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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: West VillageW 4th St (A, C, E, B, D, F, V)
Christopher St (1)
9th Street (PATH)
Don't Just Wish Someone A Good Holiday, Give Them One With Chili's.
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I really really liked this place and had a very enjoyable experience here. Everything made for a fabulous dinner experience, and I'd love to come back. We missed our dinner reservation, but they accommodated us easily when we walked in with a nice table right by the entrance.
We ordered the Roasted Speck-Wrapped Organic Chicken (with spatzle, persimmons, chestnuts, tatsoi & pomegranate molasses) and Sauteed Triggerfish (with baby carrots, Chinese broccoli, toasted bulgur, panisse & kalamata olive sauce). Very nice presentation and tasted just as amazing. The food was unique and flavors were perfectly balanced so every bite was even better than the last. We ordered a cocktail and riesling each which paired perfectly with our entrees. The desserts looked appetizing but we decided to go across the street to Rocco's bakery (OMG, best bakery ever) which our food tour guide introduced us to earlier in the day.
HIGHLY recommended for NY visitors who want a perfectly satisfying meal and overall great dining experience.
Like many others I am a Top Chef fan. Like the show advertises, it's the "best food show on cable" and I wholeheartedly agree. This was my chance to experience a Top Chef winner's take on food and why he deserved the title of Top Chef. Reservations were made on OpenTable weeks beforehand and my buddies and I were set to have dinner at Harold's pride and joy, Perilla.
We were glad to be seated as soon as we got in from the pouring rain outside. The place is quite dim and the seating can be a little cozy next to other dining parties. I'll just attribute it to Harold trying to get the most out of a small NY space.
The dishes (my meal only):
-Spicy Duck Meatballs w/ Mint Cavatelli, Water Spinach, and Raw Quail Egg: A set of 4 duck meatballs casually surrounded by a flavorful broth. The meatballs had a hint of spiciness but were quite salty for my taste. I enjoyed the tender cavatelli which I confused with gnocchi. Mixing the raw quail egg with the broth made it thicker and heartier. A good dish despite the heavy hand with the salt.
-Tasting of Colorado Lamb: A trio composed of a grilled rack, crispy braised belly, and cheese and parsley sausage. The grilled rack was perfectly cooked and the only one that also didn't have the heavy hand of salt. It could have been a winner but ended up a disappointment for me.
-Chocolate Souffle w/ Coffee Creme Anglaise: The server asked during ordering if we'd be interested in the souffle. I don't miss a chance on a good souffle and this was one of the best. Warm, fluffy and oh-so chocolatey. The coffee creme anglaise that you pour into the warm souffle was an excellent accompaniment. You also get 2 pistachio biscotti to eat with the souffle. It does provide a textural and taste difference to prevent you from chocolate monotony. A highlight and one not to be missed if you get a chance to have it.
I'd say the meal was OK. It may be the fact, as I was informed at the end of the meal by the server, that Harold was not in the kitchen that night due to him being sick. It's possible that if he were in charge of his kitchen the dishes would have turned out better. The service was exceptional and non-intrusive. But the food is what disappointed me.
With so many restaurants in NY who knows if I'll give Perilla another try the next time I'm there. But I might. I am a loyal Top Chef fan after all.
Finally came back here for dinner instead of just brunch.
As usual, ambiance and decor were just nice and quaint and cozy - no problems there. It was fairly early in the night ( around early 6pm) for dinner so not too many people were there and wasn't too noisy.
The food is EXCEPTIONAL.
Spicy Duck Meatballs, as everyone has said - were AMAZING. The texture is nice and soft, kinda melts in your mouth, but not so where it crumbles in your mouth like frozen or just bad meatballs are. Yum.
I had ordered the grilled swordfish and my friend ordered the hanger steak ( medium well, which I would NEVER advise for steak. He'll learn..)
My swordfish was cooked perfectly. I've had swordfish before, but this one was just delicious. The texture was soft and moist, perfectly offset with a hint of lemon taste and a nice potato gnocchi. The dish looked pretty small while coming out, but was very filling.
My friend's hanger steak was pretty tasty, though if he only listened to me how it was to be cooked ( always recommend having steak that is medium-rare). That being said, the steak was only a tad bit dry, but the taste was there within the sauce and in the meat. The mushrooms were beautiful ( since he didn't like mushrooms, I got to eat ALL of it.)
For dessert, we had to pre-order a chocolate souffle. Wow, chocolate souffle was amazingly good. The souffle arrived all nice and soft, with a little cup of coffee to pour inside the souffle. Everything worked beautifully. I never really cared for coffee with my dessert, but pouring the coffee inside the souffle melded very well with the light chocolate taste. Not to mention the little biscotti cookies on the side - YUM.
We got two little ginger cookies to come with the check ( strong hint of ginger in the cookies, which you get used to and tastes different and strange at first.) Dinner at Perilla = EXCELLENT.
The food is somewhat expensive for dinner, but definitely worth it. Come here for special occasions if the price puts you off.
Excellent, excellent, excellent.
I came here, like most, because of the fact that Harold is one of…
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Nothing much to say about the ambiance but the food here is top notch. The crispy wild boar belly melts in you mouth and the risotto is deliciously cheesy and garnished with these awesome little jalapeño soaked grapes. The tagliatelle was a little lame, the red sauce overwhelmed the lobster. I went for the lamb main since it got rave reviews here, while the rack was cooked perfectly, the crispy belly and sausage were a little off in my opinion. The Duck burger which is only the bar menu but can be ordered at the table is the way to go. And what a great surprise when they split your plate for you!
