Asterid - Los Angeles

Excellent staff service. Restaurant was full and a little on the noisy side. Food was flavorful and delicious.

Such nice people (from the front desk to the waiter). We got there late and they took care of us, with a one hour turn around so we could make our 8pm show at Disney Hall. Try the crab appetizer, it's wonderful.

I had plenty of time before the 2:00 concert at Disney Hall, so time was not an issue Our reservation was for noon. The main dish, chicken Milanese, was wonderful, as was the bread basket.The rice pudding was dry and a combination of odd tastes and textures. The chef over-complicated it. The staff, although very cordial, were lacking in awareness. We needed to hail the server in order to get clean plates for biscuits and bread, rather than piling them on the small-plated chicken dish. The server cleared the main event, but didn’t bring clean forks for the next course. He disappeared to get forks, but didn’t come back for some time, at which point we had pinched forks from an adjacent table setup.

The food at Asterid is, for the most part good. One of our party had the lamb shank and said it was the best he had ever eaten. Two of us ordered the beet risotto. It was delicious although an Italian member of our party said it was delicious but not really risotto. There was a crab dish I consumed and it was tasty but so very tiny. The Maitake Mushrooms and roasted carrots where a huge hit with the vegetarian who ate them. The rice pudding dessert was strange and I would not order it again. The portions of the food are small so the restaurant makes sure you order a lot of dishes and increase their income. The wine by the glass list could be longer. The service was fine although the server could not describe a dish that was on the menu. Be prepared to spend a lot here.

Since they opened, Asterid has been serving by far the best food we've had anywhere in Downtown LA. Always inventive, delicious, reliable, and beautiful, with friendly, helpful service and a lovely setting both indoors and out. You must try the thick, meaty maitake mushroom prepared in a totally unique way, the chicken that rivals Zuni in San Francisco, and the succulent lamb shank, among everything else really. It should really be difficult to get a reservation here any night, though this area of downtown by the Disney Concert Hall, Broad contemporary museum and Ahmanson Center Theater Group tends to be hopping only during concerts and shows, then strangely quiets down. But this is one of our go-to special occasion spots, or just a pop downtown for a great evening out restaurant. Live music outside most Thursdays too.