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“Perry Street”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	West Village	Break the Bank	Off the Charts

r the night in question. But he nicely encouraged us to come in early to perhaps dine at the bar. I was impressed. Another maitre d’ might have treated us poorly—we were dressed casually, were worn out from the heat, and did not look like people who might be dining at Perry Street. But he was welcoming, even as he told as he would not be able to offer us a table. He’s a pro.

And so Katy and I took his advice and met at 6pm for dinner, feeling a bit like a couple in Florida checking in for an early bird special. When we arrived, the dining room was mostly empty, filled only with a few tables of diners and with the orange haze of the sun as it made its way lower in the sky. The quality of the light—a soft, cool, glow—made me feel like I was somewhere in L.A., not off the West Side Highway in New York City. While we expected to eat at the bar, to our surprise, we were seated immediately at a table for two facing no one other than The New York Times’ restaurant critic, Frank Bruni. He and I should eventually meet. It seems we are always in the same place at the same time. (Frank, if you are reading this, let’s have dinner.)

We had a couple of cocktails (the list includes the signature ginger margarita, which I love), and Katy had her usually gin martini, dry with a twist, which was served in a wide, flat martini glass that resembled more of a swimming pool than a cocktail glass. It was very cool.

The menu at Perry Street is brief, but rewarding. There are eight appetizers, priced from $11.50 for the Heirloom Tomato Salad with House Made Mozzarella and Red Wine Vinaigrette, to $40 for half an ounce of caviar with Warm Hamachi and fine herbs. Entrees also contain a short list of eight choices from $22 for a Cod with Marinated Belle Peppers and Fennel Puree to a $38 Maine Lobster with Baby Beets and Ginger Vinaigrette.

Greg Brainin, Perry Street’s executive chef has been with JGV for years, as his opening chef at places like Spice Market, and V. His pedigree shows. This guy is really good.

We started with a salad that may be one of the most exquisite and exciting compositions I have eaten all summer. It was fashioned from a fresh mound of frisee ($12), twisted into a glossy pile, tossed with crumbled bits of soft tangy goat cheese, set alongside a row of slightly pickled peaches, that were given some sweet heat with the addition of crystallized wasabi. The salad hit all the right notes—you got some tangy, some t ... [more, click below]

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Posted: August 14, 2005

Other restaurants in West Village :
+ Jefferson-- Closed   + La Palapa Rockola   + Sumile   + Babbo   + Tasca   + AOC Bedford   + Home   + The Spotted Pig   + Barbuto   + Numero 26   + Mas   + August   + Alta   + Cru   + Blue Mill Tavern-- Closed   + Employees Only   + Lassi   + Metropol--Closed   + Turks and Frogs   + Bellavitae   + Yumcha-- CLOSED   + Gusto: SEE EARLIER REVIEW; THIS CHEF HAS LEFT GUSTO   + Perry Street   + Home   + Ditch Plains   + The Little Owl   + Cafe Condesa   + Cafe Cluny   + Gusto   + The Waverly Inn   + Morandi   + P*ONG   + Perilla   + Soto   + Market Table   + Centro Vinoteca   + Barfry   + Dell'Anima   + Bar Blanc   + Smith's   + Commerce   + Elettaria   + Bar Q   + Cabrito   + 10 Downing   + Minetta Tavern   + Braeburn   + Scuderia, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Bar Blanc Bistro by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Joseph Leonard   + Bar Henry, by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Kin Shop   + Monument Lane   + Wong   + Bin on Bleecker, by Dara Pollak   + Ristorante Rafele   + Cole's Greenwich Village by Guest Reviewer Claire Jaffe   

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