My wife and I had an amazing dinner here when we visited for the weekend a few months ago.
We had a late reservation, and after a short wait for a table to open up we were led to a roomy half-circle banquet booth near the rear of the dining room. The relaxed atmosphere is just what we prefer... dim but not to dim lighting, modern but not too modern furniture and accents, and comfortable seating where you are not sitting in the lap with the patrons at the table next to you.
The wine I ordered by the glass was perfect, and I can remember how I kept saying how great it was with each sip (Of course I can't remember what it was...think it was a Malbec, but it's not on the current wines by the glass menu). The bottle menu has really good finds at great values as well.
We stopped somewhere else before for a couple drinks and a few appetizers, so we just ordered the entrees. I had the spicy lamb with grilled fish(not on the current menu shown on their website) and my wife ordered the duck breast. The lamb was tender and seasoned perfectly with a nice background spiciness and the fish was surprisingly good since I usually don't order seafood. My wife was also very pleased with her order of roasted duck breast.
The entire experience was excellent form the service to the food and drinks. Even though we didn't have any Top Chef sightings, we highly suggest it to anyone looking for a low-key high quality diner in the West Village.
Exquisite in every way, we settled on Perilla after reading the glowing reviews on Yelp and learning of the Top Chef pedigree.
We ordered tagliatelle appetizer, chicken entree, swordfish entree chocolate souffle dessert, donut dessert and 2 glasses of wine. Each dish was delicious beyond our expectations and surprising in both its delivery and creativity.
The chicken was unlike any I've tasted before in fact, unrecognizable as chicken. It was stuffed, wrapped in pancetta and served over pomegranate molasses. The swordfish was equally interesting with a walnut and calamata olive paste. The souffle was pre-order only and well worth the extra few dollars.
Service was prompt and efficient, the atmosphere was alive but intimate and the price was about what I'd expect for such an experience.
We were visiting from San Francisco and I want to thank all the New York yelpers who actually write reviews about the food and not just the experience, it really helped us pick a terrific restaurant.
Excellent food, though the ambience was awfully loud and the service a bit uneven. Perilla's food and drinks were fresh, creative, and delicious; its "seasonal American" cuisine reminds me of Blue Hill. I recommend the tasting of Colorado lamb (grilled rack, crispy braised belly, homemade cheese & parsley sausage - good portion size and lots of variety) and the sticky toffee pudding (amenable to sharing).
My only complaint: while walking into the restaurant on a rainy Friday evening before the restaurant got very busy, my wife and I were greeted by three Perilla employees who were cordial enough, but were not considerate enough to offer to take our drenched coats. Odd, given that they seemed to have some time on their hands. To make matters worse, the very next customer who walked into the door was greeted warmly with "may I take your coat?" This was followed by another customer who was also offered coat service.
At this price point, Perilla shouldn't require any coaching on how to behave toward customers. I think this omission violates the obvious maxim, "Never acknowledge any one guest over and above any other. All guests are equal." (See #46, http://boss.blogs.nyti...).
I still give it four stars because the food is quite good, but with so much exceptional food (and service) in this city, I'm not sure Perilla merits a second visit.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IS A PERSONAL AD.
WM seeks like minded individuals with love of gamey meats and a good pastry chef.
Turn Ons:
- Spicy Duck Meatballs with Quail Egg
- Braised Wild Boar Belly
- Tasting of Colorado Lamb (Lamb Sausage with Sage, Rack of Lamb, Lamb Belly Tempura)
- Sticky Toffee Pudding with Poached Pear
- People who lick the plate of their Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Staff that splits 2 appetizers and a main course in half while keeping the presentation fantastic.
Turn Offs:
- The wait I have to endure until I come back to try the Duck Burger at the bar
If my "ons" turn YOU on, we will probably get a long great.
Thanks to Perilla and Jane K's recco for making this personal ad a reality.
Perilla is pronounced with the "L"s. For those of you who don't know. I didn't, and we had to ask the server. So to help you not look as ignorant as I did: "Puh-rill-uh".
On to more important matters, my experience at Perilla was amazing. We had a late reservation, and had covered a lot of ground in New York that day, so we came in starving. We were seated instantly, and the service was great the rest of the night as well. The space was intimate, but not crowded, and the room was darkly lit with a modern feel.
The Duck Meatballs were as advertised on Yelp. Even my friend who has never had duck before loved them. But we also had two other equally as scrumptious appetizers: Crab and Sea Urchin salad, and a Tomato and Mozzarella dish that was a nightly special. Now I see why everyone raves about those Hampton Tomatoes.
The meals were not quite the highlight as the appetizers, but still delicious. I had a Three-way with Lamb. Oops, perhaps I should rephrase: Tasting of Colorado Lamb - Three Ways. Regardless, it was quite a sensual experience. The only downer was the Lamb sausage where the presentation looked rather like something you find in a dog park.
The souffle for dessert was light and fluffy, yet decadent. A nice capper to the meal. We even spotted Chef Harold at the bar, and I hear he can be quite reclusive. All in all, a dining experience Tom and Padma could love.
This restaurant makes me wish I were rich and still lived in New York. I went here last March, before I was a Yelper, and every time I watch a current episode of Top Chef, I think of Perilla.
I went with two friends who are huge foodies and we each got different appetizers, different entrees and different desserts and then shared. It was an amazing dining experience. I recall that we had the falafel balls, duck meatballs and a pork belly appetizer which were all excellent and a couple are still, I see, on the menu. For dinner, I believe I had a lamb dish, which was wonderful and one of my friends had a steak. It was served with the sauteed spinach dish that chef, Harold Dieterle, made in the Top Chef finale. I was ecstatic when my friend, David, pointed that out to me. If you are a Top Chef fanatic like me, there is a peculiar thrill to eating an actual dish you watched Tom and Padma judge.
