Pearl Oyster Bar and Restaurant

Last Saturday afternoon I found myself with friends who wanted to go out for dinner, and without reservations. While I normally avoid restaurants which do not take reservations, I realized that in this situation they were my only hope of getting in anywhere good. My friends and I decided on an early 6:15 dinner at the Pearl Oyster Bar and Restaurant in Oakland. Luckily we snagged the second to last table for four, and ordered a flight of wines to celebrate (three half glasses at a reasonable $17). Pearl's decor is sleek, minimalist, and arguably cold if it wasn't for the wall behind the bar which constantly changes colors and the menu full of small plates which encourage sharing.

A glance at the seafood heavy menu made me happy my friends all liked fish. We decided to start with the tuna poke, the Thai ceviche, and the crab cakes. The tuna poke came first and was devoured very quickly. The fish was fresh, the condiments were spicy, and the julienned cucumber provided an invigorating crunch. While the Thai ceviche was also quite good for many of the same reasons, it was less exciting than the poke and suffered from being served second. Moreover, I was disappointed that the topping of fresh horseradish was too weak to taste. Finally, the crab cakes were cooked just how I like them- stuffed full of crab and only lightly fried. One of my friends commented that the crab cakes were almost as good as the ones he can get on the East Coast.

For our main courses we shared the seared sea scallops and the coffee, cardamom, and cacao crusted sturgeon. The scallops were paired with bok choy and, interestingly enough, a Chinese mustard sauce. While mustard and scallops never struck me as a match made in heaven, they actually were an amazing combination. The sturgeon, on the other hand, was overly seasoned. The tender, expertly cooked fish would have shined more with a lighter dusting of spices. I would still order the sturgeon again just for the creamy sunchoke-cauliflower puree.

At this point the service slowed way down, and it took our waitress 20 minutes to take our dessert orders. Once dessert came, I also felt that the quality of the food had dropped. While it is hard to go wrong with warm doughnuts and coconut-ginger tapioca, the desserts lacked the sparkle and inventiveness of our previous dishes. Admittedly, I may just be bitter because they had already run out of the panna cotta trio. Nevertheless, despite my disappointments, I will definitely be returning to Pearl. There are a number of items on the menu that I am still interested in trying. And, next time, I am going to order dessert first!

Wine Columns for the Week of March 28, 2007

With the fading of winter, wine picks and writers' hearts alike are getting lighter in tone and color. But have no fear of perishing this week in a sea of boxed wines, Very Expensive American Chardonnay and Redheaded Sluts. The LA Times throws us a life-saving rubber dingy of journalist rigor with a couple of agreeably edifying articles. The first looks at the ramifications of a possible move by federal regulators requiring wine labels to list ingredients. Given the apparent prevalence - or normalcy - of additives which most would probably find off-putting (from a form of collagen obtained from sturgeons' bladders to coloring agents with names like Mega Purple), many industry figures display a sense of unease. Clark Smith, the head of a "wine fix-it shop," provides a provocative quote:

For all of the posturing about terroir, very little wine sells because it is distinctive. Additives are cosmetics. They are supposed to enhance, improve a wine. [Wine enhanced this way is like] a beautiful woman whose makeup is invisible. It's the clumsiness of the winemaker who is using the additives that is the problem.

In the course of researching that controversial wine additives story, Corie Brown seems to have uncovered a surprising tip for salvaging corked wines. The secret? Saran Wrap...

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of March 28th, 2007

Salt House

Salt House has been waiting patiently on my Need to Try list since I read of its opening a few months ago. This past Tuesday afternoon, I finally got the chance to check it out. Upon first entering the restaurant and surveying the exposed brick walls and large portions, I was reminded of Salt House's older sibling, Town Hall. However, Salt House definitely has a more youthful atmosphere; the rustic decor and Acme baguettes served on brown paper contrast with a cluster of contemporary light fixtures hanging above the bar and unusual touches such as water carafes marked with a heart and skull symbol. It seems to be aiming for what I can only describe as modern rustic.

