R?tie means 'roast' in French, and that's what Stella's new restaurant in Mauldin will do

With a reputation for braising, smoking, and grilling poultry, steaks, and seafood, Stella's has built a 16-year foundation in the local restaurant industry on these fine-dining culinary concepts.

On July 10, the longtime French and American Southern restaurant group opened "R?tie by Stella's" — a rotisserie-prepared, family-style dining experience that highlights a new method of food preparation and menu design in their portfolio, which is located at Bridgeway Station in Mauldin at 1103 Via Corso Avenue.

Since 2008, Stella's Southern Bistro and Stella's Southern Brasserie have prepared menus similar to R?tie's, French and American Southern. Still, according to owner Julia Scholz, their new approach aims to introduce elegant and family-style dining that had been missing in the area.

"Our concept here is classic French rotisserie meets American South," said Scholz during a private tasting at R?tie by Stella's. "We're pulling those classic techniques with the local ingredients from around the area, so it gives the chefs a fun way to mix those two concepts."

While fish and steaks will have featured days on their new menu, other proteins such as chicken, duck, pot roast and pork will be skewered and rotated on the fire for a fine dining experience aimed at satisfying two to four people per entree and starter — a void noticed by both Julia and her husband, Jason Scholz, co-owners of their third restaurant in Greenville County.

According to Nicole Fitzpatrick, marketing lead for Stella's, R?tie features 3,000 square feet of space and can seat 120 indoor and outdoor patrons, including around 22 bar seats.

With their Southern Bistro and Brasserie locations in the Verdae and Simpsonville neighborhoods, the Scholz's are attempting to introduce a new approach to fine dining to the Mauldin area, fostering a bubbling social scene.

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What's to the name and menu at R?tie by Stella's?

R?tie is French for roast or rotisserie, a name Julia picked to commemorate the main style of cooking equipment in their new restaurant.

The plan is to use a classic rotisserie to slow roast everything on the menu, including side dishes like mac and cheese with miso and truffle, cabbage, and even vegetables that are cooked at the bottom of the rotisserie to capture all the drippings for flavor.

There are plans to host nightly menu specials that do not use the rotisserie technique, such as fresh fish or steak cooked to temperature—but the bread and butter at R?tie by Stella's will be governed by the rotisserie.

"We want to try something a little different than our other two concepts and something that isn't in the market," said Julia Scholz.

"We wanted to do it family style to mix and match and make it your own; make it fun to pick and choose your meals," she added.

Their menu is curated by Stella's executive chef James King and in-house chef Justin Meadows, who have entreés such as wagyu pot roast, bacon-wrapped house meatloaf, plus original chicken and duck — all accentuated by a rotisserie preparation meant to be served in a family-style restaurant.

The main proteins, hors d' oeuvres and small plates are intended to be split between two to four people, and side dishes are crafted for one or two persons each. Local kale and farmer's chopped options, sharing boards with spreads, boards and plates, are designed to please a few visitors at a time.

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Hours of operation and more to come at R?tie by Stella's

While the idea of opening R?tie by Stella's had been slow cooking for at least three years, the concept fits what Julia and Jason Scholz wanted to present at Bridgeway Station; even while it was still in construction, an "idea (that) has evolved along the process," she said.

It will continue to evolve as the initial kinks of opening a restaurant are ironed out. There are plans to offer many daily and weekly specials that complement seasonal changes. Ideally, they would like music on the patio, a cocktail program, and a potential cocktail park allowing for outdoor adult beverages.

"Stella's is a unique restaurant group with a good number of regular customers," said Julia Scholz. "Bridgeway is an exciting new space and we're looking forward to showing our rotisserie and gaining a larger following."

Regular hours of operation at R?tie by Stella's will take place Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m., with a happy hour beginning at 4 p.m. with a full cocktail menu and snacks.

According to Fitzpatrick, Stella's marketing lead, a weekend brunch and Sunday dinner schedule will also be announced soon.

– A.J. Jackson covers the food & dining scene, along with arts, entertainment and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at [email protected], and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Rotie by Stella's opens at Bridgeway Station, rotisserie fine dining