For dessert, I recall we had the vanilla scented doughnuts, which sounded ridiculous but were amazing. We also may have had the toffee pudding. It kind of doesn't matter. We loved everything we ate.
The wines were also excellent and well-recommended. Service was exceptional. The ambience is whatever you want it to be. I was there with two gay men and didn't feel at all awkward in an "overly romantic" setting. Perilla could be romantic or fun for a group or business-casual. It's really up to you.
Where do I even begin? My roommate's cousin is the pastry chef here. So, we have been twice this year.
Perilla is tucked away on Jones Street, it's small, but the ambience is perfect for dinner with parents, a romantic date, or a bottle of wine and good food with friends. It is cozy and intimate.
The food is bloody orgasmic (maybe not the best image to go with the thought of food, but good lord, I'm salivating just thinking about the risotto).
Here is what you should get:
-Falafel balls
-Calamari
-RISOTTO (creamiest and best we have ever tasted)
-Three little pigs entree
-Sorbet
-Sauteed spinach
-Everything
The wine was excellent. We got a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet and both were delish.
I will be back, not only with the roomie, but anytime I have the extra money to go (or can sucker some dude into taking me here).
This was my first dinner in NYC and everything was on point. The decor and ambiance in Perilla is very inviting and cozy. When we arrived for our reservation, our table was not ready yet so we took a seat at the bar and ordered some cocktails. Our table wasn't ready until about 15 minutes after our reservation, so the manager told us that our first round of drinks were on the house. This was a pleasant surprise, since we didn't mind waiting for the table since we weren't in a hurry.
It was pretty late that we were dining and when we requested the tasting menu, the chef said that it was too late for us to have that. We were understanding of this, so we ordered several appetizers: Spicy Duck Meatballs, Crispy Wild Boar Belly, and the special which was a deconstructed caprese. They were all pretty phenomenal. The duck meatballs definitely lived up to the hype that they have received on other Yelp reviews.
Before the main courses, the waiter served us each a plate of mushroom ravioli's with a brown butter sage sauce topped with shaved truffles, compliments of the chef. (This was most likely due to the fact that we couldn't order the tasting menu). They were delicious! Again, we were pleasantly surprised by the level of hospitality offered by Perilla.
For my main course, I ordered the trio of lamb. The rack was pretty good, and the other two servings were okay (duck sausage and braised belly). We also ordered the Speck Wrapped Organic Chicken which was a little on the salty side and the Roasted Duck which was well cooked and very tender.
Unfortunately, we were too full to order dessert and the crowd was starting to thin out since it was so late. I look forward to visiting Perilla again on my next trip to New York. All in all, we received exceptional service and the food was a great representation of hearty, yet sophisticated seasonal American cuisine.
I very honestly walked in with high expectations, but left a little less than satisfied. Not saying that the food or service was terrible, but maybe I shouldn't have walked in with any expectations.
I had read amazing reviews about Perilla, and was looking forward to the fact that this was Chef Harold's restaurant.
Our visit began with a BANG. The first course was spicy duck meatballs with quail egg. That dish was just nothing short of wonderful. We also ordered the risotto and local creamed corn as sides. They were both equally delicious.
Then, came the drop from my food high.
After having some wonderful flavors from all 3 of the initial dishes, I could hardly wait for our main courses.
I had ordered the Poached Cod, Brian ordered the Tastings of the 3 Little Pigs. I was so disappointed I could have cried. That may sound a little melodramatic, but I take my food very seriously. I really enjoy fish, and really any seafood. But that Cod was barely edible. Finally by eating the accompanied kalamata olives to mask the extremely fishy flavor, I was able to eat at least half. It also came with an addition of this crunchy squid type of side, that I did not care for at all.
Brian fared better than I. I actually thought his 3 tastings were very good, although the portions were rather large, so after awhile, the flavors became boring. Eating shouldn't bore you?
I almost want to come back and give this restaurant another try. But for a meal that costs over $100, it should have persuaded me to stay the first time.
Sad Face.
I feel horrible because it was two years ago that M and I went to Perilla for a special meal out so I can't do into what every dish was and the nuances of the flavors and all that.
I can say that it was one of my top 3 meals in 2007 and made for a wonderful night. The service was excellent and the food was flawless and very inventive.
If you haven't been, you're missing out big time.
Perilla is the sort of restaurant I wish we have where we live in LA- intimate, classy, a great vibe, wonderful service, and delicious food. The restaurant is a lovely little place, romantic but welcoming and completely unpretentious. There was something about it that made me long for something even remotely similar close to home, the kind of stand by you know would be perfect for date night.
We were a few minutes late for our reservation but the hostess smiled graciously and led us to the table they had set up towards the back of the room. There were low murmurings, the clinking of glasses, and contentment on every diner's face. It looked like it was going to be a good meal.
The two of us shared the Peekytoe Crab and Sea Urchin Salad, Hand Cut Tagliatelle, Spicy Duck Meatballs, and the Colorado Lamb Tasting. They had a great wine list but it was nice to see they offered other options besides alcohol, one of which was GUS (Grown Up Soda), a drier and less sweet version of soda with natural flavors. After a previous night of too much fun, a non alcoholic drink was a welcoming alternative. What I liked a lot about Perilla was the servers and kitchen take a lot of time to make sure your food is prepared in a way that you can share, splitting plates and putting the dishes in an order where everything can be enjoyed the way it should be.
