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Last week, I witnessed something that made me smile. As I sipped a small martini ($11.75) at Pearl, the new pan-Asian spot on Chestnut Street next door to the Boyd Theater, four young men entered. They had a reservation and told the hostess they were celebrating a birthday.
The birthday boy was turning 15.
The foursome, decked out in Dockers and ironed shirts, ordered Shirley Temples and sat by a window until they were led to their table.
Why would 14- and 15-year-old school boys come to Pearl? I hadn’t a clue. Neither did the bartender nor the hostess. I figured this foursome were dedicated foodies in the making.
Pearl, a bi-level restaurant/nightclub/lounge, opened on the site of Little Pete’s last winter. The space had to be totally gutted and, if the lighting were better, I could describe the new interior.
Pearl is owned by David Stein and his sons Scott and Sean — who operated Red Sky in Old City — along with Brett Perloff.
The executive chef is Ari Weiswasser, who has put together a menu where each dish on the bill of fare is set off by a comma after each ingredient (pork dumplings, minced scallion, ponzu). It is wise to ask the server how the dishes are prepared.
I began dinner with the dumplings ($9) and received five, small, lukewarm tidbits haphazardly placed on a plate along with a small tureen of salty dipping sauce. Asian cuisine is celebrated for its colorful eye appeal — at these prices, I expected a bit more.
Short ribs are among my favorite winter dishes — they are hearty and must be properly braised. The tempura beef short rib, red jalapeno, wasabi cream, ponzu ($13) consisted of eight small balls sitting naked on my plate. Weiswasser braised the beef, shredded it, formed rounds the size of golf balls, coated them in tempura and fried them. They were a little greasy, but the beef was tender and tasty. The salty dipping sauce didn’t enhance them one bit. Still, the plate should have contained some garnish or condiment.
At Pearl, the scallops ($24) were top-quality, but were masked by too many ingredients fighting each other on the palate. The description told me they were seared and encrusted with chopped pistachios and truffle oil; edamame and black rice came on the side. I took one bite and could not believe the scallops were neither seared nor hot. It actually was too rich and sweet.
The bartender told the manager and he happily took the dish away and removed it from the bill. I ordered a few more appetizers and small plates to fill out my meal. On many occasions the first courses are better than the entr�es. Several people recommended the braised king prawns, kaffir lime, coconut rice, Asian bouillabaisse ($25). I like shrimp served with the heads on since they are like baby lobsters and I have no trouble eating them with my hands. There were five prawns though "bouillabaisse" was misleading as this is a fish stew. The lukewarm shrimp tasted a bit like iodine. The small round of coconut rice added sweetness that was OK, but I prefer sweets at the end of the meal.
From the wines by the glass I selected at 2006 Sauvignon Blanc from France. I enjoyed its grassiness and fine flavor.
A small cocoa pot de cr�me, anise, caramel, cinnamon, powdered ginger ($7) was not an authentic pot de cr�me. The light chocolate, pudding-like mixture should have been prepared with darker chocolate and should have been rich and very dense. It was topped with too much whipped cream.
I’m sure the ingredients used in each dish are top-quality, but the food needed to be hot and prices are on the high side.
One-and-a-half tips of the toque to Pearl.
Pearl
1924 Chestnut St.
215-564-9090
Credit cards accepted
