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!

05/06/08

Some of Portland's best Italian food, hidden in a strange spot

by hoopla_pdx

I've eaten at La Prima many times over the last few years, and it has remained consistent as one of the best restaurants of any type in town. It is disappointing that they have simplified the menu recently and dropped some of the meat dishes (the pork chops were always wonderful), but the food is still just as good.

On my most recent visit, both the braised pork and crab ravioli were excellent, with subtle layering of flavors and respect for the basic ingredients.

The Fred Meyer parking lot strip mall location is a bit odd, but they have done an excellent job of creating a warm and separate ambiance inside. You really forget what is outside the doors and focus on the food and wine. It is worth the trip to Raleigh Hills if you are a Portlander who loves good Italian food, and the prices make it easy to go often.

• Pros: Food, ambiance, parking, wine list

03/02/08

A true Gem!

by redroxy5

I recently found out about this place and I couldn't be happier! It is located in a strip mall next to Fred Meyers and from the outside I was a little weary but I was wrong. The service was prompt and very friendly and the food is delicious. A couple of my favorites.....the lamb chops for a starter they are finger lickin' good as well as the risotto fritters...yum. The pizzas are thin crusted just the way I like! The Pork chop is one of their best items on the menu and they always have a wonderful fish special. I hope you don't waste any more time and get down to La Prima for a wonderful dining experience!

• Pros: the food and service
• Cons: none

02/01/08

Excellent food, great wine and really nice people that run the place

by PLocal

I can't say enough about this place. I hope they're there for years to come. Because they're in a shopping center, you don't expect them to be a nice romantic place to dine, but it is! My husband have lived nearby for 3 years now and just finally went in a few months ago, but we go back time and time again now. They also have a great happy hour menu and so I meet my girlfriends for drinks and happy hour often too now. It's just not expected, a great little restaurant, the type you find all over Portland, located in Beaverton!! When we've actually gone out in Beaverton before we usually stick with Hall Street or McCormicks, nothing else is good enough. It's great to see this happen. Here's to many good nights at La Prima, either with the one you love or all your friends!

01/30/08

Amazing food, great place.

by sugarcookie70

Love it!!!! The food is great, loved the chicken caesar salad. The servers were friendly and prompt. I'd definitely recommend La Prima to everyone I know.

For everyone who has bad things to say about service.... in certain cases, you may very well be right, however, if you're as rude as you're coming across in your reviews, it's no wonder you get crappy service. (Bet it happens in more places than one, right?)

As a long time server, if you treat your servers badly, don't expect to be treated well in return. Look around you, and take into account how busy your server is before you condemn them for being slow. There's a very good chance you aren't the only table they have. Servers are human, to the person who was overcharged... why didn't you look at your bill when you paid it?

10/19/07

Still real Italian cuisine in a warm, inviting environment.

by whitenoyse

After dining at La Prima's for the fourth or fifth time and being again very impressed with the quality of the food and atmosphere, I happened to be randomly looking up places of interest on my computer when I thought, "I wonder what other folks have to say about the place." The overall rating is certainly high as deserving, but a couple of the comments below are absurdly out of line. But first the review:

I am fortunate to have enjoyed fine Italian foods all my life since both my parents' heritage is northern Italian, and I still have fond memories old SW Portland, pre urban renewal, where the Italian and Jewish neighbors created some of the most exquisite dishes imaginable. The emphasis wasn't on presentation only. It had to taste good and be good for you. And it was. That's why I appreciate a restaurant like La Prima. Their risotto is even better than what I remember eating as a child. It was pretty late and they lacked some of the ingredients for the sausage risotto I would normally order, so the personable waitress suggested I try the shrimp version of the risotto instead. What a wonderful surprise! A very reasonable portion arrived garnished with long, thin diagonal slices of asparagus perfectly blanched to retain some body. Arrayed around the perimeter were four or five VERY large peeled prawns, also cooked to perfection. The first bite disclosed a gentle hint of lemon in the sauce that permeates the risotto, accompanying the green accent of the asparagus, and complimenting the light, fresh sea flavor of the shrimp. Elegance. The dish was light mildly seasoned (a touch of basil) as is appropriate for the ingredients, and was served at just the right temperature. If I had known at the time I would be writing a review, I might have paid more attention to the details, but frankly, I?m happy I was left to simply enjoy an outstanding meal. I will be returning soon.

09/10/07

good food for the burbs, good dinner

by foodie86

We tried La Prima the other night and were pleasantly surprised for a restaurant in a strip mall. It's wasn't dirt cheap, but quality food generally isn't. I wasn't sure about the fettucini with pancetta ,corn and mushroom, but I gave it a shot at our waiters recommendation and really enjoyed it. It may not be all you can eat for 7.95, but you also don't get bland, soggy pasta and canned sauce. My husband and I thought the food was fresh and well prepared, we also really liked the bistro salad. Bottom line ,we had a nice dinner with good service and good food, You get what you pay for. And after reading other reviews, I do wonder why people who notice something that they didn't have on their bill don't say something or inquire about it when there, or let someone know.

• Pros: Something different for the area, fresh pasta
• Cons: Located in a strip mall

08/20/07

Great linguine but we wont be going back because the waitress added items to our bill FOR HER OWN CONSUMPTION!

by nwfamilyreviews

I've tried this place twice now and I'm mixed and frustrated on my opinion.

1) Their seafood linguine is honestly one of the best I've had in a restaurant but for $19 I'd like double the portion. Most other restaurants at this price point do a better job at getting you proper portions - instead I thought about stopping by a fast food restaurant on the way home. It might fill someone used to eating a light dinner salad for dinner though.

2) If you order a soda, expect a glass filled to the top with crushed ice and 2-3oz of soda for $2/each, no refills.. I have no problem paying $2 for a soda ... but not a cup of ice.

3) Ok service but nothing worth getting excited over

4) The complimentary bread is good but not served with butter - I'd imagine they'll bring you some butter for a few bucks. Be glad the bread is there though, you'll need it to get full.

On a 1-10 Scale where 10 is perfect:

Food quality: 9

Food value: 4

Drink quality: 1

Drink value: 1

Desert quality: 6 (There isn't a number low enough for the Tiramisu, avoid that one)

Desert value: 6

Service speed: 5

Service attitude: 7

Rating 48.75% or 2.4 stars, so I rounded down to 2, until now while writing this and looking at the receipt I see they charged for things we didn't get (mentioned below) taking this place down to a 1 star rating and a zero for service attitude.

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Bottom line: Avoid it... Oh and just to mention it. My wife and I don't drink coffee - ever - so the fact that they also charged us for a Cappuccino $2.75 and Coffee $2.25 ticks me off.. I hope the Waitress or her friends enjoyed them. Because of this there will be no third try - they lost a customer - make sure they don't over charge you too!

For the record, the cashier was Raquel P according to the slip, order 18148....

• Pros: Excellent Linguine
• Cons: Thieving waitress and small portions.. oh and 2oz of soda for $2/each