The Peekytoe Crab and Sea Urchin Salad came garnished with American caviar, avocado mousse, toasted rice pearls, and a ginger dressing. The salad was refreshing with clean flavors of the sea intermingling with the richness of silky avocado and a rich crab cream. The caviar gave good textural contrast with its salt pops and the dish was thoroughly delicious. The Hand Cut Tagliatelle had a good bite and came with generous chunks of Maine lobster, cubes of guanciale, peppery holy basil, in a tangy and spicy Fra Diavolo sauce. This was also quite good and I would have enjoyed it as a main dish as well. The Spicy Duck Meatballs seems to be a signature item on the menu but although I found the flavors appealing, the meatballs were a bit soft for my liking since I prefer mine with a bit of a crust. I did like the cracked quail egg nestled in the pocket of the meatballs and thought it was a nice touch, especially mixed in with the broth. Lastly, the Colorado Lamb Tasting was very interesting. The Grilled Rack of Lamb was so tender, your teeth simply slid into the meat. It was sitting atop a wonderful cheesy orzo which complemented the meat very well. The Braised Lamb Belly was encased in a deep fried bean curd sheet and came with a sweet chili sauce that tasted too close to Orange Chicked for me to appreciate much although the richness of the belly was nice. The Homemade Cheese and Parsley Lamb Sausage was a bit gamey but when paired with the fennel and apple slaw it came topped with, the meat mellowed out a bit and the sour crunch of the apples cut through perfectly. The dishes were all innovative and delicious, some definitely more than others, but welcoming all the same.
The meal was a memorable and satisfying one and I'll definitely be looking back at it with fondness. With so many restaurants in NYC on my list for future visits, I'm not sure I'd come back but if I were a local resident, there is no doubt I would over and over again.
Boys- if you're looking for a nice, intimate place to take your special woman for dinner, Perilla should surely be on your list. I can speak from experience as I was brought here by my boyfriend for my birthday and it was marvelous.
Perilla has an immediately calming atmosphere, an important aspect of a restaurant for people like me who walked too fast on the way there and got easily irritated by subway riders popping their gum and chewing loudly. Ahhhh, fresh breath of Perilla.
To start, we ordered the Peekytoe Crab & Sea Urchin Salad and the Buffalo mozzarella and Heirloom Tomato Salad special. Sea Urchin - not so much. Could have used way more crab and way less sea urchin sauce. I was a sea urchin first-timer, so it was a little overwhelming when I was expecting more crab and a drizzle of urchin, but it was very much the opposite. However, buffalo mozzarella can never do me wrong and it tasted just as wonderful as I expected, especially with my favorite tomato.
For entrees we ordered the Steamed Red Snapper and the Grilled Prime Creekstone Hanger Steak. The red snapper dish was like gourmet Thai food with the cashews and bok choy, which is good since I love Thai food. It was a little different too since I'm used to red snapper prepared in a more southwestern manner. The hanger steak was cooked to perfection and tasted great with a class of Malbec. The spinach pairing was per the usual, but very good, nonetheless.
For a side we ordered the Farro Risotto which really went well with both of our entrees. The grapes added a pleasantly unexpected pop of flavor.
And finally for dessert we had the grown-up version of a s'more. A very rich and thick chocolate gelato was paired with it, almost like pudding.
I was so full by the end of this meal that I thought if I even opened my mouth to speak it would all come spurting out. I couldn't even finish my wine and I love Malbec. It takes a special place to make me ignore my instincts and devour that much food and stuff it into every inch of my body possible.
Lovely place, I would love to return and try more.
Anytime I can eat in the village, I automatically give an extra star. We had a great dinner here on a Sunday night. The space is very nice and our entrees, the Sea bass and hangar steak were incredible.
Most impressive for the night was the service. Every employee we encountered, the host, waiters, bartender... just had such great attitudes. It was a very pleasurable evening.
Thanks Perrilla!
Came here for brunch on Sunday and was surprised at how quiet it was Reservations for part of 4 at 1:30pm. We sat down at the booth and proceeded to order the following:
Spicy duck burger
Corned Beef Hash
Grits
Machego Pizette
Spicy fries
Honestly, we unanimously thought the Grits was the best. Runny but tasty! My corned beef hash was kinda small portioned and nothing like the corned beef of the canned sort (which was kind of what I was expecting...)
In general, I liked the ambience - but I'm not sure I liked the brunch menu. I'll be back for lunch/dinner. But I had a great time with good friends :D
What the hell was going on in my entree? I ordered sea bass with heirloom tomatoes, basil, and quinoa. It tasted like a soy sauce based, saccharine, pesto sauce mess. This plate strove to be too complex and interesting. I will say that my fish was cooked perfectly and had a delightful sear.
I tasted my friends entrees as well. One was a mediocre plate of squash ravioli and the other a ham-chicken hybrid coated in a sugary syrup of nuts. Very, very strange. The one highlight of the meal was a nice duck breast in a spicy sauce that was completely acceptable (other than the fact that popcorn was added to the dish, and the kernel experience made it an unpleasant addition).
Clearly, this place is frequented by individuals hoping to run into the Top Chef winner - I would not recommend it to anyone seeking a good meal.
On our first night on the wife and my NY vacation we booked rsvp on opentable at Perilla. We got there early, but were promptly seated.
