L'astra - CLOSED

Elite '08

20

77

Laleh E.

Oakland, CA

I would love to take my boyfriend out on a date here!!

L'astra is one of those places that you always remember going to.  I went here with four Portland-ites, and we had a great time drinking wine and champagne with our meal.  The walls are painted fun colors, and a friend of a friend apparently did all of the artwork hanging on the walls.  So, for a Portland restaurant, I felt that L'astra has a great balance between being funky and comfy . . . we dressed up, but we were also pretty rowdy once the other tables had gone home.  

The food was really excellent, and the menu changes each night, depending on the chef on hand that evening.  That being said, I would be interested to come eat here again when a different chef is preparing the food, although I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it.  

This is a really nice place to wine and dine, and it won't murder your budget . . . which is what I'd expected for our experience here.

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2

4

Emily H.

Portland, OR

I really like L'astra. Even though the cuisine is French, the restaurant is quintessential Portland: quirky, DIY interior, unpretentious, and great food at reasonable prices. The restaurant is small (maybe 14 seats) and feels intimate; the wine list is small but diverse. Since it's tucked away on a side street in LoBu (yes, I can't believe I just wrote that) it feels like a special find. Great date spot as others have mentioned.

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15

262

Abe I.

Portland, OR

Unlike the previous reviewer, I don't feel any pretentiousness here, just an adorable little "aw" in my heart. L'Astra is almost ridiculously small, and even though the space and atmosphere doesn't scream "gourmet food," the food does, which just makes it all the more precious. Come here on a date, you'll be happy.

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Elite '08

12

65

Esther H.

Portland, OR

I have mixed feelings towards this place. The bright paint, funky thrifted decor (old vinyl booths, bedsheets as tablecloths, 50s dining room tables) and 1960s postcards tacked on the walls are fun and atmospheric, if a bit precious - the booth was pretty lumpy, the space was a little hard to get into and I kept catching on the sheet-tablecloth, threatening fire hazard by upsetting the table candles.
 
I didn't try any of the entrees, but I had a beet soup with mint cream garnish that was delicious and reasonable at $5. The dishes I did see (French bistro fare- lamb, rabbit, pork, etc.) being served looked tasty and impeccably prepared for the price (entrees hovering around $12-15).

Overall, I felt that this place is trying to be both pretentious and unpretentious at the same time (unlike the Doug Fir and Le Pigeon across the street, which unabashedly aspire towards pretension), but I would eat and drink there again.

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0

2

kathy l.

Portland, OR

This tiny, intimate French restaurant is really amazing.  They don't leave a single touch out - from good service to amazing food - everything adds up to an amazing experience.  When we went (on a Thursday night), there was no wait and most of the tables in the small space were taken.  It appears that there were only two people working - the chef and the waitress.  This did not seem to impact things coming out quickly.  Or maybe it was that we were having such a fantastic time we didn't notice if things were taking long.  Regardless, we had two great bottles of wine, two appetizers (roasted beet salad and clams with fennel, tomatoes, and BACON), and our entrees were PHENOMENAL.  Both ladies at the table ordered the herb gnocchi which were pan fried crispy and stuffed with goat cheese.  YUM!!!!  The men ordered more meaty fare: sirlion with seared foie gras and bolognese with veal cheeks.  The sirlion was like BUTTER so delicious and the bolognese was very stew-like with eggy noodles.  Everything was amazingly tasty and perfectly prepared.  Each entree was only $14.  There were other things on the menu that looked really good - a sea bass, a roasted quail, a rabbit dish.  If they're on the menu next time, I'll try something new - I don't think anything there would be "risky" to order.  Everything is good.  For dessert, we ordered BOTH items they had on the menu (we're gluttons!)  They had strawberries with basil ice cream and a chocolate cake with creme anglaise.  Again, no complaints here - they were both SO GOOD.  We all had a good laugh because the table next to us got their desserts (they also ordered one of each) just before we did and when we had devoured ours like starving hyenas we looked over and the table next to us hadn't even made a dent in theirs.  Overall: Five stars.  Bravo to everyone who works there.  We had an amazing and memorable time!

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