LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
EatingOUT: The Cultured Pearl - A Real Gem |
by Marion McGrath |
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 daytomato 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 diametera 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 bruleeorange blossom; butter cake with fresh blueberry, lavender compote and white chocolate; chocolate pat (Lori's choice); bananas Foster (me); and the Cultured Pear classictoasted coconut, creamy bananas over vanilla ice cream with fudge drizzle. The chocolate pat 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 pat. 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. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 13, No. 12, August 22, 2003 |