Upper Story by Charlie Palmer

Had our ceremony and reception here and from start to finish they were amazing. Katherine was extremely helpful, responsive, thorough and accommodating during the planning process right through to the end of the day cleanup. Everything was easy and smooth sailing. On the day, all the staff were amazing, setting up everything perfectly, taking care of us and our guests, helping us get supplies in a few days before, helping to pack everything away. All our guests commented on the beautiful venue, the great food… highly recommended as an event space. Katherine is the best to work with.

I just hosted an executive philanthropy panel here and the venue was amazing. From an event planning angle, the team was a dream to work with. I’m based in SF and was able to plan everything sight unseen and everything turned out perfectly. Their event team was *very* professional and helped get all the little details nailed down well in advance of the event. I showed up 30 minutes prior to the event and all I had to do was plug in my computer to project. I was even able to enjoy the amazing view and terrace. We had an open (limited) bar of wine and beer and a selection of hors d’oeuvres.

Get to the Chase:
Pros:
1) Had a great dinner with open bar for a university event
2) Staff were extremely helpful and attentive
3) Fantastic rooftop view, which paired well with the sunny summer weather
4) Halibut, tuna tartar and champagne — yes please! I feel like a bloody king of the castle!
Cons:
1) Probably pricey, but the university paid — WIN

I came here for an afternoon party recently. The space is really nice and the views are amazing. The food was very good. I particularly like food at the cocktail hour. I would definitely recommend for a birthday party, office party, etc.

best.turkey.burger.ever.
i used to work in the D&D building and would treat myself every once in a while (couldn’t afford to eat it every day). I still have dreams about it…

Upper Story, formerly known as Astra, is a wonderful event space that caters to large events, corporate meetings, holiday parties, wedding receptions and things of that sort. My job has celebrated our Holiday party here for the past three years.
The staff here are very accomodating and very helpful, the space is very large and has very nice scenic views from the terrace. I attempted to capture those views, but I had a few too many drinks at the party and the pictures are blurry.
Anyhow, if you are seeking a large space for a function, check this place out! I highly recommend.

To echo everyone elses feelings, Gavin and his team are the BEST. the space is beautiful, the food is amazing and the service is top notch. This was for a corporate event and Gavin was so patient in working with the entire team, fielding emails from us all and making us feel calm the whole way through.

I do a lot of business in the D&D building or meet clients from the area up here. Everything I have had is delicious. I am a big guy and eat a lot and I have never left hungry. The asian chicken salad is so flavorful and the chicken is moist. The fusilli (I think) pasta special was so good. Cheese, light sauce, a great helping of veg, and a nice punch of hot pepper.
It is a pretty pricey for lunch. I guess you pay for the location and views. The guys that take your order are very professional, friendly, and polite.
Come to D&D, shop, and eat!

Went here for a business dinner so I can’t say anything about the pricing but I imagine it’s more than one cares to put out on an average basis. There were good Hors d’oeuvres of mini crab cakes, quiches, and goat cheese. There was the standard bread starter, a nice mixed green salad with invisible yet perceptible dressing with a fried cheese croquette on the side. Next there was a choice between their steak and mashed potatoes or their breaded cod and runner beans, and as I don’t eat steak I choose the later. To be honest, perhaps it’s just my personal preference as people around me lauded the fish as «delicious», but I thought it was just okay. The runner beans were just odd, to be frank, crunchy and raw, they tasted like sour green beans the likes of which seem more apt in Chinese food than as an accompaniment to fried cod and potatoes. The dessert consisted of cookies, one of which was buttery and soft, and a trio of crème brûlée, which sounds like it would be sublime but in my opinion only the vanilla was, the coffee and chocolate one were too overbearing. Notice I used very bland descriptive words, not due to a dearth of vocabulary, certainly, I genuinely thought the food was just OK, an opinion I take differs quite a bit from the reviewers below me.

Running around D & D with a friend all day. We didn’t get to lunch until about 2ish. It’s like being at a private club. Warm service without being stuffy. Food was delicious. I ordered a salad that is suppose to have almonds which they informed me as I ordered that they are subsituting candied walnuts. I forgot to tell them to give me the dressing on the side because I hate over dressed salads. 9 out of 10 times the salads are over dressed and it ruins the delicate flavors. This salad was perfectly dressed. What a treat! My friend and I enjoyed a lovely lunch pretending to be ladies who lunch! haha.

I just had my wedding at Astra on Friday, 10÷5÷12… It was completely magical! Everything was perfect. I had been working with Gavin (site Manager) for about 1 ½ yrs. since seeing the space, booking it, and planning for the wedding. He immediately answered every single question that oozed out of my pores up until the day and provided my husband and I with access to space when needed for the wedding plans.
The day of the wedding was a beautiful day… Astra was the setting of a perfect night. Guests loved and raved about the space, view, and food. Gavin and Roy (the main person of the night) made sure that everything ran smoothly (which it did)… Everything was seamless and went off without a hitch… The one question of the night was «where did I find this place?» Everyone fell in love… My husband and I couldn’t of asked for anything more!!! It completely OVER EXCEEDED our expectations…
Astra is a hidden gem on the 14^th Floor in the D&D building that must be visited at one point in time. The space is modern, sheek, and very intimate, the food is delicious, its affordable, and the STAFF… They are ALL AMAZING! Talk about customer service at its FINEST!!!
If you are looking to have an intimate, beautiful, memorable, non-​banquet feel/​food… Then Astra is the place for you. Go check it out. You’ll love it!!!