Unless you are absolutely starving, for lunch I would highly recommend splitting a starter. My table decided to share the tuna and hamachi tartar salad. I was impressed with the presentation and simple (but obviously very fresh) ingredients. The dish tasted light and clean and was substantially brightened by the sliced apple artfully displayed on top. In fact, although the tartar salad was tossed in a zesty vinaigrette, it might have been slightly bland without the apple. -

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For our main courses we ordered the gruyere and fontina grilled cheese with sunchoke soup, the duck confit, and the Dungeness crab appetizer. All of the mains looked wonderful (and were almost entirely eaten despite the large portions). I had the Dungeness crab which was served on top of a pile of shredded lettuce and accented with fried artichoke hearts and an olive tapanade. Although the lettuce was soggy from being drenched in far too much dressing, I was very pleased with my entree. The ample mound of crab was delicious and juicy, the artichoke hearts were lightly fried and perfectly crispy, and the olives complimented the dish well provided a nice bite.

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We ended our meal with an unusual rhubarb dessert that was nothing like I had expected. Although the flavors were great separately, the cubes of rhubarb mixed in custard and topped with bits of granola combined to produce a strange textural experience. The pastry chef may want to think about simplifying his desserts a bit. Overall, it was really enjoyable lunch. There are still a number of other restaurants on my Need to Try list, but when I get a chance I am definitely interested in returning to Salt House. While I have heard complaints that during prime hours it can get quite noisy and crowded, that is a price I am willing to pay for a fun scene and good food!

Wine Columns for the Week of March 23, 2007

If there is a wine-producing country on Earth more exciting than Spain, with more palate-thrilling wines at every price point, I have not found it.

Paul Gregutt's bold declaration in this week's Seattle Times strikes a chord with a few of his more eminent colleagues. In the NYT, Eric Asimov lauds Navarre's renaissance, while Tim Teichgraeber - writing from Santiago de Compostela, no less - snags another front page byline in the Chronicle's wine section with a devout tribute to Albariño.

It's worth remarking on recent changes at the Washington Post. In perhaps the most significant addition to a major food section since Harold McGee joined the NYT, the Post has recruited Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Becoming a Chef, Culinary Artistry, etc.) for a lively new wine column. With their new book hot off the presses, it's a particularly astute move. (Although I'm not quite sure where this leaves the reliable - perhaps too reliable - Ben Giliberti.)

As a further sign of the resurgence of spirits, the Post has also appointed a biweekly Spirits columnist in Jason Wilson. His article on vermouth is a good start -- and if nothing else, he has catchy headlines.

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of March 23rd, 2007

Wine Columns for the Week of March 14, 2007

From last week's wine columns comes a handy hint from Maximilian Riedel. He recommends drinking Diet Coke from a Pinot Noir glass. Apparently,

it shows less bubbles, and the pinot glass will enhance the aroma, tone down the sweetness and take away the saltiness and bitterness.

Just what taste that actually leaves behind in a glass of Coke is up for debate -- but a hot tip nonetheless from the implausibly suave 11th-generation scion of enological glassware.

There's little else of note other than Eric Asimov picking up where the WSJ left off on wine fraud and Jerry Shriver on wine tourism in New Zealand (technically from the week before last). Displaying just a touch of irreverence (nothing really, compared to Riedel's Coke confession), Wines of the Week are drawn almost exclusively from the Southern Hemisphere, with a sprinkling of Spanish and Greek selections.

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Wine Columns for the Week of March 7, 2007

In what must count as one of the oddest career moves ever, Malcolm McLaren, notorious as the Sex Pistols' manager, actually began his working life as a trainee wine taster at George Sandeman. McLaren proves a fine writer too, contributing a gem to yesterday's NYT Magazine in which he paints a portrait of Blueface, his appallingly (and hilariously) misogynistic ex-general wine instructor. It's heady stuff: cheap Bordeaux are women in need of being put in their place, a young Burgundy from Morey-St.-Denis is a virgin ready for ravishing, and a particularly august Hermitage displays a "truly heroic, masculine body."

After such indelicate prose, all the week's other articles seem just a bit dry. There are myriad tributes to the late Gallo patriarch, as well as extensive coverage of New Zealand Pinot Noir in both the Seattle Times and SF Chronicle.

Over at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gil Kulers argues that Two-Buck Chuck can beat a $175 bottle of Stag's Leap -- given the right company and context. He even displays an admirable magnanimity in admitting to enjoying a bottle of almond-flavored non-vintage sparkling wine.

What would old Blueface make of that?

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of March 7th, 2007