Aster Charlottesville

I had the chance to dine at Cville’s newest restaurant, Aster. Here’s a recap of my dinner.

Welcome to Cville, Aster!

Aster just opened in the Glass Building downtown (in the former Blue Grass and Chickadee location). I had the chance to go to the friends and family soft opening and experience the menu highlights. My friend link – Juan Pablo! He’s part of the team behind the restaurant (you may know him from Marigold and Cumbre!) I enjoyed trying many of the dishes on the menu. Here’s the recap!

The Vibe

Entering the restaurant feels like going to a speakeasy. The door is modest, and the windows covered with wood from the inside. Once inside, the ambiance is elegant with plants appropriately at the front and center. Named after a flower found in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I loved the botanicals dotted about. This front area also serves as a waiting space for guests who arrive early.

The main dining room felt like a library with lots of wood and small lamps for mood lighting. The kitchen is also open to view through a window, so we could see the chef team at work. Check out the cool flatware rest too!

Cocktails

Cocktails were creatively named things like “Drops of Jupiter,” “Chamomile and Whiskey” (a famous Cville band), and “Spirited Away.” I tried the Measured Excess with bourbon, rye whiskey, luxardo maraschino liquor, absinthe, and bitters. Perfectly my style of cocktail! I also sampled the Spirited Away and loved that one as well: bourbon, amara montenegro, clarified lemon, vermouth, bitters.

Glasses of wine were a mix of Virginia, Italy, and California.

The Menu

We were seriously blown away by the foods we tried. The menu is farm-to-table themed with lots of local ingredients and modern creativity. The dishes are quite expensive, although they are on par with other fine dining restaurants in the area.

First Course

Salt Risen Potato Bread with local butter plus a side of smoked trout roe, buttermilk, crispy potato strips, and fresh herbs.

Angels’ Monastery Gouda with raisin miso jam and candied sunflower seeds.

Cheese and bread? My go-tos! The caviar topping was so good on top of the potato rolls. I’ve never had that combination before, and it was memorable!

Second Course

I tried four of the five dishes on the middle section of the menu:

• Crab Toast with lemon mayo, pickled celery, old bay togarashi
• Fried pickled cauliflower with urfa chili, black lime, cilantro
• Beef tartare with koshihikari rice, miso, truffle sukiyaki
• Little Gem Lettuce with candy stripe beet, furikake, avocado, green goddess

My favorites were the crab toast – SO GOOD – and actually the salad! The crab toast was assembled as a sandwich, and that was some good crab! The lettuce was fresh, the green goddess dressing a stand out, and I loved the generous avocado pieces.

Main Course

For the mains, I shared the

• Cavatelli dumpling / north carolina shrimp, shiso, calabrian chili, lime
• Virginia trout / peewee potato, smoked trout roe, fines herbs, horseradish, beurre blanc
• Roasted pork shoulder / white bean, fried shallot, cider bbq

They were all so delicious, but the curried shrimp dumplings were out of this world. Little pillows of flavor unlike anything I’ve had before.

Dessert

And finally dessert! We tried both the Lemon Custard and the Prune Cake. While we agreed the cake might be best served in the fall, the lemon custard was right up my alley. I loved every bite with the creamy layers and crunchy topping.

It was a special night shared with friends. Thank you for having me Aster!