"In 2024, it's difficult to find eateries (or any business, for that matter) which check most to all of the standard boxes. Ask yourself when you last went out to eat somewhere with good food, prepared and presented thoughtfully, served promptly, in a pleasant atmosphere, by caring and attentive waitstaff, for an amount of money that didn't sting when the check arrived. Stella Maris meets and exceeds each and every one of these criteria, which has been cause for me and mine to return there on a biweekly basis for the past several months, as we will continue to do for the foreseeable future.Jamal and the rest of the Stella Maris crew have gone to noteworthy lengths to make each dining *and shopping* experience one which, lamentably, resembles fewer and fewer businesses in the US, and feels more like the hospitality one could expect abroad, in a far less atomized, sanitized, corporatized, price-gouging country than this one.When after dinner one night, one of us accidentally knocked over our hookah, shattering the glass base, Jamal was emphatic that we not worry one bit about it, and didn't charge us a cent for the damage. When I later bought my own (beautiful and affordable) hookah from him as a surprise birthday present, and discovered in it a small design flaw, Jamal automatically and graciously offered an entire replacement hookah at no additional cost, along with a handful of other proposed remedies to ensure I was taken care of. Upon leaving the store that day, I had accidentally left a small piece of our hookah behind, and failed to see him flagging me down in the rear view mirror as I drove away. The next time I stopped in, at first sight of me entering the door, he immediately went to the back and retrieved the piece, perfectly and wordlessly anticipating the very reason for my visit.These people are just plain kind, and that kindness shows up in every facet of their work and their business. You can taste it, hear it, see it, feel it. I feel as nourished by that kindness in my trips to Stella Maris as I do anything on its menu. Rare is the restaurant or store where you feel like helping the place out for free on your day off. This is one such place."
