beef tartar
oyster soup
mussels + potatoes + squid ink
fiddleheads
fish + charred greens
escargot
charred greens + tahini dressing
scallops + miso sesame dollop
venison
sweetbreads + charred romaine
asparagus salad
The old adage "never judge a book by its cover" could not ring truer for Asta, a fine dining restaurant nestled between an old run down corner convenient store and vacant Indian restaurant on Mass Ave. In a prior life, Asta was home to a late night MIT pizza joint that my boyfriend had frequented on many a nights, and he was more than surprised when he walked in to see that his favorite late night spot had been beautifully transformed into what is today Asta.
Unlike some of the stuffier restaurants that dot Back Bay, Asta binds together elements of old school European with a modern flair. Exposed brick balls, wooden benches and fur seat cushions provide a nice contrast to the crisp, white, modern kitchen that fills out the entire back wall of the restaurant. The kitchen is definitely the focal point of the restaurant, and everything seems to center around this well-oiled machine that produces some of the best dishes I have yet to try.
My boyfriend and I started our meal off with complimentary glasses of sparkling wine (definitely a plus in my book) and opted for the 5 and 8 course tasting menus. Unlike most tasting menu restaurants, Asta gives tables the freedom to mix and match tasting menus (tip: mix and match to up the variety dial). I wish I had taken a picture of the menu because you can't find one online given that Asta's menu is constantly changing based on what is in season or what is fresh that week!
I'm not even going to attempt to recall everything we ate that night but will say that all the dishes were incredibly creative and innovative. Chef Alex Crabb experiments with flavor pairings that I could not even fathom and executes each dish to absolute perfection. Our favorite dishes from this meal were the oyster soup (second row, third picture), asparagus salad (third row, third picture), and scallop (first row, third picture). The big surprises of the night for me were the asparagus salad which I didn't think I would enjoy as much and the cereal dessert which is definitely one of a kind. With an everchanging menu, Asta can become a fan favorite that you can visit over and over again.
FUN FACT // Asta stands for Alex and Shish Tasting Adventures (the names of the two founding partners)
DINING TIP // If you can, opt for more than one type of tasting menu so that you and your friend(s) can try different dishes
DRINK TIP // If the restaurant has an in-house sommelier, don't be shy about asking for recommendations and a tasting