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Been a while since we were last here. The table arrangements are really different. I suppose this was to accommodate more people, but it makes the space far more crowded. Service was solid and the food was good. The last time we dined here, it was a remarkable place and we had such a lovely experience, we thought it was destined for a Michelin star. Alas, this most recent visit, as enjoyable as it was, showed me why it didn't yet reach the levels we hoped it would. Please do not get me wrong, it's an excellent restaurant, worthy of your attention and patronage. But I had higher hopes for it.
Perle was my second Dine LA restaurant of the season and is a French bistro that has been included on the Michelin guide since 2021. Their Dine LA menu starts at $65 per person but has several add on options available. I started with a very generously filled Framboise Martini and the duck liver pate supplement, which set me back an additional $16. But I think this add on is worth it. The pate is buttery and mellow yet flavorful with a hint of nuttiness from the pistachios on top. I especially like the accompaniment of kumquat confit which added a sweetness that worked surprisingly well with the pate. For my first actual included course, I had the french onion soup. It was good. The soup was warm and hearty with caramelized onion flavor. The melted gruyere cheese was stretchy and delicious. We also opted for the $30 truffle pasta supplement. To be honest, this dish was very disappointing. I thought it was bland. I could really only taste truffle on the shaven truffles themselves, and even then, it was quite mild. The sauce itself barely had any flavor. So for $30 additional, this was quite upsetting. For my actual main course, I got the chicken cordon bleu while my friend got the filet au poivre for an additional $10. The chicken was good. The crust was light and crisp. I liked the mornay sauce, but I just wish there was more of it on the plate. For dessert, I had the gateau basque, which was served with a creme anglaise and brandied cherries. I really liked this dessert. The crust was lightly crispy and the inside was nice and warm. The creme anglaise was delicious, but I just wish there was more of it. And the brandied cherries added a nice tart and spiritful twist. Overall, this was a good meal. The pasta was a let down and service was spotty. We were seated outside on the patio, which had the lovely atmosphere of Downtown Pasadena, but we hardly ever saw our server. And everything took a really long time to come out. It even took quite a while for us to even be given water when we were sat. In total, our meal lasted two hours primarily because food took a long time to come out and it was hard to flag someone down for anything.
Perle is a tranquil retreat from the hot summer evenings in a cool space with dark wood tables and white cupboards. The Francophone music and friendly staff sets the tone for the wonderful meal. Coq au vin: When they lay out a pearl-handled Laguiole knife, you know you're in for a treat. The chicken is braised in beautiful rustic flavors. There's a rich dark sauce, the result of slowly simmering red wine, herbs, garlic, butter, and broth. The dish has a generous portion of meat, two thighs and a drumstick. You'll want to swipe every bite through the silky sauce along with the smooth and creamy mashed potatoes. Strips of lardons are essentially a cross between bacon and ham, adding smoky lusciousness and chewy meatiness. Mushrooms are earthy and woodsy. The carrots and pearl onions are sweet and tender. You taste each ingredient independently even through the concentrated flavor of the incredible glossy sauce. Parking: Without walking too far, you can find free street parking.
DineLA brought me back to Perle. I shamefully admit the last time I dined here was over a year ago, before the Eaton fire, even though I knew chef/owner Dean Yasharian had lost his Altadena home in the fire. Even with good intentions to return, I ultimately failed to support this small business in a time of need. Hopefully I can improve in the future, because Perle really is one of my favourite Old Town restaurants. Physically, the restaurant is unchanged, and happily is still busy. There are some changes on the a la carte menu, but it is still undeniably French. The DineLA 3-course menu features dishes off the regular menu, including 2 supplemental dishes (duck liver parfait and truffle pasta). I did get the duck liver parfait, and chose the salade de crevettes as my first course. I love any sort of fowl liver dish, be it a mousse, parfait, terrine, foie gras or whatever, and this version was fine, served with toasted brioche, fig jam and duck prosciutto. The salad was also very nice, with plump shrimp and avocado. The "Marie-Rose" dressing was akin to a Thousand Island. My entree choice, steak frites, was an excellent version of this classic dish. The DineLA cut was a nice hangar steak; there's also a NY Strip option on the regular menu. The meat was cooked as I requested, the peppercorn sauce was delish, and the frites were perfect, the thinnest I've seen in recent memory, almost matchstick-like and super crisp. This being America, they came with ketchup. There was a 2-bite salad with a vinaigrette to help with the richness of the dish. I chose the cheese board over the dessert (creme brulee). There were 2 French cheeses, a semi-firm one and a Brie. Raisin walnut bread, grapes, fig jam and candied walnuts came with. A perfect ending to a fine meal. Service was great--thanks to Kinan. Hope to see you again soon, Perle.
