Black pearl, Black Pearl, Black Pearl.... I want to love you. Â I really do.
My first dinner here was amazing. Â They had a gnocchi with rabbit con fit and a mozzarella foam that was insane. Â Â I've been back probably another 5 times and 3 of the meals were pretty bad while the other 2 ranged from OK to good.
I've had the pork belly which was 90% fat, under cooked and tasted like I was eating a bowl of lard. Â I've had the scallops which came out undercooked and flavorless.
I love their unique menu items, I don't mind the price and I would love to have a "foodie" restaurant in walking distance but I just can't justify spending $80 for a mediocre dinner.
Their menu is seasonal changes every couple weeks and it makes me wonder if they might not be better off finding their best dishes and sticking with them.
Service is hit or miss - we've had a great server, I think his name was Jeremy, a couple times and he was friendly and knowledgable. Â The last couple times we've had a no-nonsense server that didn't welcome us to the restaurant, explain the menu, etc. Â It's the small things people!
I'd probably give this place one more shot to change my mind.
I had some really high hopes for this place, and even though the food was good it wasn't flawless. To start off with my friends and I wanted to do the 5280 menu. A month and a half prior I called and asked if they were going to be serving this menu during  brunch and they said yes at which time I made reservations. A week ago  they called and said that do NOT serve the 5280 menu at brunch. We opted to stick with the regular brunch menu.
Even though their menu is limited I was finding it hard to order between two items. The waitress recommended the vegetarian Benedict. So after quite await, our food comes out and my Benedict was small. One piece of toast topped with 2 eggs a few mushrooms and a sprinkle of Gruyere cheese smothered in pumpkin holindaise sauce. Everything tasted good, but it came out luke warm. It was served with potatoes that were just fine.
My friend ordered the omelet special with bison, asparagus, a green of some sort. she said it was OK but the green made it bitter and it was on the salty side. My other friend  ordered the mac and cheese and she said it was good, and it was filling. It came out in a small bowl with no garnish, it looked disappointing, but I guess what it tastes like is all that matters. For dessert we ordered the pound cake pancakes with chocolate chip whip cream. Those were really tasty.
All in all I am really torn as to how bad I want to go back. There are other items on the menu I want to try, but  the portions are small for the prices, and they really don't have a need to please. My friend asked it the calamari was available for lunch and they said no. Also our server dropped our check off before asking if we wanted something else. If I was alone that is a red flag you want me to leave.
Just moved into the area and heard some good things about Black Pearl. Eeek but after an early (6:45 pm) date night, my beau and I won't be coming back.
They stuck us in a very tight corner upstairs. When the server came to our table he gave us menus but then proceeded to talk forever about a charity we could support if we bought the featured wines. But we had already ordered drinks.
We got our appetizers within 5 minutes of ordering. But if I wanted fast-food I would have gone to Panera.They served us our entrée immediately after the app plates were pulled. And the kicker is we had to cancel 1 bc the main dish came so quickly! It was just way too fast and it felt like they just wanted the table. Our empty martini glasses sat on the table for the entire meal-even after we ordered wine.
The food was just okay. Nothing stood out. But the kicker was the wine. The servers presentation was sloppy, and to top it off...the red wine was chilled. I'm talking right out-of-the-fridge cold. We mentioned this to the server but he seemed unphased. We drank the small amount they initially poured (not that they offered to pour any more). And when we were leaving the maitre'd asked us how it was. We told him the red wine was literally cold, had him feel the bottle, and then he shrugged. That was it.
So not acceptable. Don't ask if you don't care. We will not be going back. Save yourself $200 and go to Panera...at least you'll get room temperature wine there.
Going to the Black Pearl was a horrible waste of time and money. We received possibly some of the worst service ever from our waiter, who was treating his tables like cattle and would drop a menu off and immediately turn around and go to the next tables. He never came by to see if we had questions or anything, just a simple "here's you menus, what do you want?" which is not what I'm expecting when out spending decent money in hopes for a decent brunch.
