fine dining, wisco style

I like to mark every happy occasion with an extra special meal. (Really it’s the perfect excuse to try a new restaurant.) For our anniversary Justin surprised me with a dinner reservation at Perla, a nearby restaurant I’d wanted to try. And it was actually quite fitting, as Perla is owned by the Little Wisco restaurant proprietors, and Justin and I met at the Little Wisco’s alma mater and namesake inspiration, The University of Wisconsin… Anyway, the food was delish. And the ambiance, like at all Little Wisco restaurants, was lovely. Perla, Fedora, Jeffrey’s and Joseph Leonard all have laid-back vibes and an old-school rustic charm. And the music is my favorite part. The soundtrack of every Little Wisco restaurant consists of an eclectic mix of 90’s hip hop and R&B as well as current tunes that aren’t “pop-y.” (For example: Live Your Life by T.I. Featuring Rihanna, Juicy by Notorious B.I.G. and Hey Ma by Cam'Ron.) The music really adds to the fun setting and good energy. Regarding food, I would recommend everything we ordered, if you’re a real carnivore. Our meaty meal was delicious, but personally I’m starting to get the heebie jeebies from meat. The quail, in all its shalabhasana glory, was just too much for me to handle. Justin, ever the gentleman, chopped the little bird up into pieces, but I still couldn’t get its superman image out of my mind. So I ate just some of it. Justin and I shared a feast of the aforementioned quail (with Brussels Sprouts, Farro, Cauliflower and Brown Butter Sugo) and the following:

Braised Octopus with Oven Dried Tomatoes, Eggplant & Fett’unta

Calamari with Lemon & Basil

Agnolotti al Sugo D’Arrosto (basically little dumplings/raviolis stuffed with “meat cheeks” and in a meat fat/juice sauce)

Praline Semifreddo with Salted Rum Caramel & Croccante

YUM.

A

[image via http://perlanyc.com]

P.S. ICYMI 

“Is this how you roll in Flavor Town?”