room later that day to help me move in, I excitedly told her that I knew where we could eat dinner that night: Stella’s! We looked up directions and made our way there later in the evening. It did not disappoint. The atmosphere is cozy, the staff is friendly and the food is scrumptious.
Stella’s is located in Lyme, about 20 minutes from Hanover. The restaurant specializes in Italian food and makes great efforts to use local, seasonal ingredients. The menu has all the usual Italian culprits (chicken parmesan, pasta carbonara, fettuccine alfredo) and also features thin-crust pizzas and a variety of seafood dishes. Stella’s signature dish is the Bucatini Bolognese: noodles in creamy marinara with local pork sausage and beef. The night I went with my mom after Trips, I had a delicious lobster ravioli special that I still think about on occasion.
Attached to the restaurant is “Stella’s Market,” a specialty food shop with a wide array of prepared foods. Many dishes on the restaurant menu are available to go here.
As yummy as the food is, the atmosphere of the restaurant plays an equal role in contributing to such positive dining experiences. The dark red walls and hardwood floors give the place a homey feel, and the staff are welcoming and more than willing to give advice on the menu. I’ve been lucky to get back to Stella’s a few times since my mom and I first went, and each time the food is just as tasty and the atmosphere just as warm as I remember.
So while my Trip gave me a great appreciation for the natural beauty in the Upper Valley, trippees I still call my friends, and a welcome to Dartmouth I will never forget, perhaps the greatest gift it gave me was the knowledge of the wonderful dining establishment that is Stella’s. I’m sure that’s just what the Outing Club has in mind when it plans Trips each year. Thanks, DOC!
Stella’s is located at 5 Main Street, Lyme. Winter Dinner Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. 603-795-4302