Dinner at Petrossian

In celebration for a great work month in June 2010, where Rudipalooza was a roaring success, and I sold more German wine than I've ever sold in my life (which is a very nice feeling, I have to share!), we decided to go to Petrossian in Beverly Hills (or is it West Hollywood), a caviar purveyor that has in the past few years opened a restaurant. I read about this restaurant with interest in the blog Gastronomnom, where the pictures of the food are spectacular, and the cuisine seemed very interesting, so armed with a bottle of champagne that I bought from Manhattan Fine Wines, the 1999 Gosset, we went. (Normally I get my Champagne from The Wine Country, but I was at Manhattan Fine Wines last week and spotted this, so gave in to the temptation).

The surprising thing about the restaurant was that it was close to empty - on a Saturday night. 7:30 reservation - no problem. 3 tables total, including ours. The room was downright stark. Okay, it was the night before the 4th of July, which would make sense as a slow night, but still, it was a little surprising.

The room is beautiful, with clean lines, done in black and white, with splashes of color from the art on the walls. Very modern looking with fine details, like the tabletop done in a black with a texture of beads like caviar, which matches the menu covers.

We started off with the blinis topped with three types of fish eggs. Very tasty amuse-bouche type pre-appetizer, perfect for the Champagne:

I followed with foie gras salad, with was a very creamy, rich, and flavorful piece of cold foie gras sitting on a bed of diced crunchy haricots verts in a light creamy dressing with tons of truffles, so much that their flavor was too strong in the absence of the foie gras, overpowering the green beans.... but if you put on your fork some beans, truffles and foie, it was a terrific balance.

Johan had the steak tartare with a layer of caviar through the middle and on top, which was a delicious generous portion with tons of caviar. The meat was also very fresh and had great texture and flavor that balanced the salty richness of the fish eggs. I had this same dish as my main course after the foie gras salad.

Johan's main course was a specially ordered sweetbreads dish, which was rich and nicely done, served on a wild mushroom pasta. The portions at Petrossian were so generous that he couldn't even finish this pasta!

Overall we had a delicious meal, attentive service, and enjoyed relaxing ambiance. I liked the restaurant very much, and I liked bringing my own Champagne to the meal. All the food was well made and generous. We both agreed that we would come back.

We noticed the folks at the other two tables didn't order as many menu items as we did - they mostly ordered mounds of caviar to share! I liked what we got and thought the steak tartare with caviar was most unique, but Johan thought we might come back to indulge in caviar only some day. And if the mood struck, I'm sure this is the right place to come for that.

In all, it was a terrific way to celebrate the end of a great month and the beginning of a new one. Highly recommend!