Perilla

http://www.perillanyc.com/
9 Jones Street
New York, NY 10014

Located discretely off the main drag in the West Village, Perilla encompasses everything you could ask for from the original Top Chef winner, Harold Dieterle.  I have been wanting to eat here since 2007 when they first opened their doors.  With only 18 tables and few seats at the bar, reservations are needed to eat at this charming, predominantly locals, neighborhood joint.  After walking across the city all day, the refined touch of this chef is exactly what we needed to refuel.

Upon arrival, I had already picked a medley of courses I wanted to try, but due to limited size of stomach, as well as wallet, I had to narrow it down to a concise meal...and eat whatever Katy ordered!  She had the steak with sunchoke creamed spinach and I had one of the specials, the salmon.  Both were insanely delicious alongside our roasted brussel sprouts with dried cranberries.  Entrees and wine were phenomenal, but the fascination and high point of the night was from an appetizer, the spicy duck meatballs.  Katy has decided that this may be the one meal she could eat every day for the rest of her life.

After licking our plates clean, Perilla was the perfect meal to end our vacation.  The experience was everything I had hoped for, and the food better than I thought possible.  We left Perilla and headed East to make our reservation for drinks at PDT's, but I will definitely eat here again.