March 6–13, 1997

food

BRASSERIE PERRIER

FOUR STARS: A great new restaurant.

Price: Moderate to high. Entrees $18 to $25.

Brasserie Perrier is first of all great food, four-star food, the first new restaurant I've been to so unremittingly wonderful from beginning to end since Georges Perrier started Le Bec-Fin nearly 30 years ago. The bar is framed by hundreds of years' bad luck in shattered mirrors. An imitation Duchamp Nude Descending a Staircase descends a staircase. The dining room is quiet, muted, splendid and brown. Nudes splinter to descend around columns; the chairs and banquette are (a Perrier signature) extremely comfortable. Wines by the glass ($7 and up) are very high quality. Entrees are moderate, appetizers expensive. The sea scallops with real caviar cream sauce ($11) were large, superbly cooked and the best I've ever eaten — both of them. Veal ravioli ($12) are superb, handmade and gorgeously served — all three of them. Entrees are the real bargain. Squab ($21) is extra-tender baby pigeon, red rare, tasting like mild veal liver, flanked by crisply seared foie gras, slumped on a leek and potato cake slathered with truffle. Best squab, best foie gras, ever. Seared tuna ($21) is two fat slices, oilless peppery vinegar, charred black, raw pink in center, on exquisite tomatoes and collard greens. Don't think collard greens can be exquisite? Try a Georges Perrier restaurant. Braised lamb shank ($19) is served bare bone upmost, apparently slammed into a pile of white corn meal polenta. The lamb is full of flavor, tender, moist; across the top are draped mini-asparagus spears and a sheet of parmesan. More parmesan sheets on the soft polenta, like smoother creamier mashed potatoes, and lamb stock all around. All three among the best entrees I've had, anywhere. Desserts are $7 or $8 and extra-big. Tiramisu is a drum of mascarpone ice cream, rich chocolate top, sides of mini whole wheat ladyfingers, liquid chocolate center. Creme brulee is triply creamy, deliciously caramelized (not torched black!) on top. Pot de creme is five pots filled with baked cream flavored with white chocolate, pumpkin, pistachio, vanilla and lemon. Big enough for two. Chestnut gratin is a warm chestnut puree on a chocolate disc, mushy and messy to eat, delicious to taste, with a bit of pumpkin ice cream — tastes more like ginger snap ice cream, but tastes wonderful. This is a restaurant recap almost as long as a review — but try Brasserie Perrier and you'll see why it's impossible not to rave on and on about it. (Reviewed Feb. 21, 1997)