Kate: Smoked Crawfish Dip and the Plantation Platter
Spring break was upon us, and Paul and I headed north to visit our friends (Tom, Tiff, and little Tessa) in Cadillac. The adults took off for the day and went up to Traverse City (my first visit). We talked about a few dining options, but Tom and Tiff kept insisting that we drive the extra 20 or 30 minutes to Pearl's. So, we did. And, boy am I glad we did.
The decor of Pearl's is what I would expect from a Cajun inspired restaurant. Its busy, full of energy, there's lots to look at. Its a fun place.
The bar in the center of the place has a huge jar full of fruit that is soaking in tequilla. The fruit from the week before becomes the flavor for their weekly Margatini special. I couldn't resist. That night, it was cranberry apple margatinis. Man, what a treat. Refreshing. The right blend of liquor and fruit. If you are making the trip to Elk Rapids... do yourself a favor and take a chance on the margatini!
The smoked crawfish dip was another treat that I wasn't expecting. I enjoy crawfish. I know, doesn't sound like me, but I do. But, crawfish dip... sounded a bit weird. WRONG! This dip was delicious. Served with toasted baguette, this smoked dip was again a great blend of flavors. Not too smokey, not too seafoody, creamy, and ADDICTIVE. I couldn't stop. I knew I should, but at the same time, I wanted to savor this delicious starter. There was also an order of fried green tomatoes at the table. I abstained, since they were part of my meal, but, just wanted to make sure everyone knew we did it right.
So, the Plantation Platter... one of the few vegetarian options on the menu.... consists of fried green tomatoes, cheddar grits, and their special recipe red bean cakes. The tomatoes were as expected. Fried and green. There was a nice bruschetta type topping to them that really brought out the flavor. But, nothing extraordinary. The cheddar grits were alright. Kind of bland. Needed a dab of one of the many hot sauces sitting on the table. And, they were kind of a strange consistency/texture. Almost more of a pudding than what I think of as a grit.
The red bean cakes, however, took the plate in a way that I don't know if I will be able to describe. Think of a really good black bean burger where the beans are mashed up really well with great herbs, make them red beans instead of black ones, cover it in bread crumbs, fry it up, and then add the most delicious Creole sauce you can think of. There were two on the plate, I wanted 10 more. Oh man. SO GOOD! They are served in a couple other ways on their menu: as an appetizer, or on a muffuletta, and I am sure they are great there too. Oh man, my mouth is watering thinking about them. SO GOOD!
We didn't do dessert, which I am sure is probably outstanding. But, I will definitely order a Bananas Foster or Buttermilk Pie the next time. For now, I will think fondly of the smoked crawfish dip and the red bean cakes and get excited for our next visit to Pearl's!
http://www.magnumhospitality.com/pearls/index.php
The decor of Pearl's is what I would expect from a Cajun inspired restaurant. Its busy, full of energy, there's lots to look at. Its a fun place.
The bar in the center of the place has a huge jar full of fruit that is soaking in tequilla. The fruit from the week before becomes the flavor for their weekly Margatini special. I couldn't resist. That night, it was cranberry apple margatinis. Man, what a treat. Refreshing. The right blend of liquor and fruit. If you are making the trip to Elk Rapids... do yourself a favor and take a chance on the margatini!
The smoked crawfish dip was another treat that I wasn't expecting. I enjoy crawfish. I know, doesn't sound like me, but I do. But, crawfish dip... sounded a bit weird. WRONG! This dip was delicious. Served with toasted baguette, this smoked dip was again a great blend of flavors. Not too smokey, not too seafoody, creamy, and ADDICTIVE. I couldn't stop. I knew I should, but at the same time, I wanted to savor this delicious starter. There was also an order of fried green tomatoes at the table. I abstained, since they were part of my meal, but, just wanted to make sure everyone knew we did it right.
So, the Plantation Platter... one of the few vegetarian options on the menu.... consists of fried green tomatoes, cheddar grits, and their special recipe red bean cakes. The tomatoes were as expected. Fried and green. There was a nice bruschetta type topping to them that really brought out the flavor. But, nothing extraordinary. The cheddar grits were alright. Kind of bland. Needed a dab of one of the many hot sauces sitting on the table. And, they were kind of a strange consistency/texture. Almost more of a pudding than what I think of as a grit.
The red bean cakes, however, took the plate in a way that I don't know if I will be able to describe. Think of a really good black bean burger where the beans are mashed up really well with great herbs, make them red beans instead of black ones, cover it in bread crumbs, fry it up, and then add the most delicious Creole sauce you can think of. There were two on the plate, I wanted 10 more. Oh man. SO GOOD! They are served in a couple other ways on their menu: as an appetizer, or on a muffuletta, and I am sure they are great there too. Oh man, my mouth is watering thinking about them. SO GOOD!
We didn't do dessert, which I am sure is probably outstanding. But, I will definitely order a Bananas Foster or Buttermilk Pie the next time. For now, I will think fondly of the smoked crawfish dip and the red bean cakes and get excited for our next visit to Pearl's!
http://www.magnumhospitality.com/pearls/index.php
five golden forks out of five!
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