Perilla

West Village
9 Jones Street, near West 4th Street
212-929-6868

Reviewed again on 05/02/08: We again sat at the bar at Perilla and had a terrific meal. We'll spare you the details. Suffice it to say, neighborhood for us, destination for you.
OVERALL RATING: Excellent

Freshly reviewed on 12/12/07: It was storming in the city, and we wanted to stay close to home. So we again sat at the bar at Perilla. It's an experience we've come to enjoy. The restaurant is filled each time we're there, but there's usually space at the substantial bar. The bottles are back lit, and there are always pretty flowers contributing to the feng shui. It's a place where you can see the attention to detail. We began with a couple of glasses of the Montepulciano, then crispy pork belly that could have been more crispy, brussel sprout leaves with nuts and seeds, and heirloom apples with shaved fennel, walnuts and blue cheese. All good. Hanger steak with spinach and au jus was delicious. It was a nice place to weather a storm.
OVERALL RATING: Stilla Thrilla

Originally reviewed on 11/8/07: We sat at the bar at Perilla twice this week. It occupies the former Inside space on Jones Street. It's a new and cozy, nicely decorated place that was busy both times we dropped by. The host (John) and bartenders were friendly and helpful, and the food was quite good. We started with a plate of brussel sprout leaves with seeds, nuts and raisins that was creative and special, and a yellow tail crudo with tofu and marinated cucumber, delicious and nicely sauced. Then marinated and grilled blackfish with Tuscan kale, Jerk grouper, rich faro risotto and even richer eggplant cannelloni. Both the Multipuliciano and Veltliner wines were good accompaniments. Not bad for a place you could roll out of bed into.... if you were sleeping on our living room sofa.
OVERALL RATING: A Thrilla