A 15 minute wait for the server to come back and tell us the special only so that he can take off for another 15 minutes before coming back for our order? $10 for a bottomless mimosa that only got refilled once (not even by our waiter) and nonexistant service? Another 10 minute wait for jelly for my toast? No thanks, definitely not coming back here again. Oh, but I'll have to, at least once more because the waiter got confused and not only charged my card the wrong amount but charged it TWICE. Don't waste your time here, seriously.
I really enjoyed a group dinner here last week. It was a Monday so we had a big table and service was great. They were on top of refills, taking away dirty plates, etc.
We started off with a few apps that were all a hit at the table. Truffle fries, Calamari, and the sampling cheese plate. The fries were so good!!!
For my entree I wanted to try something new and glad I did. I enjoyed the braised oxtail bolognese with house made papperdelle, carrots, pancetta, fried egg, pickled red onion. It was very rich and I could've probably eaten only half of it, but I didn't. I ate it all and skipped dessert. They also make good Moscow mules.
FYI, they are currently on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsavored.com&s=4cbe40e0bc2355678afe4bcf67744319baaf200fe173e4098f8caaf14ef71d5c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://savored.com</a> and we saved 30% off the bill.
After losing Madison St. for a dependable Brunch meal, we decided to check out the Black Pearl in the interest of their bottomless mimosa's. (What's a brunch without a bottomless mimosa?) Overall, we were very happy with our visit.
The atmosphere, a rather small dining area minimally decorated, was both refreshing and welcoming. What might be first taken as pretension is actually a very sophisticated, eclectic style. The train wheel molds on the ceiling intrigue, the cool blank walls invite you check out the open kitchen and other diners more, and bar area looks like so much fun I want to come back just to sit there. It is noisy, so beware. Â As deaf as I am, I had to use my bf as an interpreter.
But the service? I would put it down as some of the best in Denver. First, they did not make the mistake of under staffing. If anything they staffed perfectly. We were quickly seated, had water almost before I could sit down, and right away a friendly Malcom was ready to assist us. Excellent, excellent service! From the kitchen all the way to the busser, everyone was quick, calm, attentive, and helpful to their fellow team. The manager was clearly on the floor, but he didn't have bark at his staff. They worked together with him and he with them so that everyone was happy; customer and staff. Some of the best service I have ever had in Denver, and to the Black Pearl I say BRAVO!
Now on to the food bits... The mimosa's, our purpose for coming? Perfect. Unlike other places, these did not become juice as the hours wore on. Blended well and with a better quality of champagne than other places, they were very tasty. Â As for food, we family styled a Piggy Scramble and a Mac and Cheese.
The Piggy Scramble was delicious. The pork belly was cooked very well and blended well in consistency with the scrambled eggs, giving them the smoky meaty flavor of the belly. The onions, having been caramelized, paired with the sweetness of the apples, giving the meaty flavor a great sweet bite that was balanced very well with the ricotta cheese and it's creamy, cool rosemary undertones.
The Mac and Cheese, however, was a disappointment. The pasta was inconsistently cooked, some was overdone and mush and some underdone and crunchy. There did not seem to be any that met in the middle. The walnuts added a great crunch and bitterness that we thought would play nicely with the cheddar, yet... None of anything else could be tasted except Crawfish. Everything tasted like the crawfish used; the sauce, the cheddar, the crawfish. It was a crawfish-pooloza in our mouths, and while I like crawfish, the richness of the cream sauce did not go well with the fishy flavor and I found my Crohn's debating with me about accepting the contents of my stomach. Â It did, because even not well put together, it was still bloody tasty. Yet, we redesigned the recipe several times as "what you should have done instead of crawfish" as we ate it since, what else could we talk about when it is very much apparent in our mouths?
Some other things we noted that we liked? Coffee comes in your own french press - no more wondering how old that coffee is! Water is left on the table in its own bottle, much preferred! Staff does little extra bits to make the place a little more classy - ketchup comes in a dish, not a plastic bottle. Â The menu was limited, however that is a good sign in my opinion. You are more likely to consistently get a well cooked dish that way.
By far one of the best restaurants in Denver. We just went this past weekend for the 50th time and it was amazing again. I always mean to add a review but forget. This latest visit made me remember to get it done. Their menu is always changing and there is something new every time we go. I believe it shows passion and inventiveness to come up with new menu items. A lot of restaurants in Denver fail at this. I do with they had a beer on tap but they have a good selection. There is one downside with the restaurant though, we loved the swiss cheese pancakes but they only lived on the menu for a short time. We keep hoping they will bring them back.
