Grassa (restaurant)

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Coordinates: 45°31′19.6″N 122°41′01.3″W / 45.522111°N 122.683694°W / 45.522111; -122.683694
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Grassa
The Southwest Portland restaurant's exterior in 2020
Map
Restaurant information
Established2013; 11 years ago (2013)
Owner(s)Rick Gencarelli
Food typeItalian[1][2]
Street address
  • 1205 Southwest Washington Street
  • 1506 Northwest 23rd Avenue
  • 1375 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard
CityPortland
StateOregon
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°31′19.6″N 122°41′01.3″W / 45.522111°N 122.683694°W / 45.522111; -122.683694
Websitegrassapdx.com

Grassa is a restaurant with multiple locations in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, in the United States. The original restaurant opened in Southwest Portland in 2013; subsequent locations have opened in Northwest Portland's Northwest District, in Southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood, and in Vancouver, Washington.

Description and history[edit]

Grassa was established by chef Rick Gencarelli. Eater Portland's Brooke Jackson-Glidden has described Grassa as "a casual, kid-friendly pasta shop with turntables playing old records and bowls of noodles named for [Gencarelli's] kids".[3] The original Grassa (sometimes called "West End Grassa") opened in Southwest Portland's West End neighborhood in 2013.[4][5][6]

A second location, nicknamed "Grassa Vol. 2", opened in Northwest Portland's Northwest District in 2016.[7][8] Grassa's third location opened near the intersection of Hawthorne and 15th Avenue in Southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood around December 31, 2019.[3][9][10]

Another location opened along Vancouver Waterfront Park, in Vancouver, Washington.[11]

The business has confirmed plans to operate at the Portland International Airport.[12] Gencarelli has also planned to open Grassa restaurants in Lake Oswego, Oregon,[13] as well as Japan.[14][15]

Reception[edit]

Exterior of the Southwest Portland restaurant in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic

Chris Onstad of the Portland Mercury wrote, "The offerings at Grassa are robust, and often intense. This isn't a feather on a fulcrum, it's a barbell, and it's remarkably balanced. For that, as well as for price and quality, it's highly recommended for a casual meal."[16] In her review for the Portland Tribune, Anne Marie DiStefano said, "Grassa is a good ambassador, a place where someone with average pasta expectations can be pleasantly surprised by the high quality of everyday, affordable food in Portland."[17]

In his 2016 review of the Washington Street location, Willamette Week's Matthew Korfhage wrote, "Like an old punk rocker who now works in marketing, craft-pasta spot Grassa has aged surprisingly gracefully. The restaurant's rough edges—unpredictable tunes at unpredictable volume, dining-room staff with occasional kitchen manners—have become idiosyncratic elements in a machine that's now quite well-oiled."[18] Eater Portland contributors have included Grassa in lists of "15 Primo Italian Restaurants in Portland" (2018)[19] and "16 Quintessential Restaurants and Bars in Slabtown" (2019).[20]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Grassa: A Portland, OR Bar". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  2. ^ "Where to go when you're in the mood for Italian food: Gerry Frank's picks". The Oregonian. January 29, 2019. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  3. ^ a b Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-12-27). "Casual Pasta Spot Grassa Will Open in Southeast Any Day Now, and Vancouver Is Next". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  4. ^ Bamman, Mattie John (2016-01-19). "Lardo Sister-Restaurant Grassa Is Coming to NW 23rd". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  5. ^ Russell, Michael (January 10, 2019). "Grassa opening soon in downtown Portland with fresh pasta from Lardo chef Rick Gencarelli". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  6. ^ Waterhouse, Ben (January 10, 2019). "Cheap Eats: Grassa". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  7. ^ Bamman, Mattie John (2016-04-08). "Double-Sized Grassa Opens on NW 23rd, Interior and Menus Revealed". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  8. ^ Russell, Michael (January 9, 2019). "Grassa opening second pasta restaurant in Northwest Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  9. ^ Russell, Michael (2019-02-26). "Grassa will bring its handmade pasta to Portland's East Side". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  10. ^ Russell, Michael (2020-01-08). "One of Portland's best ramen shops heads for the 'burbs, plus all the other big restaurant news for January 2020". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-01-13. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  11. ^ Pinsky, Rachel (2019-06-24). "21 Food-and-Drink Destinations in Vancouver, Washington". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  12. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2023-04-12). "Here Are the Food and Beverage Vendors Landing in PDX's New Main Terminal". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  13. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-04-25). "St. Jack and Five Other Portland Restaurants Will Open in Lake Oswego". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  14. ^ Walsh, Chad (2016-07-26). "Grassa Is Opening a Pasta Shop in Japan". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  15. ^ Bakall, Samantha (2017-01-11). "Portland's Grassa heads to Japan with its fast-casual pasta concept". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  16. ^ "Grassa - Portland, Oregon". Portland Mercury. 2019-03-21. Archived from the original on 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  17. ^ DiStefano, Anne Marie (2013-08-29). "Grassa gets pasta's flavorful texture, details just right". Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  18. ^ Korfhage, Matthew (2016-03-22). "Grassa". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  19. ^ Frane, Alex (2018-07-18). "15 Primo Italian Restaurants in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  20. ^ Frane, Alex; MacEvoy, Maya (2019-11-21). "16 Quintessential Restaurants and Bars in Slabtown". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grassa.
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