Back To Perilla

Saturday night I went back to Perilla, but this time for a full meal. Just about everything we tried was amazing. I started with the beef carpaccio ($12) which was interestingly prepared (the beef was wrapped around arugula into a tube shape), although a bit salty. The Lady had the special salad of sushi grade mackel on watercress with citrus and jalepeno - very summery and refreshing and not fishy at all! Mark had the basic market greens salad with cherries peacans & ricotta ($10) - very light and flavorful. For a main, I had the snapper which was served over cauliflower, wax beans & cashews with a VERY light hint of green curry ($27). STUPENDOUS! I'm definitely going back for that! The Lady had the truffle raviolis with peas. I didn't love this one, mostly because it was a bit heavy for the season but it was still very tasty. Mark had the grilled hanger steak with sunchoke creamed spinach and red shallot puree ($28). The presentation was gorgeous and it was cooked to perfection for him. For a side for the table we had the roasted fingerling potatoes with sea salt ($8) which I could become EXTREMELY addicted to! Since we were all super full we passed on dessert. Overall I'd definitely recommend it and again give it a thumbs up. Our only gripe (as a group - and I've heard others who have been say it as well), that the decor needs a bit of help. It seems to be trying for a homey-comfort setting but it seems to come off more as a bit mismatched yet also somewhat stark - really just a lot of contradiction.

Perilla

Last night I went to a preview of Perilla, the new restaurant from chef Harold Dieterle, winner of the 1st series of Bravo's Top Chef. Harold's dish was one of my favorites at the F&W Best New Chefs party last month so I was excited to sample more of his food. The space is very warm (it's the old Inside space at 9 Jones) and bar and glassware are all gorgeous. We started with the 9 Jones signature cocktail - Kettle One Citron, pineapple, cranberry and a splash of Cava. Now that was a delicious way to say "welcome to summer!" Each of the hors d'ouevers was a treat - my favorite being the fluke on a taro chip. Otherwise included a tortilla, an onion soup with rock shrimp and mushrooms shot, duck meatballs and garlic bread with an edamame and fontina dipping sauce. Deserts included a mini warm to-die-for chocolate cake and coconut cake with watermellon. I got a peek at the menu and all of these hors d'ouevers really highlighted it. Based on the preview alone I'm going to predict that this one is going to be a hotspot so get in there and make your reservations immediately! Welcome to the neighborhood Harold!