Review Source:This is a fav spot of one of my gal pal's, and when I came out to visit for a few days we visited twice. Â Once for lunch and once for brunch. Â
The falafel burger had glimpses of fabulousness along the edges; literally. Â :) Â It may be that I'm used to crispy falafels, but I much preferred the edges of the burger than the rest of it. Â The sour cream tzatziki and the crispy part of the burger was a great flavor combination. Â The doorway of the kitchen is open to diners, so it was fun glancing their direction every once and a while to see preparations. Â
Great service. Â Everyone was very attentive. Â
We came back for brunch, and I tried the brie stuffed french toast soaked in OJ and grand marnier, and a side of crispy spuds. Â It was good. Â I think if I wasn't already in love with a pain perdu dish served at a french bistro restaurant in CA, I would fall in love with Black Pearl's version of yumminess. Â
Great flavors here. Â I would definitely come back!
I've been to black pearl for lunch before and it was really very good. So the other Sunday (months ago now) when we were trying to replace our beloved Bistro One we ventured a bit east to BP for their bottomless mimosas.
We sat down and listened to the waitress explain the eclectic recipe they had for that weekend's pancake special, which turned out to be just a little too eclectic when the waitress threw in truffle oil...needless to say no one ordered it. We decided on some classics, with BP twists; bacon and eggs, chorizo-avocado covered eggs benny and french toast. Â The bacon and eggs, if you want to call them that came out with King Soopers' lowest quality skimpy bacon, seriously! The tiniest three strips of bacon anyone has ever seen since the three little pigs went on that crack bender..oh nevermind, they were small. In addition to the tiny bacon came five tiny "home fries." Even at the fanciest of places they give you more than 5 tiny pieces of potato. For godsake that's the cheapest part of the meal, load it up.
Then came the chorizo-avocado Benedict. Did I mention it came sans avocado, seriously.
Then we decided we would drown or dismal breakfast away with our tasty mimosas. After one refill our bill came, then came the nasty looks from the waitress, then the host and manager, then to top things off the refill guy slowed his roll on the "bottomless" mimosas. We got the drift and over stayed our welcome after having to ask for 2 more refills.
So if you want a full stomach and truly bottomless mimosas, without judgement go some where else cause BP did a better job of clean up the gulf than Black Pearl did of making a proper brunch.
I took my mom here on a random decision because the menu looked good, and food wise it was a good decision. We had the sea scallop and calamari with pistachios, both were very good and cooked very well. I had the clams with chorizo, also very tasty and my clams were not over cooked. For desert I had the jasmine tea creme brûlée which was delicious, I probably could of eaten another one. My waiter was very knowledgable about the menu and ingredients which is something I value and the atmosphere was great as well. The only thing I marked down on was the pricing, it is a bit pricey so be prepared to shell out the cash, but it is worth it.
Review Source:Went for brunch. Â The eggs in the veggie benedict were poached hard. Â The bread was so tough, it needed to be cut with a steak knife and the hollandaise was broken. Â Furthermore, the dish was served cold mand cold egg dishes are the pits! Â We had four servers come to our table without removing empty appetizer plates. Â The only reason I'm giving it three stars is because the chef must have excellent vision, but the execution is lacking. Â The decor is great.
Review Source:I live in Platt Park and have been to Black Pearl many times for happy hours so when I saw one of those 'deal a day' sites running a special for dinner I pounced on it. When we went to the restaurant we were disappointed by the food, but hey we were getting a deal! Wrong!!! We were there a day before the deal started, so not only was the food bad, it was expensive. Black Pearl had an opportunity to win us back though... we still had the coupon, needless to say the didn't. We came back the following week and the food was equally poor.
Review Source:I'm giving this a 4 based on food but its actually more like a 3.5 because its pretty pricey. For the money I would expect the food to be perfect.
The menu here is good if you are not a picky eater. There is no Chicken or beef. Meats include Rabbit, Duck, Lamb and Yak which makes for an interesting meal and something different. They also come with off beat carbs like lentils and gnocchi.