Beautiful location , prime structure parking right in front . The restaurant itself if small , cozy and beautifully decorated. I instantly felt France ... when I walked in. The hostess was very kind and attentive. The waiters were amazing ! Our main waiter check in often! He gave us a lot of good suggestions but ultimately allowed us to make our own decision. The food was decadent and delicious. One of the best French onion soups I've ever had . Tasted strikingly like the one I had at La Chaise au Plafond in France. The crème brûlée was amazing , well prepared with just the right amount of sweetness.
The service was fantastic, and to be quite frank ... *flawless*. The restroom was clean. The food quality was satisfactory. I will be completely honest and state that my experience with French cuisine is largely limited to largely to Taix and a tiny handful of other French restaurants I have patronized long ago (L'Assiette, Quadrupel Brasserie, etc.), so I am admittedly not the most experienced in this cuisine. I should also disclose that it's honestly not amongst my most preferred cuisines. I did find it interesting that the escargot is served here sans shells - something I have not experienced elsewhere. A light meal for 2 here was $171.75 prior to gratuity. The value proposition of a restaurant's fare is clearly subjective and unique to every individual diner, and I will let you be the judge as to the proportionality of the menu pricing based on your own socioeconomic strata and individual experience with French restaurants. I was fortunate enough to obtain a metered curbside parking space less than a block away. For me, to steal ShoPhoCho's frequently used commentary, I'd say Perle is probably in "one and done" territory. FYSA, the restaurant will impose a 4.00% "Living Wage" surcharge on your receipt. 4% is not significant number, but personally, I would consider a more transparent practice to be increasing the menu item pricing up front to accurately reflect the numbers necessary to provide a living wage to restaurant's employees, rather than sneaking it in at the bottom of the receipt.
Came here for Dine LA for a girl's night out. The menu was reasonably priced. I had the shrimp salad as the appetizer. The portion is a smaller version, nevertheless very delicious and refreshing. I ordered a glass of Cabernet and my girlfriend ordered a happy hour cocktail. Her cocktail also came in a baby cocktail glass. She said the cocktail was not sweet but on the dry side. For entree, we both had the steak. The outside is crispy and well seasoned, but the steak is on the dry side. The best part is the crème brûlée. It's perfectly made and it was very delicious. It was a good wrap for the dinner. The ambience of the restaurant was casual and romantic. There was a party of four at the back of the restaurant, but a little rowdy, maybe too much alcohol and fun. We could hear from three tables away. Service was good. The server was very responsive for ordering and getting the check. Maybe I will come back after Dine LA to see if the food is different, maybe a little less busy.
Came here the other night for DineLA. Wasn't on my radar for restaurants to try but I'm already up for something new, so off to Pasadena we went. Has a reservation and we're at immediately outside. After a quick glance at the drink menu, we places our orders. The Pomme Pomme was very refreshing, and the Mai Tai was more spirit forward but with balance. The Dubonnet Spritz tastes like just other Spritz drinks, though this one was strawberry based. And the Elderflower was already a decent drink but didn't stand out. For food, we started with the French Onion soup and the shrimp salad. The salad was almost like the individual lettuce wraps with shrimp. The citrus and avocado helped provide a little surging more to each bite. The French Onion soup was a table favorite. Very hearty with a good amount of onions, sourdough and gruyere. Could have had a second birth of that, no questions asked. Would highly recommend the soup. The branzino had a nice crispiness to the skin, and just fish inside, sitting on a bed of vegetables, but it really didn't stand out in any way, unfortunately. The steak frites was also just ok, coming with a peppercorn cognac sauce to dip. Finally, for dessert, you choose from a cheese board or creme brulee. We all went with the brulee. Nice, thick sugar crust on top to crack through with a generous portion of creme. Decent dessert to end the night. Overall, the French Onion soup was probably one of the better French onion soups I've had over the last decade, and I would go back and get another bowl without hesitation. Entrees were good but not really memorable and the fre me e brulee but the spot. Definitely stop by for a bowl of their French Onion soup and get a cocktail while you're at it.
