The { Foodie } Life: Perla Cafe
234 West Fourth Street at West Tenth Street
Remember Perla, Gabriel Stulman’s downtown-cool Italian joint with a mean spicy tomato gnocchi? That chapter may have come to a close, but Stulman has penned a sequel in the form of Perla Cafe just steps from its predecessor’s home.
While the new space favors natural lighting and a neutral color palette in contrast to Perla’s dark richness, there are a few elements that remain the same — namely the vibrant display of artwork lining the walls and, of course, the gnocchi.
Stulman, father to Fedora, Bar Sardine, and Jeffrey’s Grocery, to name a few, is as cool and collected as the rotating art collection that gives Perla’s new iteration its spirited aesthetic.
Where else could we possibly sip a perfect negroni alongside equally pleasing pasta in the company of a stuffed ram and Mr. Brainwash’s version of Louis Armstrong, Louis Vuitton case and all?