Best Restaurants that are Worth The Drive in Virginia

We came to celebrate my husbands birthday and our server was phenomenal. We ordered a couple of apps; crab and artichoke dip, hushpuppies, and calamari. The crab dip was a tad mild in flavor, the calamari had a great flavor to it but needed salt, the hushpuppies were good. My husband ordered a platter that came with scallops, shrimp, mashed potatoes, and a crabcake. He said the potatoes were really good but the crabcake was mainly filler. This was disappointing as that meal was pricey. Overall the food lacked seasoning. A little attention to salt and pepper would make a big difference.

I had high expectations for Stella's based on all of the positive reviews over the years and Stella's totally lived up to the expectations and, in fact, exceeded expectations. Our server Hannah knew the menu quite well and was able to make on point recommendations to us about the food and the beverages. She did a great job describing all of the specials to us. The portions here are large so come hungry. You will get your money's worth!! The first page of the menu is meze which can be shared. I saw several people get the saganaki which looked delicious and provided a fun viewing since it comes out on fire. The next page is full of traditional Greek dishes. I had the salad on special as my appetizer - spinach, toasted pita, almonds, pomegranate arils and cheese. Delicious and huge - we could have shared it. My entree was the pastichio but over pasta. Also huge and yummy. Our dessert was the chocolate ouzo moussed. SO GOOD. I can't wait to return to Stella's.

Went there for my birthday. Love the food, we usually go Valentine’s Day.

The restaurant from the outside appears unobtrusive and understated but once you enter the glass doors, you enter a charming space. Lots of character, elegant French country. We were immediately welcomed by a friendly host and because one had the sense of being in France I was taken aback when he spoke with a southern accent! Too funny. Our table was in a room with a large fireplace and the seats were cushioned and extremely comfortable. Noise level low to moderate. Our server Breanna was upbeat, had a great sense of humor and checked on our table frequently. The service was professional, our food came out in a timely manner and we never felt rushed. The menu was exceptional and for the quality, very reasonably priced. Appetizers averaged $10-15, entree $35-50 and dessert $10-15. A couple of outliers on the higher end such as the $30 foie gras starter and the $65 beef tenderloin seared with foie gras in a truffle port wine reduction. The entrees included a soup or salad and our portions were decent. A glass of brut rose champagne $12 and 12 oz of Caymus cab. $39. Other 6-12oz wines much cheaper. The manager came over to our table and spoke with us. She was charming. The chef.she told us is from Normandy which comes as no surprise as the meal was superbe. We were a party of six and every plate I noticed was completely clean at the end— not a drop leftover. I highly recommend this restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, or just to have excellent French food in a comfortable warm and inviting setting. Would go back again and again!

Private Party event in the lobby, made it very crowded and loud. The inside of the restaurant was quieter. Service was good, a little slow with the dinner rush and crowd. But very friendly. Lobster roll was delish, lots of lobster meat. However lost points for the butternut squash fettuccine. It was bland, no taste, dry, not enough sauce for the noodles. Do not recommend. We loved the crab dip for appetizer and the lobster roll. Ambiance was full of holiday magic!