Chef Harold Dieterle, being a Top Chef winner, really had to prove himself to me. Formerly a sous chef at The Harrison, he had to be talented, but you have to question what type of person wants to appear on Top Chef. Forgive me, but I don’t believe in reality television shows. With Perilla, Dieterle is not merely coasting on his new celebrity status, he’s chosen to open a small neighborhood joint, taking the philosophy of his former employers Jimmy Bradley and Danny Abrams (and much of their staff), and creating the type of food he wants, with lots of Asian influences. And it’s not heavy-handed either; it’s simply pleasant. The entrée fiddlehead fern ravioli with fava beans, morels and truffle butter was so mouth-wateringly delicious that when I had finished, I wanted to start the meal all over again. The atmosphere clearly strives to recreate the success of The Red Cat, but Perilla strikes me as trendier and I don’t quite connect with it in the same way. Still, it’s very new, the food is delicious and the service personable, so I have high hopes that it will become a lasting neighborhood hangout.