Pearl & Mary: Seafood bonanza!
A few short weeks ago, I got to use my birthday present on a couple’s massage at Joseph Anthony Salon and Spa. It was great, and we both enjoyed ourselves. Because of this, we decided to go out for dinner! We’ve visited Pearl and Mary many times, mostly for happy hour. It had been a while since we had been there, and we’ve only had dinner there once before with a friend. If you enjoy seafood, this is one place that should be on your list!
Imagine being given one day to live, and surrounding yourself with the grandest seafood tower. It consists of crudo, crab toast, and crab spaghetti as your final meal. Pair it with the most expensive bottle of champagne, then die before the bill gets paid! Now that’s the way to go out with a bang! This was NOT that, but pretty darn close!
We started with chef’s selection of half a dozen oysters, an amazing crab toast, and shrimp dumplings in a fragrant saffron broth, along with our first round of cocktails. The crab toast was really tasty. It came with avocado, chili crisp, and pickled shallots. The whole dish was a ping pong in your mouth. A perfect balance of acidity, creaminess, spice, and enough crab that this appetizer shouldn’t have cost $14 dollars.
The oysters as always were briny, fresh, and pairs very well with the mignonette. The shrimp dumplings as I mentioned in the beginning of the paragraph, has a saffron broth, scallion, and shiitake mushrooms. It was warm, umami forward, but still full of perfectly cooked dumplings.
Our cocktails for dinner included the “Ron and Baker”, “Hey Yuz Guys”, classic negroni, and espresso with dessert. “Ron and Baker” is a rum based cocktail with lime, pomegranate, and pineapple. Eric loves rum, so he ordered it twice. “Hey Yuz Guys” was light, refreshing, and had a hint of spice, just what I needed after a relaxing massage. It included elderflower, yuzu, cucumber, and brut champagne, yum!
For our entree’s, I ordered the crab spaghetti, filled with enough crab to make you cry, tomato, basil, and chili flakes. It was perfectly cooked, perfectly portioned, and brought me back to Sicily, and Italy, with how simply it was made. Eric ordered the roasted cod, with leeks, truffle, and olive oil. It was beautifully cooked, presented, and devoured! For our drinks, Eric had another “Ron and Baker”, while I had a classic negroni with gin, compari, and vermouth, garnished with an orange peel.
For dessert, we indulged in a lovely Key Lime Pie, and Upside-Down Pecan cake. Both were great, but I preferred the pecan cake, because it was served warm, had a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream, and drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce.
If you are ever in Philadelphia, check out Pearl and Mary. It is a part of the Schulson Collective group, and we’ve always had a good time! Cheers!
Tiffany
