Perilla
Back to one of my mainstays on the restaurant scene, Perilla, with Bloom and Jewels. Had two special sightings: Harold Dieterle of Top Chef fame was cooking in the kitchen and soft shell crabs — hey are back in season.
I started with the hand cut tagliatelle pasta with pheasant cacciatore ragu.
As expected the pheasant was a bit gamey but not overly so and very tender. Nestled between the pheasant, tender pasta and somewhat sweet tomato based sauce was meaty pieces of mushroom. The appetizer was a good size for a starter course and definitely whets the appetite.
I also was fortunate to try my friend’s scallop appetizer — she found it a bit heavy after a bout of stomach illness, I found them divine.
Succulent and plump they were crispy on the outside and warm and mealy on the inside. The very sweet meat was served with a side of radishes that very much reminded me of kimchi. They only serve you two of these babies so if you are looking for a heartier appetizer, look elsewhere.
For main, I had the soft shell crab.
Perilla was not stingy with their crabs. Two cleaned and halved soft shell crabs lightly breaded and fried appeared before me and served with a side of baby bok choy and a small pile of greens. I must confess, I love crab meat but I’m not sure I can really get past the texture of the soft shell (and trust me I’ve tried — these are one of the things I feel like I SHOULD like and still trying to figure out why I do not). The meat was plentiful and sweet so i did enjoy the dish but I left the legs since there isn’t much meat found there. I think if you enjoy soft shell crab and don’t mind the crunchy aspect of this type of dish, you will enjoy this plate.
I had a bite of Jewels’ hanger steak with creamed chokes. I have been eyeing this dish for awhile as it has been on the menu for many months now and I finally had an opportunity to bite.
Hangar is not a great cut of meat as it’s quite lean. It lacks the fatty marbling, like in rib eye or porterhouse, that lends a steak tenderness and flavor. I expected this lean cut of meat to be somewhat chewy and dry but surprisingly it was very moist, very tender and perfectly crispy charred on the outside.
It was a good meal. I have decided, however, for your sake and my own, I will be putting Perilla on the shelf for a bit and try some new places 
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Perilla, 9 Jones Street, New York, NY