I wanted try this French restaurant for DineLA so I made reservations for a Saturday night at 5:30pm. Upon entering, it was cozy and not crowded. I felt like the waiter and hostess did what they had to do to get a paycheck. Considering the price of the dishes and the type of restaurant, the service was just ok. My husband and I got the shrimp salad and french onion soup as an appetizer, steak frites as our main dish and truffle pasta (added it for extra $28) , and creme brulee for dessert. The French onion soup was gooey on top with tons of onions in the soup. Yummy! I thought the salad was ok. The steak was cooked medium rare, so the texture was fine but I felt it lacked flavor. There was no wow factor to it. The truffle pasta was good, but my first time trying truffle and to me, I couldn't taste a distinct flavor. The creme brulee was burnt on top, it actually tasted bitter. Overall, I'm glad I tried this restaurant. As we left, the restaurant was packed. Would I come back to eat here again? Probably not. Service was ok, food portions were small, and the taste was not to my liking. I would prefer going to The Little Door.
It's dineLA week and I took advantage of it to try this restaurant. For the set menu course appetizer: I choose the shrimp salad and enjoyed it. For the main course: my server said the seabass on top of the ratatouille was his favorite current dish. I decided to go for the 10oz steak and fries as it was the most ordered dish at this restaurant. The steak was very juicy and tender served with peppercorn sauce. The fries were crisy and well seasoned. For dessert, I went for the creme belle and the custard was smooth and silky. The restaurant setting is nice with inside, outside and bar seating. Staff had good customer service answering all questions I had about the dineLA menu. Parking is available at nearby public parking lots $1 for 2 hours.
I want to make this 4.5 stars! We made a resy for Saturday night and good thing we did because it was packed. I didn't know it was Dine LA but I'm glad we went since we were able to try a ton of dishes for like half the price. We got the duck parfait toast, the steak tartare, the lyones salad, the French onion soup, the truffle pasta, the steak frites, and the Creme brulee. With Dine LA everything came out to around $170 which is a steal for French cuisine. The food itself was good, I wouldn't say it's my fav French place of all time but it's in the better half. I do like that nothing is too salty or too heavy. I really enjoyed the steak tartare that was my fav dish. The others were good but not like omg this is amazing good. Service was great here, I didn't catch the name of the server but he was fantastic. I was freezing because we were sitting by the AC and they brought out a small heater for us, very nice of them. Plates were cleaned quickly and the place was overall a very well oiled machine.
I've been wanting to try this spot for a while and finally did but I gotta say I'm just a tiny bit disappointed in it. The burger was kinda flavorless and the cheese on top was unnecessary. The salad that came with the burger was very good though. The escargo was chewy and didn't have much flavor to it either. The salmon was just okay as well. A few dishes not pictured that were good were the spring pasta and we also got the truffle fries that were pretty good! The French onion soup was good too if I'm ever craving that I'd come just for that. The desserts were good but not wow. We really enjoyed the passion fruit sorbet and vanilla ice cream though! I think if you want to try it it's good to come once.