So its probably worth a visit for sure.
Great place for brunch! My wife had the pancake of the day - date & chocolate chip, with hazelnut whipped cream. I had the meatie benedict with avocado, and chorizo hollandaise. Both were awesome, and the prices are more than fair. Great french press coffee too! Oh, and the service was great. I will be back!
Review Source:Wandered into here with some friends recently and it was ok. I heard they had oysters, so, of course, I'm in...
Pretty neat space with patio, a dining room separate from the bar area. I prefer sitting at the bar these days when dining, so we grabbed three seats.
I found the by the glass wine menu a little lacking, so, Jameson it is...
I ordered a half dozen of each of their oyster selections: west coast (raw), east coast (raw) and fried. The west coast oysters with the mignonette was really tasty, but I really disliked the lemon vodka foam served with the east coast oysters. Couldn't taste the oysters and didn't like foam's texture with the oyster in my mouth. I want the slimy oyster, not a slimy oyster covered in more slime! I liked the ancho chili fried oysters, but thought they could have been seasoned a little more.
I also had the calamari, which was excellent and well seasoned and very flavorful and plentiful. I thought the parmesan fried we shared we so-so. The cheesecake dessert was very savory and went very well with the Cabernet port.
Some hits, some misses, but I'd like to try again when the menu changes...
Rode my bike 4 miles south for a nice brunch Saturday afternoon, was it worth it? 4 stars says it was!
Bottomless mimosas offered at Black Pearl was magnetizing enough to take us away from our original plans of brunching at Gaia Bistro (right next door).
We arrived around 12:30, just crowded enough to not make ya worry... "what's wrong with this place?" but able to have a seat outside in the shade without a wait.
Our waiter was odd, but completely competent and available. We each had a (10 dollar) bottomless mimosa.
I had the Biscuit Sandwich, my brunch partna' had the Meatie Benedict.
Biscuit Sandwich- presentation was very appealing, crumbly biscuit with bacon, very nicely not-over-cooked-for-a-restaurant egg, and arugula. When I see arugula with a breakfast dish, I order. Something so fresh and spicy about the combo of eggs with the peppery green. I would order this again, also had a zippy hollandaise sauce.
Meatie Benedict- had beautiful poached eggs with very crispy potatoes on the side. I stole more than one from my brunchee's plate.
The food was overall really good and satisfying; however, it may be lacking the quantity for a big eater. Why not 5 stars? Just slightly overpriced for the menu items, but maybs Wash Parkians like throwing those extra bucks. Also, we had to ask to be "topped" off on our bottomless, which is never cool with me...
Eh. I had a Travel Zoo coupon so we got 2 apps, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts. The calamari was interesting - did not really taste like calamari due to the sauce. I loved the scallops (though there are only 2). My friend and I were recommended the duck and the clam cioppino...both were a little disappointing. For dessert we had the bananas foster and drunken pear/chocolate mousse...and those were both decent.
Review Source:Meh....I've heard such great things about Black Pearl from so many people, so maybe my expectations were artificially high. I went for brunch last weekend and thought it was just ok.
Highlights:
- Outdoor patio seating was delightful on a sunny morning
- Service was very attentive
- My eggs were perfectly poached, which unfortunately is all too uncommon
Shortcomings:
- Brunch menu options are very limited
- Portions were really small
- Presentation was mediocre
I will definitely try BP again, especially for happy hour or dinner, but I was a bit disappointed with the mediocrity of my brunch experience - it just didn't live up to the hype.
For as casual a restaurant as this is, the staff is one of the snootiest I've ever encountered. First, the hostess gave us a solid eye roll and huffed, "I guess you can sit by the bar", upon learning we did not have a reservation. Then, after being largely ignored for most of our meal, the (I assume) manager gave us the same treatment - only ruder - when we told him we had a Groupon for our meal. We even overheard him say, "I mean, I'm trying to run a business here, God forbid we make a little money!"
The food was fine, but the service was worthy of never returning.
I don't have high expectations for Restaurant Week. You figure mass produced food and little variety, check out the place and see if you want to go back. Not here.
