The first thing you notice as you approach The Cultured Pearl (19
Wilmington Ave.) is a window full of parakeets, perched in a tree. And
that’s only an introduction to what awaits you. The interior is
stunning.
One long wall has three slate waterfalls, which cascade into a
channeled stream that runs through the main dining room. Koi are seen not
so much swimming as gliding by. To complete the illusion, two small
Japanese bridges ford the stream. Small trees festooned with flowers and
lights are placed throughout the room. This same theme is repeated in the
outdoor dining area. It’s all wonderfully attractive and at the same
time serene.
There’s such a Zen feeling to the place that my dining partner, Lori
Kline, seemed to meditate over her menu. And what a menu. The main focus
is on things Japanese but the menu offers a diversity of other items.
Crab Napoleon seemed to speak its name to Lori so she ordered it for
her appetizer. What was placed in front of her was a pagoda-like tower of
jumbo lump crab meat tossed with cilantro pesto, layered with crispy,
flattened wontons and dressed with red bell pepper confetti. It was chock
full of huge back-fin crab and the combination of the pesto and peppers
made it a dish to be remembered.
Our handsome server, John, recommended the special soup of the day—tomato
soup sided with a sandwich. Sounds simple, right? It was far from simple.
The soup was made from fresh beefsteak tomatoes pureed with a creamy broth
with fresh basil pesto slip streamed on top.
Tomato soup will never be the same for me again. To heap perfection on
top of perfection, the sandwich was composed of that same sweet jumbo crab
combined with Humboldt Fog goat cheese, slipped between two pieces of
sourdough bread braised with basil pesto. Wow.
Sushi was one of goals that brought us here, so bring it on! And they
did, piece after piece after piece. Lori ordered the Cultured Combo, which
is pretty much a choose-your-own assortment of sushi, sashimi and
California Maki. This arrived in a beautiful lacquered bowl about 14
inches in diameter—a big bowl. Luckily we brought big appetites.
Artfully arranged were salmon, tuna, talapia, eel, octopus, sea clams,
spider roll and at John’s suggestion live scallops topped with lime
slices. We sort of cringed at that but he swore we’d love them. He was
right – they were, in his words, "like buttah." All of it was
sweet, fresh seafood and sushi just doesn’t get any better.
In case you thought all that sushi would be enough for two, you thought
wrong. I ordered the house specialty, Shrimp Tempura. Six jumbo shrimp,
fried to a delicate crunch and so light they should have levitated. The
seasonal vegetables were lightly coated and crunchy. We had so much food
that Lori said, "Don’t fill up on the vegetables." But we
couldn’t pass them by, and they disappeared too.
To prove we were world-class eaters, we gave the dessert menu lots of
thought. The choices were: the special cream brulee—orange blossom;
butter cake with fresh blueberry, lavender compote and white chocolate;
chocolate paté (Lori’s choice); bananas Foster (me); and the Cultured
Pear classic—toasted coconut, creamy bananas over vanilla ice cream with
fudge drizzle.
The chocolate paté was to die for. Three creamy, rich, dense chocolate
balls festooned with a fudge drizzle. The first bite called for more,
more, more. Bananas Foster deserves the highest praise. There’s warm,
buttery, handmade caramel, sliding across bananas and vanilla ice cream.
The two desserts together were an unbeatable combination. We dove right in
and managed to finish all but a miniscule piece of the chocolate paté. We’re
polite women, and we left that tiny bit for Miss Manners.
The menu is lush with so many dishes that you’ll be hard pressed to
decide what to order. Whatever your choice, you can’t go wrong. Food of
this caliber doesn’t come along all that often. Make reservations now.
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