Perle was ok. I've been here twice but it seemed better the first time I visited. My first visit was a while back though. Overall, the food is good. At this price point however, this is not a good value. FOOD French Onion Soup - Good. Flavor and consistency were right. I'd recommend this. Loup de mer - This was good but rather ordinary. The dish felt like something that could be made at home. SERVICE Good. PARKING Garages (paid), street (limited, paid and free)
A lovely French restaurant in the heart of Old Town Pasadena. Delicious food and good service. Only downside is that due to the pandemic the seating is pretty minimal (constrained to the sidewalk and street in front of the restaurant) and the turnover of tables can be slow. Came to try out Perle's Winter 2021 DineLA menu on a Thursday. Making a 6:30 PM reservation, when we arrived at the restaurant we were able to be instantly seated, but we were the last to experience that for the night (as I assume we were the last party seated for the first round of tables). Due to this, we were given a table next to the entrance and away from the space heaters (as I'm guessing this was the least desirable table). Perle does send a text ahead of time warning you that you may not be seated by a heater, which I appreciate, so be forewarned! If you want to make sure you have a prime table, I'd recommend booking an earlier timeslot. The DineLA menu consisted of the following four courses: - Pate - French onion soup - Beef Bourguignon (special to DineLA) - Apple tart Of the four courses, the apple tart and french onion soup were the standouts! The tart was caramelized to perfection and sticky sweet (teeth beware). Meanwhile, the french onion soup was full of flavor and especially enjoyable in the cold weather. If you have the option to try the beef bourguignon, be prepared for a flavor bomb-- very rich and full of umami. The pate was just average. We also ordered a bottle of wine to drink. The wine list is pretty slim but prices are reasonable for restaurants. Given the slim wine list, I'd love to see a corkage fee in the future if possible. Service-wise, the staff was stellar. Each dish was brought out promptly after we finished the previous one (no rush and multiple plates on the table). The servers kept an eye on our wine and we never waited longer than a couple of minutes with an empty glass. The only time we felt rushed was when we finished the meal, with the check being brought out-- however, that makes sense given it seems like they were fully booked. The outdoor set up was ok but didn't exactly lend itself to any ambiance. The interior is beautiful though and seems like it'll be lovely once indoor dining is safe again. Definitely worth a return visit. read more
Business owner information
Pauline Z.
Thank you, Angela, for your kind and constructive review! I have…
I went here for dineLA four course meal The meals were so wonderful. The price was fairly considering what they offered. We had left over still. The service was on point. They constantly refilled our water. I especially love my French onion soup was rich. The pastry on top of the beef stew was crunchy even though it was submerged in the stew for long. The flavor was on point and robust. The vegetables had soft texture that well absorbed with the sauce. My favorite? The apple tart. It was not too overly sweet. The cream paired perfectly with the dessert. The bottom pastry was soft and crunchy at the same time. I would definitely come back. read more
Business owner information
Pauline Z.
Thank you very much, Trinny! We appreciate your feedback and…
Service was absolutely amazing, ambiance was superb, and the food was pure quality. I tried escargot for the first time and enjoyed it, ate delicious truffle pasta, and dreaming beautiful dreams about that soufflé. Dining out at its finest. read more
2 years ago
Came here for the first time for Dine LA and now I'm kicking myself for not coming here sooner. Everything was fantastic - from service to the food to the ambiance. I can be a picky eater because of my deep hatred of onions, but Gilberto took excellent care to make sure no chives made their way on to my food. The Coq Au Vin was the absolute highlight of the evening for me - it is clearly made with so much love, it felt like a hug in a bowl. The general manager, Nikki, is the sweetest person ever and I could tell she cares so much about a guest's dining experience. If I could give Perle 10 stars, I would, and I hope to make my way back soon! read more
Excellent service and delicious food! We went for our wedding anniversary and they saved us a quiet private table. And they had a welcome card for us! It was very thoughtful. We ordered a bunch of complex and flavorful dishes. Each dish really showed how delicate and sincere food was prepped. The chef's thorough vision was insightful. You could almost see if infront of you when you take your first bite. Is it good for first date? Yessss Good for groups? I saw a group of 10 too Good for family? Yes i think so but might be a bit too tight for strollers or highchairs Parking? Street and garage parking with fee Reservation? Highly recommended! read more
2 years ago
