A Feast for the Senses @ Perry Street

There's a ridiculously good lunch deal out there in the wide, wide world of Manhattan restaurants and I've finally taken advantage of it. I'm talking of course, about the $24 lunch menu at Perry Street. This is the place to go for a meal with a dizzying array of colors, flavors and textures working together in harmony and appealing to nearly all the senses. Even better yet, you get to have your meal in a gorgeous, minimalistic dining room with an appealing hazy glow that evokes lazy afternoons spent whiling away the hours with a good book by an open window.

The Decor: (8.5/10)


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The Food: (9.5/10)


Amuse Bouche: Strawberry Gazpacho
I believe this was blended with tomato? Beautifully smooth and refreshingly tart with just the right touch of strawberry in the aftertaste - I could easily see myself drinking an entire jug of this.


Arctic Char Sashimi, Lemon, Olive Oil and Crispy Skin
Really fresh fish, beautiful colors and the crispy skin on top gave the dish a great textural component.



Crab salad with edible flowers, scallions, cucumber, radishes
Simply AMAZING. I'm usually not fan of overly complex dishes but somehow, every single component of this crab salad was balanced and contributed to the overall deliciousness of the dish. The crab was really creamy and seasoned perfectly and offset by the bright, summery flavors of the scallion, cucumber and radishes and the edible flowers lent a distinct sweetness to the whole affair. Isn't this also one of the most gorgeous presentations you've ever seen? I could barely bring myself to eat it.


Hangar Steak with creamed basil and fava beans and an onion ring
The steak was really moist and tender and worked well with the creamed basil and fava beans but this dish wasn't particularly interesting. I did like the crunchiness of the onion ring though and how it fell apart in layers.


Chili Oil-Poached Red Snapper
I was a bit worried that this dish would be too spicy for me but it wasn't at all - the chili oil lent a very mild flavor to the beautifully flaky, poached fish. The combination of the earthiness of the radishes and the distinct flavor of the red snapper really worked well together and the colors in this dish are again, incredibly striking.



Peach Melba
A perfect simple, summery dessert - white and yellow peaches covered with a noraspberry puree and a milky granita.




Chocolate Pudding, Devil's cake, Whipped cream and Crystallized Lavender
Appallingly good - it seems like a rather simple dessert but it's somehow elevated beyond the ordinary. The pudding was creamy and dense and full of chocolatey goodness and perfectly offset by the thick, fluffy whipped cream. The crunchy crystallized lavender bits were really pretty look at and also quite good though really intensely strong (take just a few bits with each biteful or else they get overwhelming).

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Conclusion
This was easily one of the best dining experiences I've had recently and I'd definitely frequent Perry Street more often but the location makes it a bit of a trek to get to on most weekdays.



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