West Hollywood, CA 90048
www.petrossian.com
Things that makes us want to eat:
1) Hunger
2) Other peoples' food blogs
I'd categorize the reasoning for us going to Petrossian under #2. Although, #1 ran a close second. The cuisine here centered primarily around their caviar. We're not the biggest fans of caviar, much like we're not the biggest fans of country music. But sometimes, Shania Twain comes on with "If You're Not in It for Love" and you find yourself singing along.
1. petrossian champagne tasting - foie gras terrine, smoked salmon, transmontanus caviar - "Champagne" tasting sans the champagne. While we typically find foie gras best served seared, this version was surprisingly stellar. Absolutely intergalactic. Worth coming back simply for this dish. Smoked salmon was a bit lackluster. Salty and fishy. Caviar was briny and salty, but in a good way; combined with the creme fraiche, crumbled eggs and blinis below, it was quite enjoyable.
2. blinis with crumbled egg and dill creme fraiche
3. market salad - tomato, heirloom beets, goat cheese, pistachio - 11 Madison Park was the first time we'd enjoyed beets. This salad was the second. The mild goat cheese stood up well against the sweetness of the beets. Greens helped to hold this dish together. Pistachios came off a bit bitter but didn't detract substantially from the dish, although it's textural contrast was appreciated. Ray's not a big fan of salads but he finished this one.
4. black truffle “mac ‘n’ cheese” - orrechiette, bacon, parmesan - High expectations make way for big letdowns. As was the case for this course. Truffles smelled fantastic although were were expecting more to come through in terms of taste. Parmesan and bacon were too far in the background to be noticed.
5. braised kurobuta pork belly - soft polenta, parmesan, balsamic onion relish - This was a great way to end the savory dishes. One of the best preparations of pork belly we've ever had. Great textures and flavors. The pork belly was crispy on the outside and tender within. It's bold flavor was complimented well by the creamy polenta. The balsamic onions added another welcomed dimension to the dish, complimenting the salty pork and creamy polenta. Fantastic dish.
6. gianduja parfait - hazelnut biscuit, vanilla mascarpone - Nutella dessert? Do trees fall in the forest? Salivary glands typically kick into overdrive when the words "hazelnut" or "Nutella" dessert are mentioned. Any other recommendations made by the waitress after mentioning "Nutella" sounded like the teacher from Charlie Brown. But once again, high expectations resulted in big letdowns. The Nutella was too rich and marscarpone had an unsavory acidity. The crispy biscuits sprinkled in the middle were worth eating along, however.
The foie gras and pork belly were the two standouts of the night. However, the success of those dishes were offset by the disappointing mac and cheese and Nutella dessert. Even so, the entire dining experience was a positive one. Service was good, although we were the only customers there, which was very surprising, given it was a Saturday night. Overall, this was an enjoyable meal. A place definitely worth returning to if we're ever in the area again. At the very least, this is a place that deserves more then just two customers on a Saturday night.