L'astra Grows Up

[May 23rd, 2007] This much is certain: L'Astra's view across pockmarked Northeast 7th Avenue into the parking lot of the Oregon Artificial Limb Company is one of the worst in the city. It's a dismal, depressing vista by daylight. And yet, as the sun sets behind Big Pink in the distance, and the United Finance Company "LOANS" sign flickers to life in the gathering dusk, the grim tableau is transformed into a scene of rugged urban beauty.

That doesn't make a bad metaphor for the restaurant itself. Opened a year and a half ago by Benjamin and Shannon Caulfield after Sunday, their Southeast Division brunch spot, became a Starbucks, the tiny bistro—in the space that formerly housed Colleen's Bistro—got off to a rough start. The Caulfields didn't bother to redecorate before opening, leaving the pink-and-black walls from the old restaurant, a makeshift kitchen, and an unsettling tangle of wires dangling from the ceiling. The food was good, but the scenery was frightening.

Since then, L'Astra has slowly undergone a remarkable transformation. Mismatched tables and chairs have made way for new, more comfortable furniture, the walls and floors are freshly painted in dark green and burnt orange—the plates even match. Sure, there are still a few loose wires and the bar looks to have been cobbled together from plywood and bathroom tiles, but an evening at L'Astra finally feels like dining at a real restaurant, and a nice one at that.

As the room has improved, so has the food. The Caulfields now buy all of their produce from Dancing Roots Farm and prices have risen accordingly. The "nothing over $10" menus have made way for $12-$16 entrees, but dinner at L'Astra is still a bargain. At a recent visit, thick slices of pork-and-garlic sausage ($6) came on an excellent, tangy bed of lentils. A $12 plate of gnocchi with spinach made a fine, filling entrée, and a duck breast in sauce Robert ($16) focused on the intense flavor of the bird. Wild-nettle fettucine with parsnip cream ($13) was extraordinary, a dish that gives you a reason to go on living in the depths of winter. For dessert, a modest chèvre cheesecake ($5) was embellished with a perfect poached pear.

Like the dining room, L'Astra's menu has its flaws. An arugula and asparagus salad ($6) sat on a tooth-breaking flatbread cracker—something they call carta musica in Sardinia, apparently because it tastes like a music stand. A plate of lamb rib chops with remarkably tasty lamb's lettuce ($15) was marred by a pile of sunchokes that tasted like uncooked potatoes, topped with a lump of still-frozen pesto.

These gaffes are exceptions to the rule—L'Astra is consistently good enough to have attracted a bevy of regulars, who are often found chatting with the waiter, enjoying the food, and gazing out with proprietary affection at the best/worst view on the east side.