08.30.09
Review of Perbacco, Wednesday June 2009
234 E.4th St. & Ave. B, 212-253-2038
Great for: frittura di mare, fish, fine dining in Alphabet City
My dear friend S and I did a shoot with her friend L one day at China 1 and afterward he took us out to dinner. How lucky that this place was right around the corner. It’s pretty new, and impressive already.
We shared the terrific frittura di mare to start. It’s a big dish of lightly breaded and fried calamari, prawn, shrimp and scallops with lemon and oregano aïoli. The sauce is creamy and a great contrast to the deliciously light seafood.
S’s seared veal and tuna steak with tomato sauce, mousse, anchovies, capers and olive oil looked like confusing, albeit lovely, art, and tasted very good. I really enjoyed my red mullet filet in a tomato confit over grilled potatoes and roasted garlic with shrimp soup. All the little parts of the dish were great. I didn’t find any shrimp in the soup, which was more like tomato bisque, and yummy anyway. The mullet came in small filet pairs tied to each other with long scallions. There was too much garlic – not in the flavoring, actual cloves – but the whole thing was fun to eat. L thought his seared cod fish over prosciutto broth with a spinach and potato croquette was great too.
We rounded out the meal with a fantastic lemon gelato. This place has it all; terrific food, nice waiters, and a surprisingly spacious room for the location. There’s also lots of exposed brick and I like the louvered front windows. They’re open early for dinner – go now!
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $155 for 3
Noise level: I imagine it acquires a convivial hum when there are other people dining.
Chance of walking in: probably the only thing not great about it.
