Hello friends and foodie lovers. Today, I bring you to a place I ate at while taking a break from delivery driving. It's a family started bar and grill business that is now in its 3rd generation. If you live in Bellevue, Nebraska everyone knows of Stella's Bar & Grill.
Above history of the place describes the original owners struggles at the beginning. Estelle (Stella)Toblet Sullivan and her husband Al Sullivan started the restaurant business in 1936. The business has been in a couple of places along with a few different names. In 1974, Stella had a stroke and turned it over to her son, Al Jr. and his wife Mary.
I can speak of the place under her son's reign. Not a 70s vibe place but a 70s place. The building was much smaller as it got renovated by the new owners, his nieces and nephews. I remember the plastic straw curtains that were on thier last legs. A lot of the chair and stool upholstery had rips and tears. The stools had round seats and you could completely spin completly around in them. Some were taped some were not. The center piece I thought was the rotary pay phone, yes it was operational. No longer there today, but I think it would have been cool if they would have incoroorated it somehow in its current decor.
The menu under Al Jr. And Mary was about half a sheet of plain paper. I certainly remember its costs as it was the most affordable burger, fry and drink place to go. One could not even get a fastfood burger combo cheaper (around 1998). One could get in and out of there for under $5. There wasn't a fountain machine you got your drink in an aluminum can. I think they had one beer tap can't remember the brand but it was one of the cheeper ones. A staple of the place is that the burger has always been served on a napkin and the fries are hand-sliced. If there was a defination of a "Hole in the Wall" this place was it under Al Jr. and Mary.
Today they have kept up with its past staples. The only difference is they place the burger and napkin in a paper dish. Previously it was served on just a napkin but I have seen some get served without the paper dish. It could be that some are old regulars who prefer it that way.
The first photo was the only photo displayed during Al Jr. and Mary's ownership. I don't know how old the photo is but it has weathered a lot of smoke as evident to its yellow appearance. Today no smoking is allowed in the restaurant. Since 2007 many more photos are everywhere of Stella. They are proud of there founder and let me tell you its hard to get away from Stella. The last photo is one above a urinal in the men's restroom, haha.
Well this place gets some serious business. This was at around 2:00 p.m. on a week day. I took a seat at the bar. Now the food quality hasn't changed to much over the years but some still complain about the old grill getting replaced. Some say they can tell a difference, for me, not so much. Now prior to the current ownership the place got steady business but was never really packed. It just didn't grab many from the younger generations.
One of the reasons it gathers more attention now is its much larger menu options. This isn't all you can order here. They run seasonal specials and unique crafted burgers on a limited basis. Currently the theme is good old fashion chili. Quite a few family and friend employees and that adds to the chili experience. I heard from someone that chili is often not the same recipe as its rotated between some of the employees. One of the limited time burgers they have offered is the donut burger. A fluffy glazed donut is substituted for its rotella bread bun. I haven't tried just sounds way to sticky plus not all that healthy sounding. Well I kept it simple I choice one of there originals.
I chose the single bacon cheeseburger and the hand-cut french fries. My bacon cheeseburger had lettuce, pickle, onion, tomato and mayonnaise. I almost dug in before taking a picture. I did take a longer toothpick out of the burger hence the hole you see in the bun. The taste of the hand pressed burger? It was a meaty juicy firm tasting burger. The fries with some dashes of salt dipped in ketchup was good as well. I was hungry this day and it was the first thing I ate (I planned it this way) so I could have room for something else.
A little treat to wash down a good old fashioned greasy burger and fries? Yes, it was destiny and I have had this one before. What you see is a simple fried ice cream dish. The taste was good despite it being fried a second or two too long. I did see it get dipped in the hot oil and get made. The ice cream was a little softer than I would of liked but still very tasty. The fried tortilla shells coated in cinnamon sugar were on point. The fried ice cream ball a bit smaller than what I do but it did give me an idea on a future ice cream creation I will make the next time. You might get the intel if you ask in the comments, haha.
It's not just the extra menu items that have attracted more individuals to the place. They are very active on social media which bring custimers from outside the local area. They also have a food challenge.which quite a few have taken. More of have failed than succeded.
The food challenge is the Stellanator. It includes 6 hand pressed patties, 6 fried eggs, 12 pieces of bacon, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, fried onions, peanut butter, jalepenos, bun and an order of thier hand cut fries. To complete the challenge you must finish everything within 45 minutes. If you do you get your picture on the Wall of Fame, get a t-shirt and get a free meal. If you don't you owe $55. I have witnessed this challenge once. It was a gentleman who looked like he could take all that food with no problem. He ended up short actually tapped out with some fries and about a burger and half short. The use to have a Wall of Shame which was quite a bit larger, maybe they stopped due to wall space, haha. It's the small sometimes skinny people who succeed. Does it matter what sex you are?
Well someone finished this challenge in their fastest time of 3 minetes and 40 seconds. Her name is Molly Schuyler (Pictured above with Stellanator). She not only did this once but three times in total. Now she is a competitive food eater but she discovered her talent right here at Estella's Bar and Grill. Yes, that's right her very first food challenge was here. She has competed in many other food challenges, shes an eating machine despite having a rather small figure. Search her online there are some videos that she has absolutely crushed. I don't think I could have finished my meal in her challenge time, haha. There you go ladies, Girl Power represented!
I have been here at least a dozen times. The overalll experience has always been high. Its a place with great food that is very much part of the local history. I give it 9.5 stars out 10. Its not known for its fried ice-cream so I can't be too critical on that. Most find that it is really good and it is. I'm a master at making it so it's not fair to ding them too much.
I hope you enjoyed a little bit about Estella Bar & Grill. Take care, stay safe and eat plenty but not too much. Until next time!