Friday - dinner at Perilla

Harold Dieterle, the winner of Top Chef season one, has opened his own place in the Village: Perilla. It was one of the ten best meals of my life. What a way to ring in my 30th birthday!

We cabbed it down from Times Square and arrived right on time. Perilla is on this tiny little quiet street: #9 Jones Street. It's a small restaurant; it seats 60 people max. Very simple decor: minimalist with arts & crafts touches. We had a table near the back. Leigh Ann chose the black olive poached Kingfish with Meyer lemon gnocchi. Andrea ordered the pancetta wrapped pork tenderloin and the faro risotto. I went with the sheeps milk ricotta ravioli in truffle butter. Oh my gosh - amazing!

Leigh Ann's Kingfish was prepared beautifully, but it was the gnocchi that made the dish. You bit into them and they would melt in your mouth. Then at the end, there would be this surprise pop of Meyer lemon. Incredible.

My sheep's milk ricotta ravioli was beautiful. It's prepared with fiddlehead ferns, mushrooms and English peas. The ricotta filling is a rich explosion of flavor. The broth with truffle oil is both light and complex. It's a perfect combination. I loved everything about it.

Andrea's pork tenderloin was perfectly cooked, but the faro risotto stole the show. This is by far the best risotto I've ever eaten. Probably one of the ten best things I've ever tasted. It's prepared with artichoke and parmesan cheese. On top sit sliced grapes. The grapes lighten up the rich dish. It's nice with and without the 'chili grape salad' on top. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! That rich, buttery, parmesan cheesy risotto. It alone is worth the price of admission! I will absolutely be back to eat that dish again. Bravo, Chef Harold!

To close out our meal, we tried the vanilla scented doughnuts with Meyer lemon curd and dark chocolate ganache. They brought it to the table complete with a birthday candle. It was a yummy ending to a fabulous meal. I cannot wait to return to Perilla!