Loved my time here! I came here with my partner for a birthday dinner and I enjoyed the fact that they have many options for different diets. I'm vegan, so I requested their vegetarian menu. You can veganize many dishes from it. Many of their dishes are also seasonal. We got the Mushroom "Escargot," Salade Lyonnaise, French Onion Soup, and Coq Au Vin. We also got some mocktails (the Passion Fruit Daiquiri was delicious). I recommend sitting outside on the patio during the summer! Very beautiful since it's old town Pasadena. I will say the service was pretty slow (I came here on a Tuesday evening). We waited 30+ minutes just to get our check after we had finished eating. I had to flag down staff to get their attention, so maybe they were short-staffed. Overall, pricey but worth it for special occasions. read more
2 years ago
Very Nice Restaurant. Order Shrimp Cocktail , Pate Campagne , Duck Liver Parfait (Excellent) , Dover Sole Meuniere (Best Of The Night) , Haricots Verts (Excellent Green Beans) & A Complimentary Cake From Our Server , Thank You So Much. Excellent Service. read more
4 years ago
PARKING: Street (metered) or Parking Garages. Please note that the restaurant does not validate. There are multiple garages in Old Town (one directly across the street from Perle, but I have found this to be more expensive than the others). AMBIANCE: Intimate, noise level low, and dimmed lights. Tables were a bit too close to one another. NOT kid friendly DRESS CODE: Casual MENU OPTIONS: Tasting menu (4 courses for $125pp). Duck, fish, steak, pasta. DRINKS: they do not carry spirits; their cocktails have a Soju base. I had the featured cocktail and it was delicious! The only complaint, cocktails are too small! The pours on the wine are generous though! Ordered: escargot, green salad, duck and salmon. portions are a bit small, but cooked to perfection and was very tasty! We also got the chocolate soufflé (yum!!) SERVICE: Attentive and very friendly! Our server was Oden and he was amazing! I didn't get the hostess' name, but she was friendly as well! PRICE: ~ $70pp OVERALL EXPERIENCE: portions were a bit small, esp with the cocktails. Food: 4/5 stars (-1 due to portion size) Service: 5/5 stars Venue: 4/5 read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
When we arrived I originally booked an outside patio seat option but when I asked to change it for an inside reservation it was easily accommodated for me so I really loved that. The ambiance and vibe inside is very quant and I appreciated how intimate it was inside. The only reason why my rating isn't a 5/5 star is because the food. I ordered: French Onion soup: 5/5 AMAZING must order' Aïoli Garni: 4/5. It was okay and a healthier option than the cheese and charcuterie board option but if I'm going back, I would get the charcuterie board. Escargot: 5/5. I loved it. Very pesto garlicky but very good. Coq au Vin: 3/5. Honestly very disappointed, I saw in previous reviews how they are also disappointed but I wanted to try it to see and it was very salty and dry. Apple Tarte tin: 4/5 very good but also too sweet Overall, I really liked the place but for the price range and the Michelin stamp of approval I really expected more from the food just a tad bit! read more
Not many (or any) French restaurants in the SGV. This place really does a service to the cuisine. I started with the baguette, which by most peoples standards would be amazing. Then the escargot, which was delicious. You have to Sipe your baguette into the buttery goodness that comes with. Then I had the Coq Au Vin, which was exceptional. The wine sauce was so intricate and subdued. I absolutely loved it! I would easily recommend Perle. Service was spectacular. Our server was very attentive. Thank you for this delicious meal. read more
2 years ago
6 years ago
REVIEW FOR SGV EATS WEEK -- Ordered the Boeuf Bourguignon En Croûte for SGV week in the middle of the night because I was hungry and couldn't sleep lol. I didn't know if it was a one person sized meal so I dm-ed Perle on instagram at midnight. To my surprise, they replied in 10 mins! Pick up time 5pm Got there at 4:45-not ready until 5pm. Love it (like actually. I love punctuality) I peeped inside, such a cute interior and I can't wait to go back after covid ends!!!! The Boeuf Bourguignon was AMAZING. Definitely a generous portion for one, as stated by the individual dming me on ig. I love the mixture of veggies and the pastry was absolutely the best! Crispy and flaky. I followed the directions (ALSO definitely love directions, I would have burnt the heavenly pastry if it weren't for directions) and ate accordingly. Without the pastry, it would have been a little too salty for me. I did not eat all of it but I am going to eat it for dinner over rice tomorrow :'). Support your local french restaurant. This is honestly one of the best French restaurants I've been to in America. Can compare to the ones in France! I will be back to order takeout for my boyfriend! I cannot wait to try their actual menu. Merci beaucoup for an amazing dinner! read more
Nice place. We got the burrata, prime rib for two and the soufflé. The burrata was very good and went well with the balsamic. The steak was decent. I did like the sides. The mushroom and the spinach were probably my favorite parts of the dinner. They do give you extra sauce for the steak if you ask. The soufflé was so sweet and fluffy. It was like eating clouds. It's a really cute place with a nice atmosphere for a date. Contrary to other reviews, service was great. One of the waitress dropped a plate and the sauce went everywhere but nothing on our clothes so we didn't really care. But she was super apologetic and the manager Even came to apologize. I thought that was a very nice gesture. read more
Business owner information
Pauline Z.