Every bite of what we had here was amazing. My friend and I each got separate appetizers, and loved each one, wanting more. Out entrees were SO GOOD- spicy tuna seared rare at our request, in a citrus broth with noodles and roasted veggies. Every bite was a new sensation and so good!! But dessert just made it complete- molten chocolate fritters that oozed into a sweet milk broth, served with "adult milk"- milk with a touch of frangelico and bourbon. WOW. As my friend proclaimed, "this is my new favorite restaurant." I would agree.
It had been awhile since we'd been here, trying all the hot new places to be in Denver. But I will be back. Many times. Atmosphere is great, service was great, and the food was exceptional.
Go here if you can!!
My reviews are based on the availability of delicious vegan food and friendly service.
The service during my recent lunch was beyond friendly. I thought for sure getting a vegan entree would be simple after seeing the menu.
he dish I received was incredible. Yet I had to voice my displeasure with the serve when he came back tot ell me that they could do a salad for me as an entree. Salad? I politely told him that I would be happy to order that and that I would not return because I was disappointed that based on their menu (veg friendly for sure), all the chef could come up with was a salad?
I will return, and if the service is still amazingly friendly and they ffer a great vegan dish, I'll keep going back.
Note to restaurants: It is so easy to create a delicious vegan entree on the fly: fresh veggies, pasta, olive oil, garlic. If there is no pasta, do a veggie stir fry.
We began with the seared scallops with a pumpkin sauce and mushroom salad as well as the fried mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese. Not only were the apps artistically dramatic, they were flavorful and rich. The menu has a wide array of culinary delicacies and changes seasonally so it would be a great choice for even the pickiest of people. I would recommend dining with those who like to share because with some many delicious choices I was grateful to taste several entrees.
The sweet and savory combination of the beef short rib in an ancho chili bbq sauce along side sweet potato gratin and collard greens was amazing. As was the coffee dry rub on the pork chop with vanilla mashed potatoes.
Make sure you leave room for dessert and dessert wine, they do not disappoint, try the new twist on a root beer float with ginger beer. Executive chef Mitch has an incredible understanding of flavors and is taking Black Pearl to the next level. Nole the manager understands hospitality as well as guest satisfaction and his service does not disappoint :).
The only thing missing from the Black Pearl is captain Jack Sparrow, just kidding...its truly an exceptional place where foodies can rejoice.
Can't wait to come back for bottomless mimosa brunch or the late night menu on Friday and Saturday nights.
Kudos BP!
I am hesitant to write this review as I live in the neighborhood and am really happy to have restaurants within walking distance, however, the restaurants are only valuable to me if I want to frequent them, so I figured this review might help out the cause. Â
In a nutshell: the ambiance is excellent, the food is verging on terrible and terribly overpriced, and the waitstaff / mgmt is generally (and this is absolutely accurate for every single time we've ventured to Black Pearl), unpleasant. Â It is such a shame! Â Our out-of-neighborhood friends will only venture here for happy hour - otherwise, it is crap, overpriced food in a beautiful location. Â I would love to review this restaurant at a later date and sing its praises....
OOOOOOOOOOO how cozy this little spot is. Â Snuggled between amazing restaurants, taunting you to come have an end of the night cocktail or coffee before you go home. Â
I love this place. Â I have been here for appetizers and was a little intimidated by the price of entrees, but found that sticking with apps and drinks is an equally tasty way to go. Â I tried the calamari which was a lightly fried and diced up calamari steak, drizzled with a sweet/soy sauce. Â I also had the tomato salad, which was alright. Let's talk about my favorite thing on their menu... grilled romaine? Â ummmm sounds soggy, but nothing but delicious. Â It tastes like a Cesar salad with a smokey flavor added. Â I would recommend it to anyone who stops in!
To top it off they serve Mama's little Yellow Pils as well as Dave's Pale Ale. Â These are two of my favorite beers. They also have local Colorado Brews available such as Kolsch. Â No beers on tap though :(
I would like to add that the coffee is equally as delicious as the rest of my experience. Â Served in a french press, and smooth as can be. Â A night with my girls on the front patio, by their lovely blue rock fire place is a fairy tale ending to any evening.
