In a community that has more than a few good Italian restaurants, Stella’s Italian Bistro is one of the best.

Just a year old, Stella’s is the most upscale current venture of restaurateur Croce Giambanco, who also has several versions of Nino’s –one on the barrier island across from Humiston Park as well as a couple on the mainland -- dishing out pizza and pasta to hungry diners.

But Stella’s is different. Even though the table cloths are black, Stella’s is very much a white-table-cloth restaurant – one of Vero’s fine-dining venues.

Soups are one of Stella’s specialties. On one visit, the soup of the day ($7.00), was pasta fagioli, a menu item I find hard to resist. This traditional Italian white bean and pasta soup in its more robust incarnations can often leave you wishing you had not ordered an entrée, but Stella’s lighter formulation was superb and just right as an appetizer.

One another visit, the day’s offering was a creamy leek soup, containing a tasty blend of potatoes, carrots and other vegetables. The consistency of this soup was perfect.

My companion’s appetizer choice on both visits was calamari fritti ($9.00) accompanied by batonnets of zucchini. The lightly breaded calamari came fried perfectly and the dish was served with both a homemade marina sauce (good) and a zesty garlic, lemon and mayonnaise sauce (better).

All entrees include a nice mixed greens salad with a tasty dressing.

For a main course, on one visit I had the Gamberi Arrabbiata ($22.00) and my companion had the Vitello Saltimbocca ($24.00). The saltimbocca was again a very light and flavorful rendition of this traditional veal, prosciutto and fontina cheese dish, and is highly recommended.

The sautéed shrimp dish – served with fresh garlic, pancetta and tomatoes served in a spicy pepperoncini sauce over linguini – was hotter than I anticipated. The shrimp were good, but be forewarned this dish is very spicy.

On another visit, I tried the Gamberi al Pesto ($22.00), sautéed shrimp served over linguini in a cream pesto sauce with fresh tomatoes and pine nuts. The cream sauce was very smooth, but lacks the customary pesto bite.

My companions on this trip ordered the Cannelloni Genovese ($18.95) and the Melenzana Alforno ($17.50).

The cannelloni, homemade crepes stuffed with freshly ground veal, sausage and spinach, were served in a very tasty tomato and béchamel crème sauce. The Melenzana, layers of sliced eggplant topped with light marinara and fresh Mozzarella, was cooked perfectly and served with pasta and vegetables

Many of the pastas at Stella’s are served with a delicious Bolognese sauce made with pork, veal, sausage, beef, white wine, tomato and crème. This is certainly one of the top Bolognese sauces to be found in the area. Yum.

For dessert, we tried at our waiter’s recommendation the Tiramisu. It was good but not great. Dinner for two with a modest bottle of wine (Stella’s has an excellent selection of moderately prices wines) comes to about $100.

The subdued 85-seat restaurant – offset with colorful paper stars – does not feel crowded even when full, which often is the case. And when there is a brief wait for a table, you can enjoy a glass of wine in their garden patio.

Offering a combination of excellent Italian food, good sized portions, in an attractive setting with great service, it is easy to see how Stella’s in its first year has developed so many devoted fans.

I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com .

The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Adult Beverages: Beer and wine 

Address: 4166 Atlantic Blvd, Vero Beach

Phone: (772) 564-7979

Review first published: Nov. 20, 2008