Everything was perfect!!!
We had our wedding reception at Astra, and EVERYTHING was perfect!!! All night, our guests kept coming up to tell us how much they enjoyed the space, the service, and especially the food. Additionally, my son has severe food allergies, and the staff at Astra made sure that everything was perfect for him, and knowing he was safe really allowed me to relax and enjoy the day.
My wife and I are thrilled that we chose Astra, as the service was fantastic, and the staff made certain it was a relaxing and fun environment for everyone. We had around 50 guests, many from out of town, and they loved the views of New York!
On our menu, people LOVED the Charred Beef, Croûton, and Horseradish Mousse, the Moroccan Lamb Skewer with Minted Yoghurt, and the Shrimp Cocktail Appetizers. Dinner was also a huge hit with the Chilled Lobster Salad with Pink Grapefruit and Avocado. The Seared Filet Mignon with
Fingerling Potatoes and Steamed Asparagus were also perfectly prepared, and the Molten Chocolate Cake with Triple Chocolate Sauce and Caramel Ice Cream was amazing!
I am trying to keep this review short, but know you are in great hands at Astra! The food, the view, the staff, all perfect!
Thank you Astra!!!

I sometimes work in the building, so I only get here for lunch. The goat cheese salad is rather delectable and some of the other courses are pretty tasty — but for the price and Chef Charlie Palmer’s name attached, I was expecting to be blown away. The outdoor deck is nice, but I am usually just taking my food to go :(

Talk about top notch. Gavin and the Astra team were absolutely amazing to work with for our wedding. This is an excellent space to host a small and upscale wedding — or any event. So many people have continuously told me how fantastic the food was, how special the view was from the terrace and just how much fun they had.
A bit of background: we were stuck high and dry in January 2012 after our destination wedding location in Mexico sold the resort we originally planned to host our May 2012 wedding — without telling us! Being that we live in NYC, we decided to replan and host our wedding in this great city and Astra truly saved the day, it was EXACTLY what we were looking for: great food, upscale, NYC style, terrace… perfect! I can not express how grateful we are that we found them, and how grateful we are that the cards fell as they did and we were able to plan our wedding in New York City.
The venue has a warm, quaint and upscale feel with sweeping views of the bridge and classic NYC charm. Once I get some pics I will post them up!
A+ for Astra.

This is the perfect venue for a small wedding in New York City.
My friend and her new husband celebrated their wedding and reception at Astra, and it could not have gone more smoothly or taken place in a more lovely setting. This intimate restaurant allowed their approximately 70 guests to celebrate a joyous occasion in a cozy space.
Astra is located in the D&D Building, which is also the venue for a variety of high-​end shops and other spaces, but don’t let that turn you away from this place. The staff is friendly and very attentive, the setup is elegant and understated, and the views of the Manhattan skyline and the Queensboro Bridge are very nice. You can even see the Roosevelt Island tram running back and forth if you sit towards the east end of the room.
From start to finish, everything was splendid at Astra. I arrived early and the staff was still setting up, but the coat check personnel were welcoming and I felt immediately at ease. They have a lovely vestibule with a table where the place cards were set, and a brightly lit main room filled with windows overlooking Third Avenue. Done in white and beige tones, with white and black curtains and only a hint of dark wood paneling around the doors, everything about the place was refined and elegant.
Astra offers two smaller rooms off of the main area, which is where my friend waited prior to walking down the aisle. The staff served regular and sparkling water and wine to the arriving guests, and they were great about settling everyone into their seats as the ceremony was about to begin. Once the ceremony was over, the staff ushered everyone out into the main hallway so that they could reset the room for the reception, which they wouldn’t have done had the weather been cooperating. Astra has a lovely terrace, which is where the guests would have gathered while the room was being readied, but it could not be utilized when we were there. It was too bad, because I’m sure it would have been lovely.
The food is terrific. The cocktail hour was full of delicious finger foods (miniature lobster tacos, anyone?) that were so enjoyable and served with style by the polite staff. They were extremely professional, and larger caterers should take a page out of Astra’s book when hiring their staff.
The main meal was served buffet-​style at three stations scattered around the room. I know that sounds weird, but spatially it was the only way they could do it. From the grilled vegetables to the mashed potatoes and roast sirloin station to the chicken, shrimp and penne ala vodka table, the food was really excellent. Everyone at my table commented on how good everything was, and when we remarked on it to the sister of the bride, she said that she felt the same way. She was surprised by the quality of the food, she added, because she had never had good experiences with wedding food, but Astra exceeded her expectations.
There was no wedding cake; rather, the bride and groom opted for cupcakes (not prepared by Astra) and a dessert table, for which Astra was responsible. They served coffee ice cream, warm miniature brownies, lemon tarts, cookies and two kinds of crème brûlée: regular and mocha. The crème brûlée selections were presented in their own miniature ramekins, which I wanted to wrap in napkins and take home with me, they were so cute. Alas, I restrained myself.
The staff was so incredibly gracious in alerting people to the serving of the main meal and the dessert — they went table to table notifying everyone. Basically, they had to do this because my friend had no DJ at the wedding to herd people to the buffet tables, and I found that I preferred that. I think most people at this wedding were well beyond the point where they needed to have someone playing the electric slide for it to feel like a wedding, and there wouldn’t have been any place for a DJ to set up anyway. The space at Astra where my friend held her wedding had no dance floor. I don’t know if they have any other spaces that could host such a thing, but who cares, really? Astra is so elegant and delicately refined, and I thought it was the perfect place for my friend’s special day. I highly, highly recommend them to anyone in the NYC area planning a wedding.

