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“Perry Street”


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

art, some pungent, some sweet, some heat, something with crunch, something soft. It was a beautiful expression of contrast and texture and it was demolished. The Black Pepper Crab Dumplings ($14) were also unexpected. A deep bowl arrived filled with large steamed wontons shaped like square envelopes, each stuffed with a glorious amount of delicate, sweet crabmeat, and showered with snappy snow peas in a high-heat pepper broth that, while terrific, slightly overpowered the crab. It might benefit from taking it down one or two notches.

Entrees were also big on flavor and heat, which I loved. This full throttle approach to flavor shows that Brainin is not afraid to be bold, to bring some spice and zip into such a sedate and mature setting. To me, the raciness of the food is a welcome balance to the room. We had two flawless entrees. The Rack of Lamb ($34)—juicy, pink and just right—was crusted in soft chili crumbs, and plated with a brunoise of artichokes, braised until tender, then tangled up with ribbons of translucent caramelized onions, and plump sweet peas. The sauce was buttery but bright, with a slight lemony tartness to it that was the punch the sauce needed to go from simple buttery sauce to complex, brilliant sauce.

The Crunchy Rabbit ($28) was a lot of fun—a moist cylindrical loin wrapped in a golden bread crumb crust flecked with chiles, set in a sauce flared up with a deep, intense roasted tomato and chile paste. Again, I think this dish might benefit from being toned down just a bit, but those who are fans of big bold flavors will not be disappointed. I loved it, and though it was a total blast to eat. I’m not ashamed to admit that I like to have fun while I am eating. Life is serious enough outside the protective womb of the dining room.

Desserts (all $9) were exquisite. Pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini, of Jean Georges, is on fire here. His Market Strawberries, macerated and slightly saucy, are set on a lean platform of ethereal cream cheese cake, is accompanied by a quenelle of strawberry sorbet that tastes like a fresh basket of summer’s sweetest crop. His Chocolate Pudding arrives looking like something from a Crabtree & Evelyn shop, poured into a deep white bowl, topped with a smooth sheen of fresh whipped cream on one side and a shower of violets on the other, covering up a smooth and creamy and correctly balanced chocolate pudding (not too sweet, not too bitter), layered with crunchy chocolate cookie bits, an aweso ... [more, click below]

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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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