Recently Executive Chef Perfecto celebrated the restaurant’s one year anniversary with a ten-course dinner featuring his fan’s favorite dishes. It was a sell out with photos of his dishes displayed on Instagram.

Over one year ago, Hollywood producer turned restaurateur Stephen Gelber, along with Umami founder Adam Fleischman, Lee Weinberg, and hospitality expert Jason Berkowitz, opened a cutting-edge Spanish restaurant on Melrose.

Guests have their senses heightened with the scent of wood burning on open flames as they take a seat in one of the two dining area. One side is more formal for an intimate dinner, while the other side offers communal tables for people to share food, sip wine and socialize.

Gelber has been collecting a variety of Spanish wines through the years, and offers some of his favorites on the menu to enhance and compliment the flavors of each dish.

Locals rave about Perfecto’s cod croquette, beet gazpacho, and smoked spring onions with a salbitxada sauce made with almonds, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper.

His caramelized cauliflower and artichokes with hazelnuts, garlic, spicy chili is a vegetarians delight, while the skillet of fried cubed potatoes with slices of Serrano ham, chorizo sauce and a picturesque fried egg on top is a heartier dinner option.

Inspired from the sea are dishes that include smoked octopus, and a cocktail of marinated oysters and mussels.
Perfecto uses that aromatic wood-fire grill to cook quail; whole sea bass; butcher’s filet of Iberico pork, and dry-aged NY skirt steak.

The evening culminates with a Catalan custard with passion fruit ice cream. Muy Bueno!

On Sunday the restaurant offers a prix-fixe four-course Paella dinner with an optional wine flight pairing. $$- $$$ 7274 Melrose Ave. (323)930-7900.

This article was featured in the Summer 2015 Beverly Press Dining Guide. – http://issuu.com/beverlypress/docs/plnbp-dining-and-entertainment-2015