Astral Plane: culinary star flies solo for 32 years

Reed Apaghian, owner of Astral Plane, and one of his three Shi-tsus, Kelly, six months, stop to chat with customers at the 32-year-old restaurant. (Photo by Len Lear)

by LEN LEAR

Astral Plane, one of the restaurants that sparked Philadelphia’s Restaurant Renaissance in the late 1960s and ‘70s, has lasted an amazing 32 years at 1708 Lombard St. and has always stood out like a unicorn in a chicken coop. Someone once said its blend of sophistication and counter-culture charm made it the only place in town where a hippie would go for a martini.

Its eclectic, funky decor, which I would characterize as “Nouveau Gift Shop,” would cause any self-respecting interior decorator to start taking heart medication. Almost nothing matches; photos, tiles and paintings take up almost every inch of the crimson wall space; during a recent dinner, on our table there was an African violet and two other flower bunches, salt and pepper shakers in the form of a cat and other dog and cat collectibles.

The bric-a-brac, mirrors, fabric billowing from the ceilings, wall hangings, clocks, vintage autographed photographs of silent and contemporary film stars, chandeliers, lamps, etc. — representing a myriad decorative styles, of course — exist in such profusion that one has the sense of being in a culinary Twilight Zone. Some have said the overall feel is of a Parisian drawing room in the 1920s, and many private alcoves add to the romantic ambience. The kitsch extends to the menu, which along with the daily specials, has always offered a panoply of eclectic choices and cuisines.

Even the way that the restaurant’s opening date was chosen 32 years ago would make an appropriate scene for the Theater of the Absurd. Owner Reed Apaghian, a true believer in astrology, explains: “I chose to open on June 14, 1973, because on that day the planet Saturn began its 30-year trek around the Zodiac, and that trek ended on June 14, 2003, when I had a big party here. There was no way I could ever know that we would still be in business after 30 years, much less 32.”

Apaghian started his culinary career working in his late father’s restaurant, Camelot, in Media in the 1960s. He worked as a waiter at the age of 24 at Mes Amis, 19th and Chestnut Streets, which offered all of its dinners at the fixed price of either $7.95 or $9.95. Reed then rented the property at 1708 Lombard St., where he opened Astral Plane in 1973.

“The place had one sink only,” he said. “I lived here for one year before opening the restaurant. I bought a stove for $10 from the Parson’s Table (a restaurant) on Front Street. My dad and I opened a restaurant together in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, which lasted for six years. My dad and mom were so proud of me. My mom was the flea market/garage sale collector of all times. She was the one who taught me about interior design.”

Astral Plane has won many awards such as City Paper’s “Best Place for a First Date” (in 2004) as well as Best of Citysearch (in 2004) for “Best Special Occasion Dining,” “Best Group Dining,” “Best Brunch,” “Best Romantic Restaurant” and “Best Outdoor Dining.” Despite its longevity, a sluggish economy and all of the competition in center city, Reed insists that “January and February of this year were the best two months we have ever had.”

In addition to his talents as a restaurateur, Apaghian, 56, is a lifelong actor. The Media native was in many plays at Hedgerow Theater and Plays and Players, and he was in a film called Touched, directed by Mike Lemon, which was named “Best Short Film” at the 2004 Philadelphia Gay Film Festival. “I played a maitre d’ named Reed,” Apaghian explained. “How’s that for type-casting?”

Reed is also a bonafide animal lover. He has three dogs and one cat, but his most unusual pet was a sick piglet, “J.B.,” which he bought for $10. He kept the piglet in his then-apartment on Clinton Street in center city, where he nursed the animal back to health with bottle-fed milk, food, medicine and TLC. “She could open the refrigerator by herself,” said Apaghian. “You could say I had my own version of a piggy bank. She was more like a piggy companion. We loved her. She gave me a whole new perspective on life. She always recognized me.”

When the animal grew to 50 pounds. Reed gave her to his parents, who had a few acres of ground in Media. The pig grew to be 650 pounds and died at age 18. Reed’s dad buried her in his yard with the help of a backhoe.

Although the first thing customers invariably mention about Astral Plane is the unique decor and ambience, the food obviously has had to be top-quality to keep customers coming back for 32 years. Executive chef Rodolfo Ramirez, who has been at Astral Plane for 18 years, offers such choices as vegetables stir-fried in a red Thai curry paste with coconut basmati rice and roasted cashews ($16); sesame-crusted salmon over micro greens with sesame aioli ($19) or grilled duck breast with a honey-curry, pineapple, mango, apple and walnut sauce ($19).

One phenomenal appetizer is the huge salad with Maxfield’s Blue cheese, spinach, apple, walnut, red onion and raisins ($9). The mix of flavors and textures is positively addictive. A salmon quesadilla entree ($17) was definitely nothing special, but a macadamia nut-encrusted sea bass (literally Fed-Ex’d from Hawaii) with a coconut/run reduction was ambrosial — sweet, fork-tender and suffused with flavor ($27). This was easily one of the best seafood dishes I’ve ever tasted.

The bartender at Astral Plane, Joel Finsel, is a Chestnut Hill resident. He was recently named Philadelphia’s “Rising Star Mixologist” by Starchefs.com, and a panel of national food and beverage writers selected his “Champagne Lady” cocktail as the first place winner of The Book and the Cook’s “Cocktail Classic Shakedown” for 2005 in March.

For more information, call 215-546-6230 or visit www.theastralplane.com.