The New YOrk Times Knows Who We ARe And That Makes Us Feel Things
About a week or so ago, a gentleman from the New York Times requested I send some photographs of our food and ambiance for an article that mentioned Astera. I was more than happy to oblige, but wasn’t sure what the article would be about.
The very same day, Eleven Madison Park had announced that it would no longer be a plant-based restaurant. I was assuming that NYT would be writing something along the lines of “take a gander at these other nice plantbased restaurants around the country!”
Curious, when I sent the photos I asked the photo editor what the article would be about, but received no reply. A day later, I got my answer when Brian Gallagher wrote me and asked some clarifying questions about the meal he had at the chef’s counter. “I'm writing up Astera for the update to our 25 Best Restaurants in Portland list. I ate there back in June.”
I called, texted, DM’d and emailed about five thousand people. Absolute joy.
This entire blog post is just me saying that being added to the NYT list is a pretty great accomplishment and I’m very proud of the fact that we were included. And yes I’m grateful, but also let me say that we earned it. We’ve been working our butts off pushing the restaurant forward: testing, organizing, and refining our way forward.
None of this would be possible without the amazing crew we have in the front and back, so let me mention some names here.
Saxon Stites, our Chef de Cuisine. You make my vision come through and always add a critique or polish to my dishes that makes it better than I thought possible.
Sebastian and Kai, our chefs de partie. You two have brought your energy, your curiosity, and your serious dedication to craft to the kitchen. You make Astera better each day.
Montana, our Captain. Your desire to practice the art of service in all it’s traditional glory, your attention to detail, and the standards which you keep for yourself for the sake of doing it right has propelled our restaurant into a new stratosphere of approachable sophistication.
Justin, our Sommelier. I’ve not met a man more passionate about wine and service. We literally built an entire room for you when you came on board, we were so impressed by your knowledge and palate. You have elevated our beverage service beyond anything I thought could be at my restaurant. Amazing.
Camryn, our newest team member. I’m so grateful you’ve brought your desire to learn wine and service from these two legends of the dining room. You bring a lightness and charm to the dining room that really rounds out the team. We’re so glad to have you.
And last, but not least, one of my favorite people: Jose. Hermano, muchas gracias por venir a trabajar con tan buena actitud y espíritu. Nos alegra mucho que trabajes aquí con nosotros; en muy poco tiempo te has convertido en parte de mi familia. Gracias por tu atención al detalle y tu esmero.
As corny as this sounds, a while back I printed up a huge poster and hung it high on the wall in the kitchen with a quote from Steve Martin: “Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You.”
We’re happy to say that our work is being recognized. Without PR. Without a massive budget. Just us and the work. So proud.
Thank you to all who dine with us. It is our pleasure to be in service.
Best,
Aaron Adams
Chef and Owner, Astera
