North Shore denizens know all about The Pearl Cafe, a classic Island farmhouse nestled innocuously on Route 6, halfway between Cavendish and North Rustico.
They know that it might be the most beautiful spot to eat on P.E.I., as Maxine Delaney has worked her magic on the old farmhouse.
And the first reaction upon entering the dining room is often to gasp at the sheer visual impact of the place.
Works by Island artists all over the walls, specially crafted pottery adorning each place setting, fresh flowers throughout and a unique feeling all combine to create a marvellous ambience.
I’ve often said that a trip to The Pearl is always a great experience, even if they didn’t serve you food at all. But the food has always been first rate. And now it’s even gone up a notch.
This season, The Pearl has a new chef — and not just any chef. Brian Kaderavek’s most recent positions have been as head sous chef at New York’s much-celebrated Aquavit restaurant and then executive chef at Aquavit’s sister restaurant, AQ Kafe.
What’s he doing here?
“Well, I have an aunt in North Rustico . . .” he started to tell me.
Really, who doesn’t?
Brian and his partner, Amanda Miller, spent last year travelling, and while visiting his aunt in North Rustico, he met Maxine and fell in love with P.E.I. and The Pearl, to the point where they spent a Saturday night working at the restaurant for fun.
One thing led to another, and Island diners are much the better for it all this season.
We were at The Pearl last week for supper with a party of six and had the pleasure of having Amanda as our server, as she was doing double duty along with being the pastry chef.
We started out with an amuse bouche of a tiny salad mixture of onion, apple, couscous and a sliver of strawberry, served totally on a very small leaf of fresh mint.
From there, some of us opted for the green salad, featuring tender baby greens from Soleil’s Farm, peppered goat cheese, spiced pistachios and strawberries, all in a very light lemon balsamic vinaigrette.
Soup choices were a lobster bisque or a smoked tomato soup, with a surprising crouton made from gouda cheese. My previous gold standard for soup is a ginger carrot concoction by Calvin Burt at Margate’s Shipwright’s Cafe, but this (applewood) smoked tomato at The Pearl is every bit as wonderful, with a surprising kick to it. The lobster bisque drew rave reviews also.
Our entrees ranged from lobster encrusted halibut (actually a tangy lobster sauce rather than a true crust), through chicken breast and leg Galantine and then to pan-seared scallops with gouda and carmelized onion perogies.
Everything was superb, but special mention surprisingly goes to the perogies, of all things. The gouda-onion filling was stunningly delicious, and combined with a just-right pear chutney and a brown butter sauce, the relatively pedestrian (for P.E.I). choice of scallops was made into something intriguing and unique.
Dessert?
Of course.
How about a little fresh watermelon sorbet? OK, great — with a fresh lemon shortbread cookie that melted in the mouth even faster than the sorbet.
Chocolate mousse with port-marinated cherries wasn’t a bad choice either.
I had promised Katherine Burnett of Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley that I would try her special blend “Pearl” tea that she developed for the cafe, and it went down very easily, with a much gentler taste than most special blends I’ve experienced.
Dinner for two, including appetizers, entrees, beverages, and dessert, came to $97.83. Fine dining is expensive, and The Pearl is no exception.
Bringing a remarkable level of culinary creativity to The Pearl’s magical hospitality has created an absolutely superb restaurant. I honestly feel it’s a clear No. 1 in the province this summer.
Each Saturday throughout the summer, Bob Gray points readers to quality Prince Edward Island eating establishments in his Summer Savoury column. Suggestions and comments are welcome at bgray@pei.sympatico.ca . Follow him on
Twitter @bgray5 .
