June 30, 2003
Foodie Alert! I did not
Foodie Alert!
I did not get to posting what I was planning on posting, because I had a super busy weekend, busier than expected. And, it will not relent until next week, so realize that blogging has to fall back to sporadic here, there, lunchtime, late night sort of writing.
One of the things that kept me busy is that I had a super tight deadline on a restaurant review (eat on Saturday, write on Sunday, post to editor Monday am). If you are at all serious about food, you must book a flight (or drive) to Fremont to eat at Pearl's Cafe. When you arrive you will be convinced that I am a jerk who is trying to play an elaborate joke on people. The place, from the outside, looks like it ought to have a sign out front that says either "palm readings" or "ice cold Coca Cola. Hot Boiled Peanuts. Bait."
However, when you go in, it is a different story. The decor is inviting, and the chef, Christine Fahey, is nothing short of a genius. If you were planning on going to Alain Ducasse for dinner, forget it. Use the money that meal would have cost to fly to California, drive to Fremont, and have the best meal of your life.
If you are going to be in the Bay Area, Pearl's Cafe must be on your list (it is reasonably priced, too), along with the French Laundry and Chez Panisse.
My review will run in the ANG papers on Friday, and I will post it afterwards, hopefully giving you some idea of how great this place is.
Meanwhile, lunch nears its tragic end, and I have Clifton Chenier CDs to mail to radio folks (ARH CD 474, Clifton Chenier, The Best of Clifton Chenier - King of Zydeco and Louisiana Blues. Street Date 7/22/03, with previously unreleased material. Order it now!).
Posted by erik at June 30, 2003 1:11 PM | TrackBackPatience is a virtue and all good things do come to thoose who wait... So if you happen to arrive at Pearls on a busy night make the most of it. All will payoff in the end.
Posted by: at January 23, 2005 2:22 AMFor Sept 23, 2004, we had reserved a table on the patio to try Pearl's Cafe for the first time. The manager took our reservations with no problem. However, upon our arrival, we were told that our table was not ready and we would have to wait 20+ minutes. We did wait over 20 minutes at which point our table was still not prepared.
For a restaurant of this caliber and one that proudly claims to "understand the need and sometimes the desire to reserve a unique setting to celebrate such special events," we found this unacceptable.
I spoke with the manager to explain our perspective on the importance of reservations. He proceeded to justify the wait for many different reasons. As a customer, honoring my reservation is a critical element of my experience. And due to the wait, we ended our evening with an excellent dinner on the peninsula.
The net result is that our family will no longer visit Pearl's Cafe and we do not recommend this restaurant to anybody who dislikes long waits for tables.
Posted by: Michael Bryzek at September 24, 2004 10:48 AM