11/05/09

My favorite restaurant

by Clarissa Fielding

We have enjoyed many memorable dinners at both the restaurant and the cafe (I won't discuss the cafe here since we continue to love it - we can still get many of the dishes in the cafe that used to be on the restaurant menu). I loved the former restaurant menu with the lightest agnolotti in town and so many other favorites. I wondered if I could adjust to the new approach. We have now eaten there several times since the change of both chef and menu and have not been disappointed. My crab dish was light and delightful, the mushrooms flavorful, the lamb rich and satisfying and the apple dessert out of this world. This restaurant is blazing a new trail and I, for one, would like to continue to explore it.

• Pros: food, service, decor/ambiance
• Cons: it's not near my house

11/03/09

Not a fan of the new menu

by ptownfood

OK. Friday Oct. 30, 2009 turned out to be a sad day for me. Castagna Restaurant has been my personal favorite Portland restaurant for years. I've eaten there easily 20 times. On Friday, I experienced the new menu for the first time, and it was not a good experience. I never would have imagined myself saying this, but it is possible I have eaten my last meal there. I ordered off the menu, rather than the chef's tasting menu, and it is possible that I ordered poorly (crab salad, agnolotti, lamb) but the food just was not that good. I enjoyed the simplicity and great flavors of the old menu. They still use great ingredients, but not to the same effect. The concept is to order several smaller plates (generally priced between $14-20). The crab salad was pretty, but literally 3-4 bites and the lemon flavor was overwhelming. You could always count on the agnalotti on the old menu, but the new version is miniaturized and missing everything that made the old version so great. The lamb was an interesting dish, and the dessert was the best part of the meal and saved this from a 1-star review. I fear the Oregonian review will be the death of the restaurant.

• Pros: Same great service, same great minimal decor
• Cons: The food

Citysearch Editorial Review

by Ashley Gartland

Although Hawthorne Boulevard is an undeniably gritty, hipster ‘hood, this diamond in the rough attracts the high-brow tastes of middle-aged Eastsiders with its innovative cuisine. In the understated dining room, dressed up date-night couples slip into chocolate brown booths situated beneath bold artwork, then sample elegant farm-to-fork cuisine from the seasonally driven menu. Executive Chef Matthew Lightner tends herbs, flowers and produce in the restaurant garden, then transforms them into elegant dishes such as pickled, grilled and smoked onions served with fork-tender salt cod and a small plate of bright, roasted carrots piled atop squid.

10/20/09

It use to be great, why change?

by tjleavitt

We had a great dinner there in the past it was the best ever, So we came back to do it agin,they made changes , not good changes, a very short meun. They now have big plates with tiny teaspoones of food.

We won't be back..

• Pros: Great service
• Cons: tiny bits at big prices

08/02/09

Disconnected

by huth

Castagna has a device in their herb garden which collects and kills bees. I think it is bizarre to grow a garden which attracts neighborhood bees and then kills them. Informed people are aware that there is a serious decline in the world bee population, and that we depend on bees for pollinating our crops. At a time when conscious gardeners are attempting to increase the bee population, Castagna is contributing to the decline. Perhaps this restaurant is concerned with bees bothering the patrons. If this is the case they should not have an herb garden next to public seating. I will not dine at a place that has such a disconnection and disregard for local and global nature.

• Pros: Beautiful herb garden
• Cons: Bee killers

01/11/09

Everything tasted like perfection-even the after dinner coffee

by buben

We wanted to try Castagna Cafe and had fun watching the cooks do their dance in such a small area. The Sicilian appetizers were fried to perfection. Loved the grilled beets as a side and can't wait to return to find out what the spinach is like. Loved the flavors of the black cod over beans and my partner enjoyed the lamb turine that had a surprise of garlic sausage. The almond cake was much like the traditional olive oil cake I make-and it was a perfect light sweet to end the meal. Being a busy Sat the waitress wasn't around too much, but the hostess kept checking in on us. We will return!

• Pros: All courses tasted wonderful
• Cons: magazines at counter/bar not too romantic, noisy

03/06/08

Perfect birthday

by mebiscuit

My husband and I went for my birthday and it was a nearly perfect experience for us. We usually go to the Cafe, but wanted a more soothing and intimate atmosphere. The agnolotti, little ravioli, were delicate gems of deliciousness. Our entrees were amazing as well and we finished with a cheese plate for dessert. The servers know what they are doing and were unobtrusive and helpful. I'm not waiting until my next birthday to return.

• Pros: ambience, service, food
• Cons: none

12/09/07

Super Satly, Poor service, long wait... What more could you ask for? Burnt creme brulee. You got it!

by fattahdmd

This is my first unfavorable review of any restuarant. Reservations at 8:15. Seated at 8:43. Long wait on a hard wood plank. My back still hurts. Appetizers were mussels in cider and squash soup. The soup was acceptable, but not noteable, the mussels were cooked well but, smelt very strongly - aged sea food. Dinner of steak and chicken thigh; the steak was cook as asked, texture and flavor were good, the side of string fries were covered with salted - and I love salt, still too much. My wife's chicken was too salty even for me - almost impossible and unforgiveable. The service throughout was scarse and marginal. The desert of creme brulee was beyond burnt and the armangac was awful. They told us they were out of oysters, but an hour later a party came in and was served oysters. I inquired and was told they had called and requested the last oysters? Phone ahead for your dinner. I hope this review helps the restuarant improve their food and services for your meal. Good Luck.

• Pros: On Hawthorne
• Cons: Poor Service, Way Too Salty!!, Late on Reservation, Smelly Seafood, Loud.

08/23/07

What a dissapointment

by rdyer

We returned for a romantic anniversary dinner. We had not been for a while and had good memories, but we won't be back. We were greeted and invitied to "take a nice seat by the window", without realizing we were being seated next to a table for twelve. What started as a dull roar got louder as the evening and the drinks (and the drunks) wore on. We literally could not hold a conversation over a table for two, and after we left, we both remarked that it was quieter outside on a busy city street than it had been in the restaurant. While the food and the service were nice, the evening was ruined for us. There were plenty of empty tables throughout the evening, so this was not the only seating availble.

If you are looking for a nice quiet, romantic evening - look elsewhere.

• Pros: nice food, good service
• Cons: street parking, noisy, no control of groups

01/12/07

Gone downhill

by tjackson712

I'm afraid to say that Castagna isn't nearly as good as it used to be. I'm not sure what has changed but I doubt we'll be back after the amount of money we spent for a mediocre meal. The cafe next door is a much better bet. The atmosphere is beautiful though and service is impeccable.

• Pros: Service, pretty atmosphere
• Cons: expensive for the quality