Stella's! Stella's!

The Vancouver Courier, Reviewed by Tim Pawsey

What's in a name? It all depends. Canadians get twisted when people put sugar in wine and call it icewine; and the French don't exactly relish the notion of calling any wine that bubbles "champagne." The Spanish, however, just chuckle at plates of food that lie somewhere between generous appetizers and hobbit-sized mains being referred to as "tapas."

Never mind. There are good reasons to check Stella's out. If you're tired of routine fare, work your way down the couple of dozen dishes ($5-$12) on offer and it won't take long to lock onto a taste that fits the bill. Whatever we might want to call it, this is a good list that waltzes its way around the culinary world in a very satisfying, ballsy kind of way. There's no rhyme nor reason to the order, no pretense at balancing "land and sea" or bragging salads with the latest heritage nasturtium from Chilliwack. Just a long parade of tempting plates.

From "tapas" to "taps," it's guaranteed you'll find something here that appeals, from a line-up of sensibly priced Belgians and locally grown R&B on tap to a rundown of bottles that pushes all the right buttons-including the likes of Fin du Monde, la Maudite and other taste-filled hi-octanes from Unibroue.

Wines are for the most part big brand, a little pedestrian and not always fairly priced. But with beers like these who cares?

We found the kitchen consistently on the mark and prompt to deliver-even if some plates did seem a little shy on content. We're still intrigued why shared dishes so often come with odd numbers-like the cooked just-right quintet of butter poached tiger prawns in a smooth sauce with whole roasted garlic cloves and lime cream ($12).

Also sound: a very tasty duck duo with correctly cooked confit on and off the bone, along with nicely textured duck sausage around a well textured white bean and garlic hummus ($12).

Blue swimming crab and shrimp cake with tomato salsa verde and a gently crunchy apple and smoked corn slaw was suitably croquettish ($11), while a tangled rocket greens and beet root salad with lashings of goat cheese and gooseberry compote swirled on the plate was absolutely delicious ($7). Looking for a quick, healthy bite? Grab one of these with a glass of Mission Hill's twist top 5 Vineyards Riesling 2004 ($6.50) for a perfect pairing.

There is a distinctly Belgian undertone here. (What would you expect from a place called Stella's? It makes us wonder if Stella Artois has any money in it-not too far fetched to consider in these days of unrestrained commercial sponsorship.) All of which means you can't go without trying out the mussels.

Plump, cooked just under rather than over (preferred), and offered in at least half a dozen ways, these were superb. Our "Madrid" style came swimming in a white wine and plum tomato broth with plentiful chorizo slices, perked up even further by a healthy contingent of serano chillies. They were fat, zippy, tender and very flavourful. One quibble: with this much (delicious) broth, why not bring bread with it for supping up the juices-and preferably not with cranberry in it? In a pinch, though, you can always dunk the fries, except it's a pity to sop with these, which are perfectly bronzed and are best dragged through the superb aioli. They're almost worth a trip alone. $11 gets you a full pound, $6 half and don't squirm at spending $4 for the fries. They're some of the best around.

A firm thumbs up for the food and we like the feel of the place, too, although the use of stone and hardwood turns the sound system into a boom box.

Even if it is a stretch from a true tapas bar, this just-opened-but-already-bustling newcomer is a welcome addition to the Drive. And no, I don't have a better name for our West Coast take on tapas. But we will soon explore the reasons for the lack of stand up, Spanish style tapas bars in Vancouver...

STELLA'S 1191 Commercial Drive, 604-254-BIER (2437).