I have a big birthday coming up in three weeks and everyone has been constantly asking me, "What are we doing for your birthday?" The pressure! So in an effort to find a unique, fun place to hang that also has good food, my dear friend Cwennen and I went out last night on a reconnaissance mission to check out two places in Downtown LA.
The first stop was Perch, a French bistro and bar "perched" on the roof of a 15-story building near Pershing Square. The view of downtown on a clear, January night (that had been 80 degrees during the day) was beautiful! This photo doesn't do it justice...
We sat out on the patio, on the side of the building facing the Square, near a fire pit occupied by a bunch of friends chatting over cocktails.
Our lovely waitress Carlina was magnifiquès! She gave us great drink and appetizer recommendations, answered questions about the space/who to contact for private events and checked in on us often. We had read about some amazing-sounding blue-cheese poppers on the website. Sadly, that was on the old menu with the old chef. Carlina apologized but recommended a new starter -- baked Brie cheese sticks with a (what I think was) raspberry sauce. They were awesome! She also helped Cwennen choose a "Jacques Collins" (gin, lemon juice, soda and saffron) over a "French Maid" (cognac, lemon juice, simple syrup w/muddled cucumber & mint) cocktail. I went with the "My Fair Lady," a French cosmo (of course) with quinoa vodka, cranberry, lime and crème de peche. It was sweet, but good. Not too weak, not too strong.
For my entree, I went with the new chef's Steak Frites, which wasn't on the online menu either (Carlina noted they really need to update that!).
The first stop was Perch, a French bistro and bar "perched" on the roof of a 15-story building near Pershing Square. The view of downtown on a clear, January night (that had been 80 degrees during the day) was beautiful! This photo doesn't do it justice...
We sat out on the patio, on the side of the building facing the Square, near a fire pit occupied by a bunch of friends chatting over cocktails.
Our lovely waitress Carlina was magnifiquès! She gave us great drink and appetizer recommendations, answered questions about the space/who to contact for private events and checked in on us often. We had read about some amazing-sounding blue-cheese poppers on the website. Sadly, that was on the old menu with the old chef. Carlina apologized but recommended a new starter -- baked Brie cheese sticks with a (what I think was) raspberry sauce. They were awesome! She also helped Cwennen choose a "Jacques Collins" (gin, lemon juice, soda and saffron) over a "French Maid" (cognac, lemon juice, simple syrup w/muddled cucumber & mint) cocktail. I went with the "My Fair Lady," a French cosmo (of course) with quinoa vodka, cranberry, lime and crème de peche. It was sweet, but good. Not too weak, not too strong.
For my entree, I went with the new chef's Steak Frites, which wasn't on the online menu either (Carlina noted they really need to update that!).
My medium-cooked steak was topped with grilled onion and a patty of blue cheese that eventually melted all over my meat as I sliced. It was really, really tasty! As were the perfectly cooked (crispy on the ends, soft in the middle) "frites."
Overall, the dinner was delish, and the restuarant has a really relaxing, cheerful vibe... accented by the French music (my new, make-me-happy music of choice over the last month since watching Midnight in Paris) playing at just the right volume over the sound system outside.
Perch is a definite possibility for the birthday extravaganza. There is a huge parking lot across the street, as well as two metro stops nearby (either 4th Street or Pershing Square), so transportation should be easy for people. Next I just have to email and get the scary quote on reserving either part of the patio or the safer (since my birthday is in the middle of winter and there is no guarantee it will be 80 degrees that day ;) inside performance space that Carlina says people can reserve from 7-9 for private events.
Souhaitez moi bonne chance! (That's "Wish me luck in French" ;) Because the other place we went to after Perch -- The Edison -- while in a very cool, underground, industrial space with a fun roaring '20s vibe, was just too loud and too crowded for my liking.
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