We ordered the Spicy Duck Meatballs, Grilled Prime Creekstone Hanger Steak, Farro Risotto. Everything tasted good, but something about the whole meal didn't seem so spectacular. It wouldn't be exactly somewhere i would recommend a friend visiting that they would HAVE to try.
Perilla is amazing. I fell in love with everything about this place. Great decor. Awesome menu, I could have ordered everything on it. Reasonably priced wine list, there were not too many bottles over $50. Most places you are trying to find something under $50. The food was out of control and I'd say Michelin worthy.
My girlfriend and I got here at 6:15p on a Saturday without a reservation and were seating at a table with no wait. I am Not sure if we timed this right or if we just got lucky. There is also a bar menu written on a board at the bar. I didn't notice this until after I placed my order.
Pork belly was very good. I would have liked it more crispy though. Spicy duck meatballs were spicy without the heat. It reminded me of an Asian spice like the rooster sauce.
Hanger steak had an unbelievably tasty char on it. The tasting of lamb was amazing. The side of red cabbage was the best I've ever had. My girlfriend agreed and we both have German families.
Everything on every plate compliment the main components wonderfully.
The chocolate souffle with coffee creme anglaise was seriously the best I've ever had and Souffle is my favourite desert.
I love Perilla.
It has been a long time since I had a rib eye steak made to utmost perfection that made me sighed at each bite disappearing down my throat... five stars are simply not enough to express my affection for the culinary skills that went into the rib eye steak and lamb dishes my friends and I shared this weekend (i'd say the steak gets a 7).
Every single bite of the steak was filled with juices, richness and wholesome "beef" flavors, and to create a variation in the flavors, the steak was accompanied by perfect char, herb butter and sauce. I often experience a sensation similar to tiredness mixed with disgust toward the end of my steak eating. But that scenario definitely didn't happen this time.
Between the steak and the lamb, the winner was obvious for me, but I'd definitely give this lamb dish a 5.5 star (with the steak being 7 and all, it wins). The crispy lamb belly practically melted in my mouth, in a very good way. I loved the crispy layer on top of the meat that gave the extremely tender and flavorful belly a slight crunch. The roasted rack of lamb, although wasn't anything original, was simply cooked to perfection. The lamb/cheese sausage impressed me the least among the three but the taste was good, it was made well.
The appetizers we got was a salad and the hand cut tagliatelle with lobster. The salad was just a salad, good, but it ought to be. The tagliatelle was a cute dish; the sauce was definitely delicious thanks to the fresh lobster chunks and vegetables in it. For dessert we got a special chocolate souffle with this thick coffee sauce, it was the perfect ending to our meal. The chocolate souffle was very chocolaty, creamy but light at the same time. It wasn't too sweet, and the chocolate and the coffee together created a wonderful aroma in my mouth that cleared all the grease and heaviness from our entrees. I was also happy to receive oatmeal cookies from the chefs by the end of the meal--even that was really yummy!
I can't wait to go again and try the other dishes.
How do you go from a full on Spanish luncheon to a full on prix fixe dinner? Simple. I had half of my entree boxed up to go. My lunch companions thought it could not be done. I wasn't going to pass up a great deal. Overlooking the options at Perilla, my friend and I thought the prix fixe menu was the best way to go. At $35/head, they are practically giving away food since an entree costs about $27.
For appetizers we had the Steamed Bouchot Mussels and Beef Bresaola & Rosemary Grissini Salad. The mussels tasted like mussels and the salad had an army of bresaola on it. The dish certainly wasn't dainty or light. It was pretty hearty and I would have preferred it to be more balanced. I did enjoy the roasted fig dressing as it was the perfect touch to the arugula. Plus there were quite a few large pieces of figs on my plate. I love figs.
For entrees we had the Thai Style Fried Chicken and Hanger Steak. What exactly made the fried chicken Thai? No idea. There was "chili jam" on our plates which we mistook for peanut sauce. The chicken was cooked perfectly with an awesome coating. I ordered dark meat and I accidentally got my friend's white meat. The white meat was pretty juicy and very tasty. I wonder if they soaked the chicken in a salt bath. My friend's hubby got the steak and he said it was alright. The outside was a bit too charred but the inside was tender. The man loves steak and he wasn't glowing about the steak at Perilla. Portions are on the large side at Perilla. It's down home cooking.
For dessert we had the S'mores and Peach Cobbler. The s'more was exactly that- a giant s'more on a platter accompanied by something that looked like a mouse. Now that I am reading over the menu, I see that it was actually chocolate gelato. We just thought it was dark chocolate mousse. The s'more was great and we ate all of it. Even better was the peach cobbler. It was served in a tiny tin pan and had a top biscuit like crust. The peach cobbler was hot and it was cooled by vanilla ice cream. It was a real winner and no one was shy about digging in. We were also served oatmeal cookies. Mmm. It was just like Mrs. Fields nibblers.
The service at Perilla is okay. Our waiter was a little slow and at times he seemed to have blacked out. He had moments where he forgot we ordered prix fixe but he was really good about our drinks. I asked for water refills about five times. Oh and about drinks at Perilla, I give those a thumbs up. My friend's hubby had a strawberry mojito and it smelled really good. Then he had coffee at dessert and their coffee smelled amazing as well. Really strong fragrances over here at Perilla.
Speaking of fragrances, I may not know what made the fried chicken Thai, but I think I do know what made it a little asian. I just reheated my chicken and I think that "chili jam" may contain some bagoong. There is no mistaking that smell. Ugh. Yesterday I would have given Perilla four stars. Today they are definitely three. Decent restaurant but plenty of room for improvement.
