Petrossian - DineLA. Round 2. Still Awesome! (West Hollywood)

Petrossian

Hey Angelinos! Yes, I'm still a Los Angeles based food blogger, even though I was and will still post about Canada and New York City in the coming months. Though for now, I'll step back and discuss one of my favorite restaurants here in the City of Angels.

After my last visit to Petrossian, I was looking forward to a return trip to Petrossian. However, after my recent trip to New York and Philadelphia, I was gearing towards simple meals for the first part of 2010. However, things changed with a few friends from College asked if I was interested in doing dineLA this time around, and with Petrossian back on the list, I figured, why not?

Menu

Since there were 3 of us, it's obvious the "gamut" style was the way to go, as we ordered all 9 things on the dineLA menu. Again, during dineLA, it's $44/person, which was an insanely good deal!

Caviar Pizza - Crème fraîche, capers, red onion

As we waited for our food, Chef Ben Bailly started off our party with a Caviar Pizza. The crispy thin crust was filled with Crème fraîche, capers, red onion, and finished off with an ample serving of caviar. Simply delicious! So good that my two friends fought for the last slice of pizza. That should tell you something about this dish.

Tsar Cut Salmon Sampler - Classic, dill, black sea spice

Three various types of smoked salmon, and all quite delicious. Topped with some lemon and capers, it's quite nice. Simple, but one of the must gets at Petrossian.

Green Bean Salad - Burrata, marcona almond, caviar

The light burrata cheese went quite well with the green beans. Surprisingly, the flavors meshed quite well. The almonds added a nice crunchy texture, while the caviar added the extra salty flavor this dish needed. Very nice.

Shrimp Papillotte - Passion fruit, chilli / ginger sauce

Ah....the shrimp papillotte, a dish I had on my previous visit. I likened it to a crispy fried wonton meets shrimp tempura, but much better. The spicy and sweet sauce is the real kicker, and makes the dish work. I liked it last time, and my perception hasn't changed. A must order!

Caviar Surprise - King crab, apple jelly

This dish was featured on kevinEat's tasting menu, but in reality, I was there the night the dish came to fruitation. The excited staff, and Chef Ben Bailly himself wanted us try the tin caviar dish that night. The mix of caviar, crème fraîche, king crab, apple jelly was fantastic. The layers of texture, taste was unique and refreshing. I really enjoyed the sweetness of the apple jelly, and king crab, with the slight tartness of the crème fraîche, finished off with the brininess of the caviar. Fantastic!

Black Truffle Mac 'N Cheese - Orrechiette, bacon, parmesan

Did you expect me to come here and NOT order the Mac 'N Cheese? The flavors of the bacon, the parmesan, and the truffles were bombtastic! It's so good, my friend kept the bowl towards his side of the table. I don't think I need to describe this dish any further than just order it. If you go to Petrossian for lunch, just get this mac 'n cheese and you'd be set. Thanks!

Crispy Peanut Egg - White asparagus veloute, caviar, mache

Here we have a soft poached egg, breaded in peanuts and fried. I loved the runny yoke from the egg going into the asparagus veloute. The taste is light and the caviar comes in due to the salty taste to balance out the dish. An important element to this particular dish.

Halibut Brandade - Sunny egg, piquillo pepper, black olive oil

The halibut brandade I liked a lot. I enjoyed the egg mixed in with the halibut puree, which created a much creamier taste and texture. Served with the given toast, I enjoyed it a lot!

Braised Pork Belly - Soft polenta, balsamic relish onion

What we have here is a delicious pork belly, cooked to perfection. Beneath that, we have a bed of buttery polenta with a tart balsamic sauce to accompany the dish. Good, yes. Fantastic? Definitely. I'd have to say, it's my favorite entree of the night between the three choices. I mean, who doesn't like a well cooked pork belly?

From top: Sicilian Pistachio Creme Brulee, Middle: Petrossian Chocolate Moelleux, Bottom (2): Vanilla Panna Cotta, Strawberry Jam

I'll combine the dessert review as it's quite similar to the dessert offering from my first visit besides the strawberry panna cotta instead of the peach version. Quite simply, very very solid! The desserts are light, refreshing, and a great way to finish up a fantastic meal. The creme brulee as I mentioned before, fantastic! Especially if you're a pistachio fan like myself. The Chocolate Moelleux was not too rich, but instead, quite delicate. Finished off with a pistachio ice cream. Very nice! Finally, the strawberry panna cotta. It's not too sweet, just the way I like it. Another solid preparation of panna cotta.

Dining Room

All in all, another fantastic meal at Petrossian. My two dining companions were equally impressed with the food, service, and Chef Bailly himself. I like the simple, but clean decor of the restaurant, but the important part of this place is the food. I do hope Petrossian would allow Chef Bailly to explore more with his skills, because I know he can do even more than what I've seen so far. I'm actually going back to Petrossian tonight and I'm looking forward to some more delicious grubbin'! Thanks again Chef and see you soon!

Petrossian West Hollywood
321 North Robertson Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 271-6300
Official Website