This is an awesome event space. Our company had their summer party here last week and it was just lovely!
Suited up greeters and caterers all over, passing around YUMMY passed hors’dourves. The view is great of the city skyline and the open bar was great because it was pretty much fully stocked. People are complaining about the food and drinks and stuff, clearly not knowing that they don’t serve the same thing everytime, you have to have the stuff you want requested… it’s an event space for Pete’s sake! The food was great, lobster tacos, steak, some sort of grilled chicken, and these mushroom cakes with truffle sauce on it… ohhh man! I like this place… can’t wait to go back.

I cannot believe this hidden gem. I had my wedding here last year and wished they had dinner so I can go back and dine there. My friends commented that our wedding was the most gorgeous they’ve been to and I cannot take all the credit as the space here as well as the professional staff (from the wait staff to Gavin (GM) to Roy (coordinator) were just invaluable. I feel bad it took me this long to write this review but it’s almost coming up to my 1 year anniversary and thought it was time. The food was great and the menu to pick from was tremendous. Tuna tartar rocks! Trio Crème Brulee come on, what a great dessert. Truly value for money.

What a beautiful space for a intimate cocktail party.
Food:
The bar is ok. The entrees were delicious– lamb, halibut, steaks, salads. The pass hor’dorves were good too: duck confit, mushroom springrolls, steak w/​balsamic vinegrette. The desert was slightly disappointing: chocolate crème brûlée… meh.
Atmosphere:
Elegantly decorated: drapes, candles, simple flower settings.
The space overlooks the 59^th street bridge & tram into Roosevelt Island, which isn’t the most beautiful view but still ok.
The outdoor terrace is a nice touch. (hopefully you’re not afraid of heights).
Service was impeccable & quick. The bar tender makes a nice dirty martini with lots of olive juice (if that’s your thing).

My husband and I just had our wedding reception at Astra two weeks ago and it was perfect. we weren’t looking to have a traditional wedding, in fact we got married at city hall 2 weeks before the actual reception. we wanted a very classy, cocktail style reception. the setting there is amazing. the weather was perfect for hanging out on the terrace overlooking the 59^th street bridge and inside there was plenty of space for our guests to mingle.
i cannot rave enough about the staff. the manager, Gavin, was incredibly professional. he was so sweet and answered every one of my annoying emails promptly. on the night of our reception, everything ran so smoothly. the servers were all so polite and friendly. and uri (the captain?) was always there when i needed him. he made sure that everything we wanted was done right.
the food was delicious and the presentation was so classy. everything at astra was also reasonably priced. i was nervous to hear that it was a Charlie Palmer establishment, but our cocktail reception was actually quite affordable.
definitely check it out for a wedding or party! the views and food are truly amazing, but the staff is really what made the night absolutely perfect for me and my husband. our friends and family are still raving… :)

I was here for a wedding reception, it was raining for the first half so we could not utilize the deck until later. That is a very nice feature, a nice deck to look over the tram and to the river, and for those that smoke you can do that there as well.
There were passed hors d’œuvre which were all pretty good; from what I remember risotto cakes, raw oysters, crab cakes, duck comfit tarts, lobster mini tacos, wrapped asparagus, mushroom spring rolls, and one or two others. The risotto cakes were the best, even a little better than the crab cakes.
For the Linner (Lunch/​Dinner the reception was from 1 – 4) there were 3 stations, a salami table, protein table and a starch table.
The salami table had various salami, prosciutto and sausages, the salami wrapped with provolone was the best, the prosciutto was cut a little to thick for my liking. The rest were not bad.
The protein table had 2 salads shrimp, chicken and steak. I was lucky enough to get some of the more medium rare pieces of meat, ans the shrimp were in a rich smooth sauce that was tasty. The chicken was cooked well and had a nice finish to the skin.
The starches were pretty good, there was a risotto with peas that was very good and the ziti with red peppers and sausage. Both of them were very good, I think the starch station was probably the best of the three.
I think the biggest feature of the space is the view and the service. The view is nice, but the service was great. It exceed my expectations for the afternoon.
The restrooms are shared with the entire floor, and are outside the space, there were private stalls and was sort of clean and stocked. 3 Flushes