Hi Eriko,…
I wanted a romantic but also tasty dining experience with my wife. Perle looked extremely promising, with its seasonal menu and small but visually appealing set of entrees to choose from. I decided to come here with my wife for a weekend date. The menu had just changed the day before, which also changed what I was planning to order. I was thinking about trying the croque madame, but that was no longer on the fall menu. No matter - I still wanted to try the coq au vin. Instead of the croque madame, I ended up ordering the lamb ragout pasta, and we shared our entrees. The lamb was very well seasoned. The pasta was fairly standard, though still good. The coq au vin was the star of the night. The sauce was super rich and delicious, balanced well with the potatoes and mushrooms. The chicken fell off the bone, and I was able to finish every last bit of the meat. Excellent service, delicious French food. Worth trying for those who want a nice French dining experience. read more
I've heard great things about Perle and finally got to try recently thanks to SGV Eats week! We got to try the Boeuf Bourguignon En Croûte. This was definitely shareable with 2 people and then some. But we are big eaters and it was happy to all go inside our bellies! It was just exploding with deliciousness and the pastry was was crispy after being in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes. The beef stew, veggies, the red burgundy flavored....ohhh la la! I actually wish I had some rice to go with all the goodness also! Did I mentioned we are big eaters? So we added the black truffle pasta (it is now $45) and a side order of brussels sprouts ($8). The pasta definitely tasted fresh, the black truffle was delicious. However I think because the boeuf bourguignon was super flavorful, it actually overpower the truffle taste in my mouth! No worries, all is good and tasty! Looking forward to come back with a full dine in experience when it's safe to do so! Because you know I gotta try those desserts too! read more
3 years ago
2 years ago
4 years ago
Reservation was at 6:45pm on 11/3/2022 for a friend's birthday. Didn't get our 1st appetizer until 7:30pm then 2nd appetizer at 8:00pm The mail coursed arrived at 9:00pm We ate what we can, paid the bill and left at 9:20pm The bill was over $500 with tip and tax for an awful experience. Unbelievable, the waiter did just apologized once saying kitchen is backed up but the restaurant wasn't even full. The restaurant didn't offer any compensation like free dessert or % off the check. Never going back again the wait for food was way too long and unacceptable. After a certain point of waiting, you just want to leave regardless if the food tasted great or not, therefore I cannot comment on the quality of their food. We were celebrating our friend's birthday and honestly it didn't set the mood anymore during the long wait for our food. It became almost a sour note and started to get awkward waiting. read more
There is a reason why Perle has 5 stars with 88 reviews! This place is delicious! For those vegans and plant based eaters they have an amazing selection of delicious plant based French cuisine. The service was amazing, especially the manager Rodrick who doubled as the sommelier. The vegan truffle pasta and coq au vin were incredible. I will 100% be going back for another meal at Perle. read more
Update! On the eve of Friday this week, we visited again after a long day at work. Donning our workout clothes (we intentionally picked the outdoor seating for this reason), we ordered one three-course prix fixe, and a couple other dishes. Guess what? The manager was so kind and gracious to offer my husband and I their French onion soup! Oh my, my, amazing is an understatement! It was probably THE BEST French onion soup in LA! I honestly thought Petit Trois' was hard to top; but I was sorely mistaken! So glad we've got to try Perle's French onion soup, would have missed out on this scrumptious delight! read more
2 years ago
An absolute delightful experience every time. The ambiance reminds me of Paris or parts of New York. I've been here with my husband and taken my mom here a few times now, and the food has been well-prepared and reliably tasty. The service is wonderful and professional, attentive without being overly attentive. We will be back soon! read more
My wife was waiting two years to try this restaurant, so here we are in 2023 post COVID and enjoying the French cuisine that we were both looking for. Our waiter was Austin, who is probably one of the most polite and kind servers I've had at a French restaurant, advising of both the tasting menu, which changes every two weeks, to the main menu, with a solid offering of protein and pasta, with opulent choices of seafood and game. I told Austin that I was on a low sodium diet, so he made sure the chef/owner was able to adjust the preparation of the sauces used in the dishes, which were so delicious with the French bread we ordered with our meal. I would say the best part of our meal was dessert, as they were prepared with perfection and large enough to feel satiated after our meal. I would recommend dining inside, as the dining room is nicely decorated like a French cottage cafe, with a nice little bar at the rear of the restaurant. I'm coming back for the brunch on the weekend, as the menu looks decent and the French cuisine makes it all the more romantic... read more
Came here for friend's bday. I felt they did a good job at spacing out the tables, so we felt safe. The atmosphere at night was nice too. Ordered one of their specials for the week. Seared scallops, cauliflower puree, apple, pickled raisins, lime-curry oil- so good! Paired really well with white wine. Highly recommend combining the purée, apple, pickled raisins, and scallop all in one bite to get the full magic. Every bite just melted in my mouth. Escargot was by far the best I've had in LA. Oh man, the buttery goodness! I thought it was strange that they don't provide tongs with the escargot. I don't have a lot of experience eating escargot, but be careful the shells are hot when you pick it up with your hands. For the main dishes, we got the black truffle pasta and coq au vin. Truffle anything is so good! Seriously was using a fork to scrape every last bit of that creamy sauce goodness off the plate. The coq au vin was really good too. It paired really well with the Bordeaux. Fun tip: combine the coq au vin with the truffle Parmesan cream sauce! For dessert, we got the apple tarte tatin. The crunch sound when cutting into it was so beautiful. Music to my ears! Surprisingly, the cinnamon-labneh cream was more tart tasting than sweet. But it still worked really well with the sweetness of the apples and the pastry. read more
Business owner information
Pauline Z.