If I could talk to my date without having to say "What?" every other sentence I would be more inclined to come back. On the other hand I could hear every little detail being spoken of from the couple sitting 6" away from me. The host became pushy if you lingered over your meal for too long. Didn't you know there are others with a reservation for your seat?
The waitress was bubbly without being annoying. The cloudy drink with rum & ginger beer was a little sweet and felt absent of alcohol after it was consumed. The pork loin will literally leave you hungry for more with it's small portion but the bison burger was huge. I didn't care for the spongy mushroom on the burger ... it took away a bit of the meaty experience. Tasty fries.
Not sure if I'd come back. The bar was boppin. Maybe I'll try HH.
Three for a family birthday.
The communal table around the fire pit is very interesting, and the patio was wonderful.
It was happy-hour or there was some 1/2 priced wine special going on, so my dad and I split a fantastic red, of which I'm forgetting the vineyard as I'm not much of a wine drinker. It was fantastic though.
Our family takes french fries seriously since we lived in Idaho for many years, and their trufffle/parm fries are good, though I'm not much of a fan of aoli with them. It was a little thick and cloying for a potato dish.
The grilled caesar my parents shared was phenomenal. The char on the greens made all the difference.
I had the mussels, only one of which didn't open, and the sauce was light and the mussels fresh. Again, the aoli seemed a little out of place.
My dad had the lamb, which was well cooked, seasoned and rested. My mother had the crab cakes, which were less crab and more breading than we're used to (family in virginia and maryland will do that to you). She really liked the tempura bell peppers though.
Dessert was a flour-less chocolate torte that was super good.
The bartender mixed her drinks and our dessert drinks well and was very friendly.
Overall a very wonderful experience for a casual family birthday dinner.
South Pearl Street boasts many restaurants, cages and coffee shops. No matter what your in the mood for, from pricey sushi to great burgers to Indian cuisine, you can find it all within a short walk on S Pearl.
We recently decided to give The Black Pearl a whirl (excuse the pun) although the Yelp reviews are all over the map. Open for Saturday lunch (a big plus in my book) and with a great patio, The Black Pearl already had two things going for it. But would the food and service seal-the-deal? Oh yeah, most definitely.
The patio is small but beautiful. We didn't sit at the community table with the fire-pit but I can see how that would be fun on a cool evening. Our server was friendly and laid back (in a good way). He did a great job of explaining and recommending items on the menu and the wine list. Our water glasses were never empty and our wine and meal was served promptly - but we never felt rushed.
My husband had the lamb burger which he absolutely loved. Ground lamb can be really strong in my opinion but this burger was moist (not greasy), perfectly cooked and not over-powering. I decided to try the steak salad which featured a tougher cut of meat. Hey, I understand they want to make money and tougher cuts, if prepared properly have more flavor than the much pricier filet. I requested my steak med-rare and was pleased that it was cooked perfectly to order and was delicious. The salad included crisp greens in a tasty dressing and was topped with very crispy onion rings. This is not a salad for someone on a diet, it's more for someone who doesn't want pasta or a burger/sandwich but still wants a more hearty meal.
Well done Black Pearl...we'll definitely be back.
Cheese Fries! What?! I know what you are thinking. This guy goes to an upscale "new-American" restaurant and the first thing he mentions are the cheese fries.
But, wait. These are no ordinary cheese fries. These are thin-cut, by the cooks, real fries. It is the accompanying fondue sauce that comes with them and the delicious lamb burger that makes them out-of-this-world cheese fries. You dip your fries, one by one, into the cheese sauce with a hint of lemon and marvel that cheese fries could be so rich and delicious.
We started with glasses of Gloria Ferrar bubbly which were expertly served by our waiter, Jeremy. Tasty, but a tad too warm. I think bubbly should be served at 2°C.
The bread "box" arrived with slightly crispy warm rye bread and butter. Unexpected and perfect for a warm Summer afternoon on the patio.
Tracie had the steak salad. It takes a very good chef to make a shoulder cut of beef tender. Success.
I had the Lamb Burger. The best lamb burger I have ever had in my life. Perfect, light lamb flavor with zero fat. Medium. Bacon. A sweet sauce. This is the lamb burger both for people who love lamb and those who don't.
