Perla

08. August 2012 Italian, West Village + TriBeCa 0

24 Minetta Lane off Sixth Avenue
$75 each for 3 people, with drinks, with tip
212/933.1824
♥ ♥

On a steamy Monday night, we were entertained by the Everybody Loves Raymond bartender lookalike at the bar.

Tastiest:
1. Fried pig’s ears – I can only cook pig’s ears Fergus Henderson style and they’re never this crispy and delicious
2. Squash blossoms – They’re usually bland and boring with goat cheese inside, but they used Caciocavallo and anchovies
3. Pasta with chanterelles and the pasta with tripe that did not taste like tripe at all

Underwhelming:
1. Braised octopus with oven-dried tomatoes – I can’t help but order octopus every time it’s on the menu, but with all their other decadent offerings, this was pretty tame.

Notable:
1. Great service at the bar – They make good Negronis
2. Splitting the primi pastas between two people

Warning:
1. $18 for half a dozen oysters! Yikes!