How do I get rid of this smell? It's that bad.
one of the few times when my high expectations were actually met. I was definitely blown away and super impressed with my dining experience at Perilla. Amazing doesn't even come close to describing the food! For the most part, 4 very happy, and satisfied girls were dining mostly in silence, savoring the wonderful food.
Between 4 girls (3 of which are yelpers!) we opted to share two appetizers and 3 entrees. The appetizers were good, but nothing really stood out - The entrees were unbelievable. We ordered the prime rib (for two) and the colorado lamb. Never have I had lamb that was juicy and tender, the meat melts in your mouth, and the seasoning is absolutely perfect, highlighting and enhancing the lamb's flavor. The prime rib came with two sides - gnocchi and asparagus. Both were delicious, I loved how the chef chose to pan fry the gnocchi, it was something different and unexpected. The portion of the prime rib was huge, and the meat was cooked to perfection. Every bite was tender and juicy, not at all tough or difficult to chew. I enjoyed it even though I'm not usually a big meat lover.
Finally, a souffle as the finish to our wonderful meal.
Stellar restaurant - too bad the wait was so long! Never will i consider doing a walk in again.
Crispy Wild Boar Belly
Spicy Duck Meatballs
Grilled Prime Creekstone Hanger Steak
Stripped Bass (daily special if I remember correctly)
really memorable dinner and very reasonable price.
I went out for dinner here this past friday and it was quite an experience. I ordered the Pork Belly, Edamame Falafel Balls, and the stripped bass with the short ribs. Everything on the menu is below $30 and for top of the line cuisine, and thats a bargain. I would definitely make a return trip to this restaurant.
I took my family to Perilla for my cousin's birthday the other week. The five us were seated promptly at a comfy booth and proceeded to have a great dinner. The thing I liked about Perilla was that their menu wasn't too extensive so ordering an app, entree, and dessert for everyone gave us a great tasting for what Perilla had to offer.
I really enjoyed the tagliatelle with fra diavolo sauce as an appetizer. The dish was so flavorful that it got my taste buds all riled up and ready for the rest of the meal. My entrée which was the tasting of Colorado lamb was superb. The different preparations of the lamb really showcased how versatile lamb can be. As for dessert the toffee pudding was a great way to finish the meal. It satisfied my sweet tooth without being overtly sweet.
Everyone at the table enjoyed their meals including my dad who tends to be extremely finicky about food and service. So not having to listen to him critique everything along with the food, ambiance and service is the reason I'm giving Perilla a solid 4 stars
I dined here not long after they opened (a friend lived nearby at the time). Of course I knew of Howard from TC.
Overall the experience was very good; Howard's stated aspiration was for Perilla to be a solid neighborhood place and I think he has not only hit the mark, but exceeded it. Service was better than expected and the waygu beef was, of course, excellent. The raw hamachi was great too.
Really stellar.
I went last night for a special occasion dinner and Perilla did not let us down. I was a little bummed that we had to wait almost a half hour for our reservation to be honored, but it was quickly forgotten with the delicious parade of meat that started with spicy duck meatballs, commenced with crispy lambs belly, and ended in a fanfare of pork 3 ways (pate, tenderloin(?), pork belly wrapped in pork rind) and a perfect duck breast garnished with popcorn popped in duck fat.
But the star of the meal was the farro risotto, which might be one of my all-time favorite dishes. I usually don't even LIKE the pasta/rice/risotto family, but the farro brings a nutty taste and al dente texture. The artichoke pieces swimming in a rich, salty cheesiness was out of this world.
After gorging ourselves on the meat/risotto and a bottle of champagne, we were utterly shocked to see the bill total $50 less than we anticipated. For a special occasion, it was really reasonable and delicious - the food was as good as a restaurant that charges 2x the price. We will definitely be back for any excuse of a special occasion!
Came here for my birthday dinner. Perillawas a solid pick, thanks to yelp. I was excited to go to a restaurant by a Top Chef person. The service was great. Not pushy, we were a large group being extra loud and definitely taking our time about things, but we never felt rushed, though he struggled to get us to settle down long enough to order. He was really patient.
Among us, we had the triplet of lamb, which included lamb belly, lamb sausage, and rack of lamb; hanger steak; sea bass, duck breast, and more. We shared the duck meatballs appetizer.
The quality of the food was clearly high level. In some cases though, the flavors did not mix well. Individually, the flavors were awesome. But some of them felt kind of awkward in the plate. The desserts were also a little ho hum. 3.5 stars overall.
I was very satisfied with the meal, it was great. But, given my expectations and the price, I was not blown away.
The food was great. We missed our reservation by 20 minutes (NYC taxi driver totally took us to a wrong place). They gave our table to some other walk in diners. But they worked something out for us and gave us another table, but we have to finish our dinner in 1 hour and half.
Appetizer: Special and hamachi
Entry: Three little pig
dessert: peach cobbler and teacake
All of them are really good and yummy!!!!
Perilla is a great, intimate space tucked into the west village on Jones Street. The vibe and mood is really cozy as it is not very big and it is lit by candles and soft lighting. It is classy and romantic, but not pretentious with somewhat of a neighborhood feel. The tables were comfortable and private, but I woudl have had no problem sitting at the bar either.
We had reservations (recommended) and got there a bit early. The staff was super friendly and we had a couple of the gourmet cocktails in the bar area as we waited. The cocktail menu was creative and I had the Cool Cuke which was a great refreshing vodka cocktail.
