Stella's on 16th

Forget the fact that Stella’s on 16th looks like a food court, albeit a very sunny one with a cool triangular community table and a patio with couches and fire pits. After all, even in our highly informal era, when chefs are just as likely to run fast-casuals as sit-downs, and when today’s food halls are incubators for tomorrow’s restaurants, there’s still a bias against food courts. (That’s why food halls are called halls.) If you don’t force the thought out of your head, you’ll make assumptions that the folks in charge are somehow less experienced, because if they knew what they were doing they’d put in a restaurant serving splashy fennel pollen and $30 entrees. The food at Stella’s on 16th proves otherwise, though, making this a spot that’s as integral to the fabric of the neighborhood as a grocery store, bank or gym. Come for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and enjoy a solid lineup of sandwiches, salads, market dinner options and spectacular French toast.