71st and 2nd
For those of you who know me, you understand (well) the fact that amazing food, great wine, and decadent desserts are the keys to my heart. Company comes secondary. Well, not at this fine establishment. At Per Lei, you get exquisite meals, perfectly matching Italian vino, with a flourishing finish of desserts and espresso, and then you have Marcello, the owner. His main goal is to make sure that everyone is happy, everyone is well fed, and everyone always has a full glass of wine. As he dazzles you with his tales of Capri, offers his condo in Vermont, and refills your wine glass, his every darting eyes are making sure that everyone is satisfied.
The crowd of this restaurant is a different breed entirely--forget the trendy Manhattanites, here the name of the game is Euro-chic. Speaking another language, be it in scattered words or fluidity, is a must. Grazie, Prego, and you're set. The majority of the diners are fresh off the plane, hearing about this restaurant from his slew of other dining adventures around Italia. The rest are fancy men with their bleach blonde trophy wives--conversations are interesting, to say the least.
I was slightly appalled by some of the men. Trying to dazzle me with their gold, diamonds, and limousines, I couldn't help but laugh. One, while his girlfriend/wife/mistress was inebriated and stroking his back, actually turned in his chair to stare and make eyes at me. I stared back. Smiled. And looked away. I was actually told by another man to hurry up and finish my meal so that I could go to the party of some movie star, chauffeured in a limo. I laughed and said, "Do you really think I would gulp down a fantastic meal and a bottle of wine for some fancy party and a limo? Please. I am not jaded by you or your money. I am jaded by the quality of this food. Cheers."
As the night grew on and the crowds died down, we joined Marcello and the head waiter, Luca, at their table, shared some wine, desserts, and stories of these ridiculously wealthy men. The saddest thing to me was that they actually thought I would forgo food for money. The next was that they actually got a few other women to do just that.
Gold diggers.
Anyway. The meal--back to the point--was excellent. Starting off with bruschetta: finely chopped tomatoes rich with basil and garlic on lightly toasted bread. The next course was the gnocci--Marcello has yet to make me the strawberry gnocci he's been promising--but nonetheless, this is the best gnocci I've had. Ever. Light and fluffy, lacking any of the typical heaviness that comes with a potato pasta, this gnocci was simply divine. The fresh mozzarella on top melted perfectly into the dish, giving it that extra "omph." The salmon was probably my least favorite. While the flavor was there, it was slightly overcooked, leading to an overtly dry texture that I had to swallow down with the sides and some wine. Ok, so it wasn't THAT bad. The sea-bass is much, much better. From what I remember, it melts in your mouth. The salmon was made up for with the steak--perfectly seasoned and cooked to absolute tenderness. I highly recommend it. For dessert, we were surprised (and overwhelmed) by 3 different ones! The tiramisu is probably the best in the city. If you want tiramisu, go to Per Lei. Not too much cream, not too much rum, just enough chocolate with a texture that is so hard to come by. The specialty dessert is a puff pastry with cream and strawberries--the pastry is homemade and rich, the strawberries fresh, and the cream practically hand churned. The chocolate "lava cake" was not quite up to my par as a notorious chocoholic. They only use 60%, and could probably risk up to 75%. But the tiramisu....ah! To die for.
As a whole, this restaurant is an experience. If you go, I suggest reservations. Also, don't show up in anything less than what you would wear to a club, and don't show up before 9pm. Be prepared to sit for anywhere from two to four hours of people watching, stomach satisfying time. And be prepared to drink the wine. Specially imported from Italy, it's just superb. The prices are actually quite reasonable considering the location and atmosphere, Marcello saying that he gives a fair price based on the actual quality of the food--he only purchases and imports the best from Italy, and charges justly for his troubles. Not a penny more.
Bon appetite!
The crowd of this restaurant is a different breed entirely--forget the trendy Manhattanites, here the name of the game is Euro-chic. Speaking another language, be it in scattered words or fluidity, is a must. Grazie, Prego, and you're set. The majority of the diners are fresh off the plane, hearing about this restaurant from his slew of other dining adventures around Italia. The rest are fancy men with their bleach blonde trophy wives--conversations are interesting, to say the least.
I was slightly appalled by some of the men. Trying to dazzle me with their gold, diamonds, and limousines, I couldn't help but laugh. One, while his girlfriend/wife/mistress was inebriated and stroking his back, actually turned in his chair to stare and make eyes at me. I stared back. Smiled. And looked away. I was actually told by another man to hurry up and finish my meal so that I could go to the party of some movie star, chauffeured in a limo. I laughed and said, "Do you really think I would gulp down a fantastic meal and a bottle of wine for some fancy party and a limo? Please. I am not jaded by you or your money. I am jaded by the quality of this food. Cheers."
As the night grew on and the crowds died down, we joined Marcello and the head waiter, Luca, at their table, shared some wine, desserts, and stories of these ridiculously wealthy men. The saddest thing to me was that they actually thought I would forgo food for money. The next was that they actually got a few other women to do just that.
Gold diggers.
Anyway. The meal--back to the point--was excellent. Starting off with bruschetta: finely chopped tomatoes rich with basil and garlic on lightly toasted bread. The next course was the gnocci--Marcello has yet to make me the strawberry gnocci he's been promising--but nonetheless, this is the best gnocci I've had. Ever. Light and fluffy, lacking any of the typical heaviness that comes with a potato pasta, this gnocci was simply divine. The fresh mozzarella on top melted perfectly into the dish, giving it that extra "omph." The salmon was probably my least favorite. While the flavor was there, it was slightly overcooked, leading to an overtly dry texture that I had to swallow down with the sides and some wine. Ok, so it wasn't THAT bad. The sea-bass is much, much better. From what I remember, it melts in your mouth. The salmon was made up for with the steak--perfectly seasoned and cooked to absolute tenderness. I highly recommend it. For dessert, we were surprised (and overwhelmed) by 3 different ones! The tiramisu is probably the best in the city. If you want tiramisu, go to Per Lei. Not too much cream, not too much rum, just enough chocolate with a texture that is so hard to come by. The specialty dessert is a puff pastry with cream and strawberries--the pastry is homemade and rich, the strawberries fresh, and the cream practically hand churned. The chocolate "lava cake" was not quite up to my par as a notorious chocoholic. They only use 60%, and could probably risk up to 75%. But the tiramisu....ah! To die for.
As a whole, this restaurant is an experience. If you go, I suggest reservations. Also, don't show up in anything less than what you would wear to a club, and don't show up before 9pm. Be prepared to sit for anywhere from two to four hours of people watching, stomach satisfying time. And be prepared to drink the wine. Specially imported from Italy, it's just superb. The prices are actually quite reasonable considering the location and atmosphere, Marcello saying that he gives a fair price based on the actual quality of the food--he only purchases and imports the best from Italy, and charges justly for his troubles. Not a penny more.
Bon appetite!
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