Hi Jacky,…
1 year ago
2 years ago
4 years ago
We dined here around Christmas time. The food is okay. My husband really liked the mash potato and beef tartare. The beef was a bit on the salty side, but it has good flavor. The portions are kind of small. He only got like five or six pieces of beef. I had the mussel and fries and it was good until I found a piece of metal inside the soup. I think it's from the steel wool that was used to clean the mussel or pot. We let the waiter know immediately and they did apologized. We were given a free dessert. Honestly I was a little shocked to find out that the restaurant has one Michelin star. I thought the food was nothing impressive. I did have higher expectation for the restaurant and was a little let down. read more
3 years ago
4 stars for a really solid French meal. My wife and I were looking for dinner in downtown Pasadena and came across Perle. Located on Union Street, my wife jumped out of the car (parking can be tough around there) and asked the host if we could grab a seat at the bar. They said to come back in 20 minutes, which we promptly did after grabbing a drink at the nearby Blind Donkey. While the venue was somewhat empty when we went in, it did fill up. We took a seat at the bar, which is located near the back of the restaurant with a small type of see-thru wall blocking it off from the main seating area. The bartender came over to say hello and start our meal experience. He was a fairly pleasant bartender, who chatted with us a little bit about food around LA and various other concepts. He had another assistant(?) bartender who wasn't as chatty, but did do a good job answering questions. After I started off with a French beer and my wife a glass of French wine, we placed our order. I decided to go with the Taste of Perle prix fixe menu, while my wife decided to go with the salad verte and dover sole from the a la carte menu. My first item from the Taste of Perle menu, the soupe de petits pois (aka pea soup) came out relatively quickly as a nice starting shooter type of dish. The little pieces of bacon really made this a nice treat to start out. The first real portion of our meal started as my wife got her salad verte (which was pretty large and shareable for the 2 of us) and I received the (optional) duck liver tartine and terrine de poulpe (aka octopus). All three of these items were quite excellent, with the salad dressing really standing out for the salad and the octopus being presented in almost a tartare manner. The real star here (and for the meal in general) was the duck liver tartine. It was absolutely delicious and definitely worth the add on. The next dish that came out was the polenta et canard (aka duck soup). I was a little hesitant when I saw this dish on the menu and then saw a bowl brought out in front of me. However, this dish was a knockout! The duck and mushroom in the bowl were perfect sizes and texture, and the flavor the chef used was outstanding. The two duck dishes almost pushed this to a 5 star for me they were that good. The reason this is a 4 star review, however, is because of the final two dishes: the onglet de boeuf wagyu (aka wagyu steak) and dessert (panna cotta). My issue with the wagyu steak wasn't that it was bad, as the meat was good and the piquillo pepper sauce on it was decent. Rather, my issue was the dish was pretty basic compared to the rest of my meal and to my wife's dover sole (note on that: on one hand, it was really tasty and the brown butter sauce was solid, but on the other hand, this seemed more like a $50-$60 dollar dish rather than an $80 dish). In terms of the panna cotta dessert, this issue was that this is obviously one of the lesser desserts offered by the menu. We watched as the people next to us went to town on dessert and tried the chocolate soufflé, crème bruleee, and apple tarte and all 3 of those desserts looked immensely better. Neither the steak nor dessert were bad, but they just seemed out of place as part of the tasting menu as if they were added to keep costs down rather than to complete an experience. Overall, Perle Restaurant provided us with a great French experience. The nice venue, solid service, and generally excellent food make this a spot worth checking out next time you are in downtown Pasadena. read more
4 years ago
Loved every part of our dinner! We ordered the truffle pasta, pomme frites, mussels, chocolate soufflé and wine. read more
3 years ago
