Sometimes seafood likes to get dressed up fancy in white-wine sauces on snazzy china, and sometimes it enjoys being served up fresh in a red plastic basket with a nice cold beer. Stella's Fish Café specializes in the latter category—po'boy sandwiches the size of the mythical "one that got away" made with blackened catfish, fried shrimp, or fried oysters, and loaded with tomato, lettuce, and sauce, the whole gigantic assemblage loaded into a basket alongside servings of coleslaw and mashed potatoes or fries. (Stella's beer-battered shrimp so naturally fuse seafood and golden batter that it will make you wonder if shrimp can be consumed any other way.) You can also fight with your bare fists, in a battle fit for King Tritan, by ordering fresh crab legs or a cooked-to-order live lobster. If you're feeling fancy, the raw oysters (generally around $2.50 a pop) with a strong mixed drink allows you to dine with sophistication, though without pomp or pretense. Keep in mind, too, that with warm weather fast approaching, Stella's famed outdoor dining will soon be opening up—the building's rooftop is filled with tables, festive umbrellas, a full bar, breezes that could carry a seagull anywhere, and a lovely view of Uptown and downtown Minneapolis that looks prettier as every moment of the sunset deepens.

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