Highly Acclaimed Michelin-Trained Chef to Open French-Inspired Restaurant Perle in Pasadena

Michelin-trained chef Dean Yasharian (Chateau Marmont, Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel London, Restaurant Daniel, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Midsummer House) brings his extensive classic French and modern farm-to-table training to Old Pasadena with his first restaurant, Perle, set to open in March 2020.

Perle will offer a sustainable and organic-focused menu featuring classic French dishes as well as modern, seasonal creations influenced by California’s fresh cuisine. Yasharian employs a mirrored menu concept, with half of the menu consisting of meat and seafood dishes and the other half composed of vegetarian and plant-based dishes. The menu will be updated weekly with new items.

Yasharian attributes his hard work ethic and love for country style cooking for the Perle menu from his extensive farming heritage in the Northeast, where his father is still a sustainable organic livestock and crop farmer. The menu will also incorporate touches of international cuisines such as Armenian and Persian, which are inspirations to Chef Yasharian.

Dishes on the meat and seafood menu may include organic coq au vin with tahdig rice, grass-fed steak tartare and Santa Barbara ridgeback prawns with salt-cured Meyer lemon and saffron. The vegetarian and vegan menu will feature vegan French onion soup with cashew cheese gratin, frisée Lyonnaise salad with tofu “egg” and tempeh “bacon lardons,” and braised Le Puy green lentils with plant-based sausage and Dijon.

“I couldn’t be more excited to open my first restaurant in the community where my family and I live,” says Yasharian. “I am overjoyed to share my experiences and passion for food, wine and hospitality with new friends, old friends and family. This project is very special to my family, as Perle is named after our eldest daughter, Luna Pearl, whose beautiful life has brought much inspiration and motivation to my work.”

Not only is Yasharian the chef and owner of Perle, but he and his family have also executed much of the interior design, from handcrafting the mahogany tables to painting the kitchen. Perle’s timeless aesthetic lets the building’s historical integrity shine, with traditional decorative ceiling beams, a carved wooden bar, rattan chairs, antique mirrors and vintage art.

Perle will open for dinner with a beer and wine menu to start from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5:30 p.m to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday with weekend brunch to launch in the coming months. Prices for the dishes range from $10 to $32. Perle is located at 43 Union St. in Pasadena, California.