Perry St
176 Perry Street at West Side Highway
New York, NY 10014
212.352.1900
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street
Bus: M20 to the closest stop to Perry Street

Perry Street, part of the Jean-Georges Vongerichten empire, is touted as a casual “neighborhood” restaurant. Yet, besides the Richard Meier building where the restaurant is housed (and its twin building next door), the neighborhood seems pretty sparse (there's certainly no public transportation and one entire side of both buildings is flanked by the highway).

Its décor doesn’t give a “neighborhood” vibe either. The all-glass walls of windows make for a spectacular view of the Hudson River; however, the dining room is angular, modern and cold. In fact, everything in the restaurant is square or rectangular, down to the dishes and even the teacups. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the spoon were square. However, none of this wreaks coziness or "neighborhood". I must also add that everytime I have been to Perry St (weekday or weekend), there’s barely anyone there, which may bolster my “lack of neighborhood” theory.

I have only been to Perry St for lunch because they have one of the best deals on the planet: 2 small plates plus dessert for $24.00 (each additional plate is $12). They even begin your meal with an amuse-bouche (a refreshing watermelon gazpacho on every visit so far). And the deal is offered every day, all-year round! To be able to indulge in Jean-Georges’ creative, delicious fare for a relatively piddly amount (how many of you spend more than $10, even $15, on a less-than-mediocre lunch?) is just genius.

The chef de cuisine is Justin Bazdarich, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in SoHo, and an incredibly talented and nice guy. I’ve known him and his interest in food since he was a student, and he’s worked his way up from the kitchen first at Jean-Georges to chef de cuisine at Perry St where, at lunchtime, he whips up a menu of approximately 10 dishes, which showcases seasonal ingredients.

The peekytoe crab salad with edible flowers, radishes and cucumbers was a hit on each occasion. My husband devoured the fresh mozzarella with sun-dried pineapple and Thai basil so quickly that not a bite remained (for me) on the plate. I didn’t understand the foam “sauce” that topped the asparagus with herbed risotto; the dish was delicious and delicate but the foam texture reminded me of poached egg whites. It began to sicken me by the time I completed the dish. The grilled salmon with cockles and fingerling potatoes made me a salmon convert on my first visit, with its crispy skin and moist, flavorful, perfectly-cooked center; however, on other tries, its meat was drier, its skin less crisp. I longed for my first time again. Hanger steak with creamed basil, fava beans and topped with a single onion ring was a crowd pleaser, although a bit overspiced in my opinion. The onion ring is probably one of the best you’ll ever taste, and it’s almost wrong to only serve one since it just leaves everyone wanting more.

Of the breakfast genre foods, who knew how amazing pancakes could be; my companions claim to be pancake aficionados (I would never try to boast that title), and they agreed that these were the best pancakes ever tried. Same with the omelet offered; light and fluffy – eggs were taken to a new level.

I’m not a dessert person, but the two choices will never disappoint. One is a chocolate concoction, a layer of moist chocolate cake topped with a layer of rich, dense chocolate pudding topped with a light-as-air whipped cream. The cheesecake was amazing; the poached fruit was boring but still tasty. Go with a friend, get one of each and share.

Although I’ll never feel at home at Perry St (perhaps because I will never be able to make one of the pricy Richard Meier lofts my home -- if you haven’t heard, the buildings boasts a celeb-studded tenant list), I advise one and all to trek here for lunch (every day if you can); it is beyond worth it and unbeatable.