Steak and lamb were washed down with a Corvidae Rook Cabernet Merlot Syrah 2007. What a well-round wine. More at <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.northwest-wine.com%2FCorvidae-Rook-CSM-Red-Wine.html&s=9505da1df18bd43ffc0d6e74b764999325d9baccffd222690ccbd7eab2675a30" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.northwest-win…</a>
Free WiFi for the iPhone owners.
Great background music from a satellite channel called "Destinations".
I like this place very much. Â Have been here once before I was yelp-a-licious for a meal and once for wine/whine with a bestie. Â After our meal Wednesday, I thought it was high time to review. Â Love the space -- I'm a huge Old South Pearl Street fan and this place is no exception. Â The doorlike windows that open to the street to watch the human and canine foot traffic are so cool. Â They do have a patio, but I like the dining room. Â There was a party upstairs that was having a rollicking good time and that was kind of echo-y and loud, but not annoying. Â
The ginger calamari was great to start; I love their wine list. Â Hubby and I split a boring salad, which was a delish iceberg wedge that they nicely split between 2 plates without us even asking. Â Long pause. Â I think the waiter got into the weeds at this point. Â He was busy covering pretty much the entire place, so more time than I like went by before our entree arrived. Â When it came, it was worth the wait. Â I had risotto picatta - yum. Â Big fan of both and together was different and good. Â Hubby had the salmon with little necks that he liked a lot. Â
It was getting close to my bedtime since we got a late start for dinner and I told the waiter we'd like bread pudding if it he could get it to us quickly. Â (My passive aggressive side coming out.) Â He did his best and we had our sweet tooth satisfied. Â Viaggio's bread pudding made hubby come to the dark side of liking bread pudding, but I'm afraid the consistency of Black Pearl's may have made him renege. Â I loved it, because it was sweet and soft, but he likes some texture to it. Â
In all, it was a great dining experience -- our waiter was very nice, but just overloaded. Â We'll be back.
I'm not even hearing the downers (say it ain't so, Chris L!); for me Black Pearl is an exemplar of the sort of place with which cities whose dining scenes are more established--including my former home, Boston--abound but cities like Denver have yet to fully cultivate. (That's not a slam; I suspect it'll happen soon enough--said scene is so clearly on the verge of a boom despite even the economy that I was thrilled to move here in time to watch it happen.)
I'm talking about the neighborhood place and then some, the intermediary between the corner bar-&-grill & the special-occasion destination: Â it's casual/cozy *&* chic, Â the staff is friendly *&* savvy, the food's at once comforting *&* creative, retro & contemporary, familiar & fancy.
Denver's got a few such deluxe homes-away-from-home: Deluxe, of course, Steuben's, & Table 6 come to mind. Billy's Inn and Second Home (hence the name, I imagine) have the makings. Encore, Black Pearl's sibling, has the style; I'm yet to be convinced it has the substance.
There's more than 1 full review of BP (& the others) on my blog (address in profile if you're interested), but take the steak as a telling example: rare, thin sliced, & sprinkled with not only olive oil & real aged balsamic but also toasted bread crumbs, it comes (at present, though it changes) with not the usual mashed or baked potato or frites (though their fries are terrific) but smoked potato hash, a lovely little spud cake that makes the whole thing just a little bit special.
That's what Black Pearl is: just a little bit special. Just enough.
For what it's worth, as of August 08 they're serving lunch again. The menu's much like the dinner menu, plus a few sandwiches & salads.
This place is slowly but surely killing itself and it's not pretty to watch. I started coming here when it first opened and was delighted with the fun menu items and the fresh ingredients. Food preparation matched the expectation - tricky ingredients worked well and brought out new and interesting taste experiences. I was hooked.
But in the last four visits I've noticed a nasty slide into terrible service, slipshod cooking, and being treated like dirt by an obnoxious host who never gets off his cell phone. Reminds me of the fabulous restaurant in Cherry Creek North years ago that went into the same slide when the owners started toasting their success during dinner hours with lines of coke on the bar.
It's quite a bit too early to pat yourselves on the back, Black Pearl, you're sliding toward obscurity in a hurry.
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