La Stella brings wood-fired cuisine to Hillsborough Street

There is a new N.C. State restaurant and bar in town.

Posted 12:00 p.m. Nov 7, 2017 — Updated 7:16 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

Kathy Hanrahan

RALEIGH, N.C. — There is a new N.C. State restaurant and bar in town. La Stella Wood Fired recently moved into the old H-Street Kichen space at 2420 Hillsborough Street.

La Stella has kept the open kitchen and N.C. State Mr. Wuf mural but has taken the love for the Pack a step further with a mural of famed coach Jim Valvano on the back wall and paintings of wolves enjoying local beer, including Crank Arm.

In addition to more TVs, there are also more places to watch big games. La Stella has removed the private event space upstairs and added a bar and couches.

As the name suggests, the menu is completely focused on wood-fired cuisine. In fact, the 1,000-degree wood-fired ovens that sit in the open kitchen are the only cooking elements in the restaurant.

Pizza La Stella Executive Chef Matt Kepp and owner Rudy Theale collaborated on the menu, which include a pint glass of applewood smoked bacon, Puccia (La Stella's twist on a wood-fired sandwich stuffed with vegetables and cheeses), and wood-fired pizzas and desserts including a S'mores Skillet.

Out and About got a chance to check out the menu and here were our must-orders:

Macho Nachos - Covered with buffalo chicken and jalapeno cheddar queso, we couldn't stop eating these
Pimento Pub Fries - Homemade pimento cheese over French fries aren't the healthiest option, but they are really tasty
Fire Kissed Sprouts - These Brussels Sprouts make you actually want to eat your vegetables.
Steak Taco - La Stella ups the ante on the traditional steak taco by adding Cheddar Mac-N-Cheese and garlic aioli
Roasted Veggie Taco - Vegetarians and meat-eaters will love these tacos, which include Truffle Mac-N-Cheese and garlic roasted mushrooms

Wood-Fired Wings - We tried the Jamaica Me Crazy, Mexi-Madness and Calabrian Ginger and wanted more of each
Big Pimpin’ Pimento mac and cheese - Featuring homemade Calabrian Lime Pimento Cheese and apple cider shredded Chicken, this skillet is delicious and decadent

La Stella Wood Fired Pimento Mac and Cheese Skillet

Bourbon Butter Pork Chop - Topped with bourbon butter, this is a hearty main dish.
Not Yo’ Mamma’s Short Ribs - Braised in lemongrass and served with lemon rosemary cauliflower rice, this dish is tender and savory
Tijuana Street Corn - The mix of cumin butter and Cotija cheese help make this dish a shareable side you won't want to actually share.
The Bianco Pizza - While we enjoyed several pizzas, this was the must-order out of the bunch. Featuring spinach, a five blend mozzarella and basil, this pizza was not too heavy but full of flavor
Puccia - These stuffed sandwiches are not all dough. The inside of rolls are scooped out so all you get is a nice crispy outside and lots of room for your favorite sandwich inside. Our favorite was the chicken caprese.
Dessert - The S'mores and Brownie Explosion skillets are served warm and topped with ice cream. A nice sweet finish to the meal.

La Stella's sister restaurant, Pizza La Stella, opened at 219 Fayetteville St. in December. The menu focuses on Italian cuisine prepared using only two large, wood-fired ovens. The restaurant also serves brunch.

H-Street Kitchen opened last year in the old home of the Varsity Theater. The restaurant closed in May.

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