La Prima Trattoria

09/07/09

Awesome homemade bread

by Billy the kid

Friends of ours recommended a restaurant call La Prima, in Beaverton, and we decided to give it a try.

Upon entering we were warmly greeted by several of the staff. Although located in a strip center behind the Fred Meyer. Once inside the atmosphere is warm and inviting. A large bar on one side and a dinning area on the other with booths and tables to choose from.

We opted to go into the dinning room after a cocktail in the bar. . We were then informed by the bartender that it was recently sold and under new ownership. The menu is accommodating with pizzas from a wood burning oven and pasta dishes. The open kitchen lends a feel of a true Italian Trattaria .

We decide on a Cesar salad and a Bistro salad which consisted of warm Northern white beans, shrimp and fresh arugula. It was delightful. The next course for me was penne with bolognaise sauce. An ample portion with a sauce that you could tell took hours to prepare. My friend opted for veal picatta , the veal melted in your mouth and the lemon caper wine sauce was excellent over the angel hair pasta served with this dish.

The wine list mostly Italian, with a few new world selections from Oregon and California. We had a bottle of Sangiovace, which was great with our meal. And get this, they bake their own bread. Olive bread with fennel, I would return just for the bread.

No room for dessert, they had a nice menu and on our next visit we will definitely say room for the tiramisu. The couple behind us had one, and said it is something not to miss. We were fortunate to meet the owner/chef as we were about to leave, and asked how we enjoyed out meal. He told us his ideas for his restaurant, and the fact that he wanted to reconnect to the neighborhood. Although we live in NW Portland we plan on returning to this delightful new find often, we highly recommend it. Don’t fill up on the bread.

• Pros: Excellent menu, friendly staff, and wonderful atmosphere
• Cons: Location, but you can over come it.

08/21/09

Very good food in the suburbs!

by missS

This place is excellent. Food compares to fancy down town/NE italian places. Never had a bad meal here.

The prices are a bit high, but the quality is outstanding. The portions, like other's have complained are small for the price. You would expect to pay $12-15 for pasta (ala carte) this good and the small portion, but it's about $19+.

I will still go back, but only when I have the budget and looking for a light meal.

Amazing flavors can't be beat!

• Pros: Excellent, unique taste, Chef is wonderful
• Cons: Small portions, pricey

07/27/08

Amazing pasta!

by pdxwinefood

La Prima is wonderful. We couldn't decide where to go (last minute on a Saturday night) and phoned La Prima and surprisingly, they were not too busy to accommodate us. Atmosphere is reminiscent of a non-suburban hip bistro. The wine list is small, but focused (mostly Italian, Spanish with smattering of other regions) and moderately priced. Now on to the food. I ordered the Fettuccine, with chicken and porcini mushrooms, it was to die for! I adore mushrooms, and this dish was earthy, creamy and cooked to perfection. It was in pure harmony with the bottle of barbera wine we ordered. In all honesty, it was one of the best pasta dishes I've had in YEARS (probably since our last trip to Italy). !!! Prices are a bit on the moderate to high side ($14-19 for pasta), but worth the extra because the taste is divine. My husband ordered the sausage risotto. He acclaimed it was amazing, and he is a very hard to please person when it comes to ordering pasta dishes, risotto, etc. The flavors were described as unique and wonderful, all prepared perfectly. I think his only complaint was, "there wasn't enough". From both dishes, we wanted more!! Service was good, friendly and pleasantly relaxed. For some constructive criticism: we would love to see some meat dishes on the menue. When we dined at the Trattoria a long while ago, there were meat dishes and they were great, but since removed. Menu is small, just as the wine list, but there are no 2 dishes alike. Would love to see some Italian meat dishes, but perhaps the owners want to focus on a few one-of-a kind dishes and perfect them. ?? We look forward to coming back. La Prima is a wondeful place and would give any downtown, East or West side Italian restaurant a marathon run for it's money. It's THAT good!