Perla
Perla, the new Italian restaurant owned by Gabe Stulman (Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey's Grocery, Fedora), opened last week at 24 Minetta Lane in the space formerly occupied by Bellavitae.
The chef is Michael Toscano, formerly of Babbo and Manzo, and the menu is rustic, hearty, and, based on my first visit, quite delicious. I liked the garganelli with tripe (simmered into the sauce so the texture wasn't discernible), guanciale (crisped like lardons), and tomato. Also enjoyed the duck breast and duck leg confit with cabbage and pancetta. I thought it was even better than the duck at Babbo and Scarpetta which I also like a lot.
The restaurant is already packed but you can get the full menu at the bar. Service is efficient and very friendly. It's probably not the place to go if you want a quiet dinner but for something new and lively Perla is worth a visit.
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Perla
24 Minetta Ln, New York, NY 10012
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went there this past saturday night. food was very very good-(well the steak a tad chewy.-but one problem-don't sit in the room that's closest to the kitchen-too hot on a summer night-the moment i walked in and hit the wall of heat, i knew i was in trouble-i should have requested a table in the room closet to the front door-but otherwise great especially the duck and beef tongue!
›12 Replies
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re: foodwhisperer
Okay, so went back to Perla the day before July 4th for a celebration dinner with my wife (we found out we were pregnant) and a few additional comments.
The place continues to serve up excellent food and very good service. We were seated in the front section and managed to get a table straight away (we arrived quite early (6pm)) and the place proceeded to fill up quickly around us.
Dishes had:
1. wild green salad with gorganzola, pistachios and raspberrys (deliciously fresh and a great start to meal especially with the current wave of heat we are experiencing)
2. crispy pigs ears (favourite dish of the night. Wonderfully crispy and chewy/gelatinous - definitely a must order)
3. Garganelli with tripe and guanciale (at first, I was disappointed as I expected the tripe to be more pronounced - it is cooked and muted with vanilla as most tripe should be, but is then passed through a grinder and cooked through the sauce. However, as I continued to eat, the crispy morsels of guanciale and the wonderful tomato based sauce combined with the perfectly al dente pasta made this a hit).
4. Agnolotti (unbeliveably silky and wonderfully moreish. Made with short ribs and something I can't remember, my lips were smacking from the gelatinous goodness for ages - a good thing).
5. Beef tongue (the most tender piece of tongue I've ever had - beautifully presented and a great interpretation of a tongue dish).A few points on the service.
1. As my wife was pregnant, they were very accomodating with following up with the kitchen to determine pasturization of any dairy and any items we should be aware of - something we appreciated greatly.
2. I had 2 cocktails, the first being the house's interpretation of a sazerac which was excellent (albiet a little smaller than I would make at home) and upon asking for a recommendation for something in a similar vein but different, was wonderfully surprised with an excellent concoction off menu (the name escapes me now, but it includes rum and sherry).
3. The waiter suggested a non-alcoholic beverage for my wife which Mr. toscano's wife had created for her previously, and beautifully named "the bump"
4. Unfortunately, the 2nd "bump" was served accidentally with alcohol in it (my wife only sipped it) and after profuse apologies, the removal of both drinks from the check, and a complimentary dessert (panacotta which we were told without asking, was pasturized), we didn't consider this to be a strike against the service in any way - these things happen.Overall, another excellent meal at Perla, and one of the few places in the city we have returned to for repeat dinings (not because we do not like other places enough to return, but because there are so many places to try in this great city of ours).
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re: Sneakeater
Interesting. I'm actually from Australia originally and can't even recall how I picked up the phrase. Sneakeater hit the nail on the head with the response. :)
I'm actually in Ottawa right now and will be back home in a few days. Maybe dinner at Perla is in order. Fingers crossed the roast head specials will be on the menu this time
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re: peter j
Interesting review. The reviewer complained a lot about the prices. But the prices aren't really that high. The meal will cost cheaper than any good sushi meal. Or cheaper than say, Il Mulino. The food does sound tempting. I'm not sure I like the crowd but hey, I'd be going to eat, not to share their Dom Perignon.
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Here is Time Out New York's review - 4 stars (out of 5)
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/restau... -
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re: doriswallace
Well...my fiance and I have been together for over 10 years so whilst conversation is important, food and atmosphere rank quite highly also. :)
On that note, has anybody tried the roasted lambs head special? I was going to head there tonight but after calling and finding out the special was unavailable, I will try again when it is.
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Here's the menu (it's not on their web site, annoyingly):
http://www.scribd.com/doc/86946527/Pe... -
loratliff
Mar 18, 2012 06:43 PM
You beat me to it! We popped in on Friday and sat at the back bar for cocktails and some of the smaller plates.
Initial impressions: food is alright, cocktails good to very good, but I just didn't feel like the value was there compared to Joseph Leonard (which is our personal favorite out of all of GS's restaurants). We had the foie gras tramezzini (our favorite, I think), whey-fed pork, buffalo mozzarella with almonds and brown better, Brussels sprouts with ricotta and green onions, and the bolognese pasta.
The tramezzini was tiny (as we sort of expected) and the other dishes were all relatively small for the cost. Buffalo mozzarella was nothing more than three chunks of fairly average mozzarella in a watery brown butter with slivered almonds on top. The pasta was by far the best thing.
We weren't expecting huge portions or anything, but the check ended up $100+, pre-tip, with one cocktail each (2 people) and a few small plates, whereas I feel like we've had entire meals at Joseph Leonard for around there. Additionally, I do sort of feel like the server really pushed the menu format of three courses—an antipasti, a primi, and a secondi—even after I said we just wanted small plates and drinks.
There was nothing wrong with any of the food, but I just left with the feeling that it wasn't worth I had just paid. I don't know if I'll be back with so many other good options in the neighborhood at the moment.
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