A quaint French restaurant in Pasadena. The service is great. The food is delicious and presentation is great. You can order off the menu or order a taste menu, which is a prefixed menu. Parking on the street or paid parking. read more
2 years ago
Guess the bf really does pay attention to the things I say because he surprised me with dinner reservations at Perle after I mentioned wanting to come here since last year :') We came around 6pm on a Friday night and opted to sit inside since the heat lately has been no joke. We went for their three course meal and each ordered a different main course. We started off with drinks; I had the west comes east (highly recommended!) and bf had a ventura light. My drink was pretty, delicious, and the perfect refresher on a hot day. We asked for a side of their baguette that came with a dippable butter. It had a crunch that was softened with the warm butter. We LOVED their Soupe de Poisson. It was flavorful without being overly fishy. I had the roasted duck breast while my bf had the veal chops. Def preferred the duck breast; the veal chops were breaded and simply reminded me of chicken katsu (welp). Dessert was a custard tart with cherry compote. The compote was a bit too spicy for my taste but the basque custard tart was good. Overall a great experience, perfect for date nights and special occasions! read more
5 years ago
5 years ago
Absolutely fantastic experience. There was not a single weakness to report: from the cocktails which were superb, to the meals themselves, to the stellar service, by far our favorite dining experience in Pasadena. We swapped off the prix fixe menu for meat (carpaccio, salmon, duck confit, all perfect) and vegetarian. While most would expect an excellent experience with French meats and fish, chef's attention to detail, and the exquisite flavors of the vegetarian menu were out of this world! Another increasingly rare thing: The service was wonderful. Since the great quit, we've found even high-end restaurants are struggling with obtaining well-versed personnel. We want to support fine dining as much as we can, but it has been pretty disappointing to spend exorbitantly and receive scattered service. Not so at Perle. The general manager, Ms. Witowski, conducted the staff like an orchestra. All were knowledgeable, friendly, attentive but not annoying. She herself was a delight and knew wine pairings inside and out but was never pushy. Just a joy. My only concern? We'd never been before! Cannot wait to go back. That French soup looked fabulous! read more
More info about Perle Restaurant
43 E Union St
Pasadena, CA 91103
Downtown
Directions
(626) 460-8819
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https://www.perlerestaurant.com
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Ask the Community - Perle Restaurant
Can I make a reservation on valentine'day,but must join valentine menu or can order regular menu?
You can order from The regular menu
What is the usual dress attire? Are shorts acceptable?
Yes, nice shorts are good. Elegant looking place but casual and not stuff. Also had sidewalk outdoor dining.
Do you have kids menu? We plan to come here with the family for a birthday celebration.
Yes, they have a children's menu that has a pasta option and I believe a petite steak option.
Are we able to order take out?
Yes, we do offer takeout from 5-8pm Wednesday - Sunday. Please visit this link and scroll down to Takeout :…
Do you have bone marrow as a dish?
They have bone-marrow bordelaise sauce, which was amazing.
How rushed does the meal feel if you have a 9:00pm reservation? Is there still a chance to have dessert?
Hi! There wouldn’t be any rush if you had a 9pm reservation. You would have ample time for dessert — our Apple Tarte Tatin is regarded as the best in LA by the LA Times and Eater, by the way :)
How do you order a vegan meal online? Website menu says "vegan options available on request" but online ordering has zero items marked vegan, and no options to choose to make them vegan.
In the notes section, simply write “vegan” for any dishes you’d like to be made vegan and the chef will make it for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
How is parking around here?
There's paid parking across the street or 90 min free city parking by Armory Art center.
How do I make a reservation?
You can make a reservation via the website: Perlerestaurant.com…
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19 reviews that are not currently recommended
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