Stephen's offers more fine dining in Athens, with a fun twist

by Tiffany Royal
For The Post

A quick whip of a magic wand and six weeks produced a classy new restaurant to replace the old Swindlefish. Stephen Messina (who previously ran Dewey's and formerly owned Sylvia's) has simply started up Stephen's Restaurant, 24 1/2 E. State St.

The entrance offers a completely different world from regular Athens dining experiences. With Ol' Blue Eyes singing standards, the freshly painted bright yellow walls are soft and inviting, lined with contemporary low-light fixtures.

The kitchen replaced the pool tables, with an open window, just like old-style Italian kinds. The ceiling no longer has an overhanging DJ booth and the stage turned into elevated seating for a more intimate setting. The deep red bar along the wall of mirrors still stands and one can opt to eat there rather than at a table.

There are fascinating pieces of art that give the room a bit of a kick, such as the pigs' face and "ham" end on the doors going in and out of the kitchen. A paper mache dragon and a gigantic motorcycle hanging above the dining area are conversation pieces. But the huge diner-style sign spelling out "Stephen's" in gold glitter above the bar takes away from the classy ambiance.

Service is cordial and the menu has a personal touch, written by hand. Although not necessarily easy to read, it varies day-to-day. My companion and I agreed that the menu was modern Italian, like the old Dewey's menu. No wine or liquor list is available but bringing your own bottle of wine is always an option.

We started off with the side salad: a small green and red onion salad topped with a sun-dried balsamic vinaigrette. The dressing was excellent and full of flavor. Small portions of bread came on the side, but they were a bit cool.

The entrees' were plentiful but not unbuckle-the-belt-filling, as most meat and pasta dishes are. Entrée prices range from a decent $7.95 to a high $16.95, and they offer a large range of items including; Roast Prime Rib, Green Peppercorn Roast Pork Loin, and Baked Rigatoni with fresh mozzarella cheese. They offer a vegetarian dish, too.

My entrée was the Shrimp Provencal with zebra'd linguine (squid ink and regular linguine) and fresh tomatoes, mixed with a light olive oil and garlic sauce - a wonderful light taste with the tomatoes and fresh shrimp. My companion had the Beef Tenderloin tips with portobello mushrooms in Bourguignon sauce, with garlic mashed potatoes on the side. Although the tips were supposed to be cooked medium rare, they were a bit tough. The sauce and potatoes were excellent and the mushrooms melted in the mouth.

The trendy atmosphere gave me a sense of being somewhere else besides Athens. The prices are a bit high for some bills, but the food is very much worth it. So make plans for Stephen's after 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, grab a bottle of Merlot and plan to camp out for an excellent fine meal on East State Street.