Once we were seated, our server was incredibly friendly and attentative. We had an order of the spicy duckmeatballs for an appetizer and while I felt they may have been slightly undercooked, they were fantastic and a great start to the meal. My girlfriend and I both had a fish dish as I had the Trout and she had the Bass. Both dishes were fantastic..the fish was cooked great and mine came with brussel sprouts and mushrooms which were very well done. We asked the server for her recommendations on a white wine and she recommended a fantastic one (name escapes me) and was very quick with ideas. She also helped us find a great wine bar in the village after our meal.
The only downside to the dinner was dessert. Both being huge fans of pumpkin, we ordered the pumpkin pecan pie. It was ok. The crust was somewhat overpowering and there wasn't alot of pumpkin taste. I think becuase everything else was so fantastic, our expectations were pretty high on dessert.
In any event, I highly recommend Perilla. If I lived in the West Village, I would certainly be a fixture there.
So I have mixed views of my Perilla experience. Wanted to come here for a longgggg while but kept hearing "i'm disappointed" reviews so I hesitated. Finally a friend told me she went and had a good experience there, so I decided it was time. (Plus I got a $20 Open Table gift certificate so Perilla seemed like a great place to use it.)
First off: Love the 3 Little Pigs dish!
Berkshire tenderloin, crispy wild boar belly & spicy hampshire pork booty pate... YES PLEASE! I particularly LOVED the crispy wild boar belly (I'll be thinking about that one for a longggg time!). My bf got the steak - which was mediocre...it was burnt on the ends like everyone describes.
For appetizers, we got Raw Hamachi and Duck Meatballs. The hamachi didn't have much of a flavor and I won't be ordering it again here. It's pretty generic raw fish and NOT worth the $14. The duck meatballs were great but had a somewhat overwhelming herby/minty flavor.
For dessert, got some Toasted Almond Sundae. It was decent but not mind blowing. However, I don't usually like dessert so I'm not the right person to be making an authoritative dessert assertion.
All in all, I was expecting more overall (as a big Top Chef fanatic!) but the 3 Little Pigs was to die for. Everything else was a bit disappointing.
As I've said before I'm a huge Top Chef junkie, I couldn't come to New York without stopping by Perilla. It was one of two "must do's" for this trip.
We arrived early and had to wait a few minutes for our table, but we were seated right around our reservation time. The service was attentive without hovering. I had the hamachi appetizer, the hanger steak entree, and the s'more for dessert. My dining companion had the gnudi, risotto, and doughnuts. The risotto was definitely the biggest hit at the table, though everything was good.
The highlight of the evening was getting to meet Harold. He came out to speak to another table and I observed to our waiter that I was a fan. He said we could go back in the kitchen and say hi provided it wasn't busy. He even brought a menu for Harold to sign. He was very nice and happy to talk with us. I've had experiences in the past where chefs grudgingly dealt with diners. It definitely wasn't the case here.
So my first night in New York City... and Perilla made me want to move there! The first stop on our Top Chef Challenge and hands-down the best, was the fabulous Perilla. The restaurant was adorable, very quaint and well decorated. Our server was wonderful, attentive without being annoying and was very helpful when we ordered giving us honest suggestions.
We started with a bottle of wine which took us a while to decide on because of the extensive list. I was excited to start with the Duck meatballs because I had read so much about them on YELP and they were absolutely wonderful. Typically we don't order Duck, but they were perfect! Next we split the salad special which was a Caprese salad with this fresh Mozzarella that was to die for! On to our entree, we shared the Hanger Steak and the appetizer portion of the Vermont Goat Cheese Tortellini. The steak was wonderful and the portion was just right for 2. The Tortellini was good, but not my favorite part of the meal.
With the food being so delicious we had to try dessert and the peach cobbler was worth the stomach ache I had from overeating! I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to those living or visiting New York. It was a well made, well served dinner at a beautiful restaurant.
Here is a case of a Yelp overhyping a place in my book. I was definitely expecting something incredible- and though it was good- I was slightly disappointed with the results. I don't know if my standards were higher, only because I didn't come in already with great respect for the chef. I watched Top Chef back in the day, but didn't come here on count of him- and sadly his reputation alone can't save the overall experience.
Firstly, the salad was good. Hearts of Palm, some nuts- I don't think the Lychees fit particularly well, but it was a good experience. I ordered the "three little pigs," and definitely enjoyed each of the three preparations. The pork tenderloin was tender and perfect. The pork belly was delicious and tender, but not too fatty- a definite victory when working with that kind cut. The pate was interesting, and deliciously spicy. I ordered a side of the 3 bean salad, thinking I needed something other than just pork for dinner, and I was gravely disappointed. It was rather dissonant with the dressing just not tasting right with the beans. It had a slightly too sweet, but not flavorful enough
sort of thing going on.
My partner in crime had the Thai chicken breast which was perhaps one of the most disappointing plates I've seen come out of a restaurant. Sure the chicken was moist, but I would expect any restaurant able to pull off fried chicken with a degree of success. I just expected something better, especially for a place of this price, and a place with this much praise.
The dessert was hit or miss. My sorbets were 2 for 3. Strawberry and Blueberry were delicate and sweet, tasted like sorbet equivalents of IHOP syrups. The peach sorbet on the other hand tasted bland and almost bad. I thought I might have been crazy, but the table next to us ordered the same dessert and had the same complaints (yes, they were loud, so I did overhear...)
Overall, this place is good, but not great- and likely rated between a half star to full star higher than the restaurant deserves on Yelp just because of the star power back in the kitchen.
Ventured to Perilla on the first night of a recent business trip to NYC in August 2009. My husband did a great job of scouting and recommending this place to me and my co-workers. Our reservation was for 9:00 pm and it was perfect timing after flying in, to get to our hotel and cab it over to Perilla.
