Reviewing Perch: The trendiest French restaurant L.A. has to offer.

Downtown L.A. has a wide variety of trendy restaurants that people are dying to try. The good news is I have found a restaurant that absolutely has to be added to that list: Perch. Beautiful fish tanks surround you as you check in with the hostess before taking the elevator up to the fifteenth floor. Once at Perch, you check in with another hostess to wait for your table to be prepared. We got the perfect table for our large party out on the patio near the live music. The performers were super talented and energized the crowd. It was a nice vibe for the night because it was the right tone and level of noise. Our group really enjoyed having the music in the background; we laughed, sang, and even danced a little too!

It was a fairly big group of us, which was nice because we were able to try quite a bit off the menu. The dishes we got included the fromage and charcuterie plate, ahi tuna tartare, bacon mac and cheese, cauliflower, truffle cheese fries, plate provencal, and surf n’ turf skewers. We started with the fromage and charcuterie plate, which is a chef’s selection of two cheeses and two cured meats with nuts, fruit, sour cherry mustard, and raisin-walnut crostini. Everything was beautifully plated, and the contrasting colors of the meats and cheeses couldn’t have been more photogenic. Next, we got the ahi tuna tartare which came with avocado, ponzu, chili oil, cucumber, radish, and gyoza chips. This dish was superbly fresh, light, and was an ideal starter to our meal. The chips were salty and tasty too! Next up we got the bacon mac and cheese which consisted of a black truffle béchamel and bacon lardons. This mac and cheese did not have much bacon flavoring and was more on the rich and creamy side. It was tasty, but certainly a heavier dish, so it was best shared.

The cauliflower came with almonds, vadouvan, citrus aioli, and brown butter. This dish had a unique flavoring and tasted kind of like a curry topping. The truffle cheese fries with white cheddar and pecorino were to die for. These were some of the best fries I have ever had, for sure. The plate provencal was a vegan dish comprised of red quinoa, asparagus, broccolini, heirloom beets, eggplant purée, frisée, and peas. This dish was extremely fresh, yet popped with flavor. It’s definitely a good dish to share as well as it is a large portion. The surf n’ turf skewers came with grilled filet and shrimp, béarnaise, and arugula. The filet was rich in flavor and perfectly cooked. The shrimp was also perfectly cooked, but had less flavor than the meat. The arugula was a nice addition on the side, while the light lettuce complemented the heaviness of the proteins well. All in all, I was really happy with the quality of the food in terms of freshness, flavor, and portions.

The staff at Perch was attentive and the service was pretty quick for how large our party was. The atmosphere is chic, lively, and highly photogenic. The skyline of Downtown L.A. makes an excellent backdrop for a girls’ night out, date night, a family reunion, or anything celebratory or special. Seeing the sunset behind the buildings transports you to a different place, making you forget you are in L.A. I most definitely want to go back to Perch because I was so pleased by the aesthetic of the restaurant (inside and out), the tastiness of the food, and the fun live music setting. Next time, I will 100 percent get the truffle cheese fries again, try the wild mushroom risotto, and, if I don’t overeat as I did during this visit, I’d like to try the white chocolate bread pudding from the dessert menu.