Monday night I stopped by Perry St., Jean-Georges Vongerichten's way west West Village restaurant, now helmed by his son Cedric Vongerichten. Overlooking the Westside Highway, and on the bottom floor of one of Richard Meier's glass towers, it is definitely an interesting location. The dining room is large with ample space, and darkly lit, suitable for an intimate dining experience.

The food is very good, although not mind-blowing. After my meal, I really did not crave to come back. But the food was well executed and could make for a nice date night.

An amuse bouche of butternut squash puree, toasted pumpkin seeds, and coconut froth was exceptional and wonderful.

Rice cracker crusted tuna with siracha-citrus emulsion ($18.50) was tasty and delicious. The great crunch of the crust made me smile

Sauteed shrimp with fennel, tarragon, and chorizo sauce ($16) was a fine appetizer. I could taste the freshness of the shrimp, like they were just plucked from the ocean.

The fried chicken with mushroom spaetzle and ginger vinaigrette was a fine take on fried chicken, although I would not order it again. The skin had great flavor, although I thought a tad too much rosemary. The meat was juicy and tender.

A slowly cooked salmon with passion fruit-olive oil emulsion, spinach, jalapeno and black olive ($25) was a perfectly executed dish. The fish was exquisite, and the emulsion was quite a unique complement, but great. The spinach had a nice spicy kick to it from the jalapeno which I loved.

A poached pear with warm hazelnut frangipane and chocolate amaretto truffle ($9) was truly sublime. It was a fabulous ending to a fine meal.

Perry St.
176 Perry St. (at West St.)
New York, NY 10014
212-352-1900
www.jean-georges.com