*Side note for first time visitors to NY - There are 3 different 'Jones Street' in Manhattan...per our cabbie who rolled his eyes at me when I gave him the address...hm......attitude [I'm annoyed but not surprised].
Once he kicked us to the curb at 9 Jones St. and we got inside the restaurant, things turned for the better. The decor and size of Perilla is charming with a cool vibe, low lighting, and good usage of color. There are comfy looking booths on the left and tables/chairs/benches on the right. We were seated immediately upon arrival and had some yummy cocktails. The service was very good, welcoming and not pretentious in the least, and our server was well versed in food and wine.
We started with the Spicy Duck Meatballs...seasoning was perfect, just spicy enough. Good texture, sauce was delicious. Perfect to share with a table of 4.
For entrees two of us chose the 'Three Little Pigs' which was Berkshire pork done 3 days and each way was done beautifully. Especially the piece that was wrapped in crackling...just thinking about it makes the salivary glands go to work! The other two in our group had the Grilled Hangar Steak, I managed to wrangle a piece and it was quite tender and delicious...must have been, since it was gone before I could get another piece (boo). We only chose one side dish, the creamed local corn, sounds ho-hum...but was far from it, sweet with whole kernels left that added a great crunch and texture contrast.
Kudos to the chef, winner of Top Chef season 1, Harold D., who I spied walking through the restaurant during our dinner. His food is subtle yet flavorful, the various sauces really shine in each dish.
We finished dinner with a cheese platter, 5 varieties. Each was delicious and interesting in flavor profiles and textures. Paired with the red wine we selected, it was a great way to end a wonderful meal on my first night in NYC.
Excellent...Perilla is definitely worth a visit.
Alert: I may possibly have had the best dish of my life at Perilla. Read on.
I went to Perilla for dinner with high expectations and wow wow wow. We walked in on a Wednesday night at 8:45 and they had a table for us. I was told that Top Chef's Harold was in the kitchen and is actually in there most nights (I don't care too much about this type of thing, but it is kind of cool I guess). The atmosphere in here is pretty cute, nothing too special, but pleasant, and the street it's on is super charming. The food however, is special. And very. I started with the lamb belly appetizer. Ladies and gentlemen, this dish belongs in some hall of fame. Or a museum of some kind. Regardless, this dish needs to be celebrated. It should be a national holiday. It came with crushed peas and some kind of fruity, peach jam. The flavors, the textures, the sheer brilliance of this dish boggles the mind. Note--don't share, order your own.
For the main course I had the ricotta black truffle gnudis. Yum. They were so well done and so delicate yet big and filling. My friend had the snapper which I tried a bite of and thought it was good. She ate the whole thing and gave it 5 stars. We passed on dessert but saw people eating s'mores which I'll definitely order next time. They have a great tasting menu for the summer which is $35 pre-fixe and had some great offerings EXCEPT no lamb belly, so pass up the menu or order lamb belly as an additional appetizer. Trust me folks. This food is really as good as it gets.
In closing, I must say that we were not happy with our waitress. She seemed lifeless, reluctant to recommend anything or elaborate on describing the dishes. She also gave us attitude and was generally really unfriendly and spoke so quietly she was hard to hear. Not sure why she's working at a top notch restaurant such as this but she really put a damper on the experience. The fact that I'm still giving this restaurant five stars is on the strength of the food alone which is a pretty difficult feat to accomplish.
Yes, I am another Top Chef fan who wanted to try Perilla during my short visit to NYC. I wasn't sure what to expect but read great reviews on Yelp and it certainly lived up to its many well deserved praises! Arrived around 10:30 pm on a busy Friday night. It's a dimly lit, long and narrow room buzzing with chatter. It had a great vibe without being pretentious.
Bread arrived with delicious aromatic olive oil for dipping. We had the "Three Little Pigs" with Berkshire tenderloin, boar belly rillettes & crispy suckling pig ear salad. And the "Grilled Hudson Valley Quail" red cabbage, spaetzle, pistachios, wolfberries & poultry-mead jus. And added a side of the Farro Risotto artichoke confit, parmesan & chili-grape salad.
The "three little pigs" was absolutely divine! Well seasoned, tender and moist Berkshire pork is a pleasure to eat when it's cooked as perfectly as it was at Perilla. The quail was also yummy - crisp skin yet the meat remained moist. We loved the farro risotto, it was so rich and creamy...we would've loved another serving but we were so full. I loved the addition of the grapes as it helped to balance out the richness and the dish.
Service was friendly without being overly attentive. And yes, Harold in the kitchen as I saw him walking through the restaurant later that night.
Great meal! I will definitely return for another meal!
I was underwhelmed by parts of the dining experience, and excited about others. It all evened out to be a "eh" night of food.
Salad - Good! Delicious! I love cheese. I love lychee. It was a match made in heaven.
Chicken - A confusing, sweet "Thai" sauce. Very meh.
Smores - The chocolate ice cream sorbet whatever was AMAZING. The marshmallow tasted like fluff, in a bad way.
Drinks - I had a muddled peach and brandy thingie. It was ok, not very strong.
The dining experience itself wasn't bad. What was really annoying is that we had a later dinner, and while we were done eating around 1045, it was another 45 min or so before we got the check. It took this long because not a single waiter/ess was in our area of the dining room or came over. Yeah, it's late, don't you want to get us out so you can go home? Ugh.
Neighborhood: West Village
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: West Village
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: West Village
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
Category: American (New)
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