The Black Pearl of Dunedin
| Address: | 315 Main St, Dunedin, FL 34698, USA |
| Phone: | +1 727-734-3463 |
| Site: | theblackpearldunedin.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 5–9PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–11PM 5–11PM 5–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
DI
Diana Williams
My girlfriend and I ate here the Saturday after Valentines Day. It was nothing short of spectacular. You HAVE to have a reservation to get in, and it is a place you need to wear slacks and a button up or a dress. Make your reservation a week or two in advance, as there are only a few tables inside. Also, expect to spend $30-50 a plate. Entrees come with salad (poppy seed dressing with mixed greens and pine nuts). Wine is easily $40+ a bottle, although my girlfriend is 20 so we didnt have any. Also we spent 3 hours enjoying our meal. We were not rushed. FOOD: It started with chibatta rolls cut up into small pieces, with a garlic and herb oil to dip it in. Very delicious. We ordered off the weekly menu, pork belly over blueberry grits (3 medallions) which were wonderful and melted in my mouth. The weekly items change depending on what is fresh and local I assume, and I notice that the weekly items are different on the website from last week, so they do update it. Our salads came after this. All tableware was taken and replaced with fresh utensils as needed (as it should be at a restaurant of this class). I ordered off the weekly menu, a steak with home made mac and cheese, cheese hush puppies, asparagus and a sauce on the side. It was wonderful, but perhaps a little too much on the cheese flavor. My girlfriend ordered the cedar planked salmon which was wonderful and had a wonderful smokey flavor. Hers came over very well seasoned and moist rice with asparagus and a horseradish sauce. Everything had a wonderful artful presentation, which I expect from a restaurant of this caliber. There are two deserts that need to be put in with your entree if you want them, so we ended up doing that. We split a sortve chocolate lava cake with home made vanilla ice cream. Also we ordered a latte and my girlfriend had a decaf cappuccino (hard to do if someone doesnt know how to use an espresso machine properly, doesnt have a bean grinder, or doesnt keep espresso decaf grind). All in all our meal was $116, plus I left a 25% tip. The servers are all very friendly and proper. The waiter even set my girlfriends napkin on her lap for her which is something I havent seen in this area very often (I want my lady treated right!) Way better than my experience at Berns Steakhouse in Tampa (where they threw the steak on the plate and had no presentation at all. Also the steak there was terrible.) Very great place for a date. Gay friendly. Also noticed that they were very open and gender neutral about who got the check. (Any womens studies majors, gender queer, or feminists will appreciate that the man does not always get the check.) We left after having a slow relaxing meal (which is good, you need the time to digest all the food!) I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a world class dining experience, foodie, or looking for a date restaurant. 5/5 on cleanliness 5/5 quality/taste of food 5/5 service 5/5 atmosphere
DU
Duncan Fraser
My girlfriend took me here as a surprise, from when you walk in till you walk out is a gastranomic extravaganza. The maître d was attentive knowledgeable and knew when to be invisible. He knew his menu, we chose the lobster risotto, perfectly cooked creamy and perfectly seasoned. Pork belly on grits, succulent tender well presented, a dish I would eat as a main course. Pearl salad warm dressing I dont usually eat salads but this was a great salad. Rack of lamb medium rare, cooked to perfection, wonderful caramalized sear, incredible. My partner had lobster bisque again wonderfuly presented and seasoned its not you run of the mill bisque, this was seasoned with nutmeg. Ok Tarte Tatin I havent seen it on a menu for years, this, was to die for, and housemade vanilla ice cream it was out of this galaxy. Still not finished with the check came Black pearl mints, house made daily, they coukd sell these and make a good living. The two chefs in the kitchen are a dream team, I wish them the best as they go for a James Beard Award, in my opinion they have earned it already. I understand the new owner is going to revamp the place kudos to him. As a chef of 45 yrars trained in Europe I woukd be honoured to work beside these two Chefs, thank you for a wonderful dining experience.
SH
Sharon Rawlings
We went Saturday evening for an early Mothers day dinner. Just the 2 of us. My husband and I. The special was a coffee rubbed (wtf?) rubbed rib eye with a demi glace some mushrooms served with a caramelized onion bread pudding, mashed potatoes, asparagus and onion rings. Come on Man, just give me a good steak. This thing was tough as shoe leather. I ate around the edges and left 75% of it. for $45 you should have been able to cut the thing with your fork. Very disappointing. The coffee did not enhance the flavor one bit. It also gave the demi glace a burnt flavor. The caramelized bread pudding was good. Im stealing this recipe. We also had crab cakes for an appetizer and although tasty it was more like a creamy soufflé than a crab cake. Somewhat disappointed. Husband had the duck which was tasty and well prepared. Had the demi glace been raspberry infused he would have been in heaven. We had house cab to drink, nothing to write home about there. Bananas Foster for him which was just ok, a little heavy on the brown sugar and not prepared table side, oh well. I had the licorice ice cream which was different and nice, a little went a long way. All in all, tip included it was a $200 dinner for two. We complained about it all the way home. Definitely not worth the money.
J
J PD
From the lobster risotto to the white chocolate raspberry lava cake, the food was outstanding. A beautiful evening until it came time to pay. Due to computer issues, our cards were declined. After trying three different cards, all declined, we were made to feel as though the problem was our fault. No apologies offered. The intimate atmosphere, nice while dining, allowed the other patrons to overhear us being asked for cash. A complaint prompted a call the next day from the maitred who said the computer system failed, he was harried, we probably noticed the boxes of supplies in the back hallway, etc?? Still not a true apology. Delicious food, intimate atmosphere, and customer service lacking. Five stars for the food. One for how we were treated.
AN
Anonomous Anonomous
Recently dined at this quaint, romantic restaurant of 12 tables and a wonderful menu. Experienced some truly delicious food prepared by seemingly talented chefs. Sadly, the phony pretentiousness of the waiters ("should I be concerned about the level of wine in your glass"), could have prompted some to regurgitate their meal. Despite the watchful eye of an attentive owner and the service responsibilities of only 3 tables each, too much of the important service details began to be over looked (like asking several times for a simple spoon with which to stir coffee)... the service fell precipitously to become a show of amateurs. Unfortunately, the disappointing service overshadowed what was the makings of a remarkable dining experience.
DA
Danny Gomez
Hands down, THE BEST MEAL WE HAVE EVER HAD!!!! My wife and I went for the last meal in the Clearwater Area and couldnt have picked a more perfect place! The setting, the waitstaff, and overall ambiance were absolutely perfect. The Lobster Risotto was our starter and it only got better from there but the Lobster Risotto is a MUST, absolute perfection! We ordered the Trifecta which was a huge filet topped with a large piece of foie gras and a great demi along with a huge lobster tail and asparagus and whipped mashed potatoes. If you are looking for a romantic and amazing meal, give them the opportunity they deserve. A lot of care and attention is put into every aspect of the meal.
