Showing posts with label Perilla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perilla. Show all posts

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Maybe I should read the manual to do this restaurant justice

If you do know how to take better food pictures please feel free and let me know.

Anyway it's not often that I write up about a restaurant more than once.
Okay except for maybe him. There have been only a handful of restaurants that Mr. Broad and I have gone to a second time because there really are so many options here.

BUT we had Mr. Broad's father and sister in town and we wanted to take them to a restaurant that we had already tried and make the grade.

9 Jones Street

Last time we went to Perilla, we had imbibed quite a bit beforehand. We knew it was good but it was time Mr. Broad and I really appreciated the food and not let the alcohol talk.

Mr. Broad's sister had a keen observation that the descriptions were long when really she was getting steak. I guess that's part of the charm, knowing the specific fresh ingredients all part of the dishes.

The place itself is a small typical Greenwich Village restaurant where your tables are close to your neighbors. And it's dark. So that's my excuse why my pictures look like crap. And I thought Apple products would solve everything but alas. There is only so much "enhancing" you can do on an already crappy picture.

Raw Hamachi: Fresh water chestnuts, laksa leaf, crispy taro & spicy passion fruit dressing
The fresh hamachi was on the bottom with the taro chips on top. This dish was extremely refreshing... the only complaint I think was that it was too small...



Duck Meatballs
mint cavatelli, water spinach & quail egg
This was slightly spicy but extremely tasty. A meatball for each of us with the sauce just extremely decadent, we all were dunking our table bread in it.



Striped Bass special.
It wasn't on their menu and I forgot all the other ingredients but it looks damn good and tasted even better. Don't you just love plating and what they do with the sauce bottles?



Roasted Duck Breast
Duck Fat Popcorn, Purple Yams, Pluots, Massaman Curry
Aah I like to think I got the best dish at the table but I know that everyone else would disagree. My friend in DC reported recently that popcorn was the new trend in the restaurant scene. I had not seen it up in NYC until here. I don't know if this was the popcorn she was refering to but wow. How amazing. All of the flavors came together really well (such a Gail Simmons term). And Pluots! How can you NOT like Pluots!! A plum/apricot cross for hybrid novice.





Grilled Prime Creekstone hanger steak
Sunchoke creamed spinach, Red Shallot Puree and Au Jus
I helped Mr. Broad's sister pick out this dish, explaining what Au Jus and Sunchokes are. I really am a good entree chooser if I do say so myself. Although it came with roasted mushrooms. Which are good if you like that sorta fungus.



Tasting of 3 Little Pigs
Berkshire Tenderloin, Crispy Wild boar belly (sausage), Spicy Hampshire Pork Booty Pate
Guesses who got this one? Right. Mr. Broad got his fair share of the swine. Mr. Broad enjoyed all of them making one of those "I'm in heaven" faces. The tenderloin (the one in the middle) was one of his favorites, and from my fork stealing I must agree.



Review
Perilla, take two. The pictures are still the same crappy quality but the food was better than I imagined. Innovative with seasonal ingredients. Mr. Broad's sister exclaimed it was one of her better meals she's ever had. And still no Harold Dietrich siting. Which makes you wonder... How often are the chefs actually at their own restaurant?...
Rating: 10. Again.

Read more...

Thursday, November 13, 2008

One of those "Top Chef" Restaurants...

Perilla

9 Jones Street (btw. West 4 and Bleecker)

So after the fun, amazing, and drank a wee bit too much salami class, we went to Perilla. As Mike said, "I view that as an hour and a half of appetizers. Bring on the entrees."

About three blocks away from Murray's is Perilla, which Susan and I have been wanting to try. It has gotten rave reviews on boards and was opened up by Harold Dieterle, the winner of the first season of Top Chef. However, interesting note, the entire Perilla website has no mention that he won Top Chef. Dietrech's bio doesn't even mention it at all. (Hmm, sounds familiar to Kelly Clarkson forgetting her roots).

We immediately order a bottle of wine; which was fantabulous. Kudos to Susan and her pick of BenMarco Malbec Mendoza 2006. (We wrote it down we all loved it so much). Ordering while drinking can sometimes lead to splurge purchases or everything tasting "Oh wow, this is sooo good". That being said. We had a great meal.

We started off with:
-Seared Diver Sea Scallops, parsnip puree, pumpkin seed praline & orange-hearts of palm salad (Is that what that was?! I thought I didn't like hearts of palm. Oops). The scallops were great, and had a nice grilled flavor. With only 2 scallops, though, it was fine for us but don't expect it to be at an all you can eat buffet.
Foie gras was ordered as well however both were eaten so fast that no pictures were taken. Oops, I have to remember that one.

Onto the entrees and more wine. Excuse the pictures, I am really new to the whole taking pictures in the dark thing. You can tell this place had some "ambiance".
Susan and I both ordered appetizers for our entree.
Me: Spicy Duck Meatballs, mint cavatelli, water spinach, quail egg

Susan: Tai Snapper Tartarcucumber, rice pearls, tom yum broth gelee & pickled green papaya puree

Mr. Broad: Roasted Hampshire Pork 'Porchetta'flageolet beans, escarole, concord grape-chili ragu & green mustard

Mike: Roasted Bacon Wrapped Game Henspaetzle, chestnuts, persimmons & pomegranate molasses

Oh and brussel sprouts for the table-- Roasted Brussels Sprout Leaves dried cranberries, toasted nuts & seeds.

The great thing about going out to dinner with Mike and Susan is that we all pass each other's dishes around so we get a good taste for the restaurant. And that taste was divine.
Review: This restaurant is apparently hard to get into, but leave it for a Wednesday night it's well worth it. I almost wish we didn't have all that salami beforehand so I could try more dishes and appreciate it better! Their wine list was extensive and the service was very attentive. The chef was not there- don't think we didn't ask!- he was in Thailand presumably coming back with other fun concoctions. We can't wait to see what they are...
Rating: A

Read more...

People who visit and do not leave comments

  © Blogger template Psi by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP