[Daisy]

I stuck my head in right before Christmas---they should be up and running by now. It's a big place.

[djk]

i have a reservation for tonight - not easy as every online source seems to give the wrong address and number. for anyone looking and as number challenged as myself - the address is 37 w 26th and the ph is 212.532.9900. they are doing a soft opening but they told me that there will be an article in next week's time out (as hard an opening as one could hope for) and that in about two weeks they will be open for lunch and delivery.....to be continued.

[Wilfrid1]

Let us know how it went. I can't go tonight, but I am right in the neighborhood at least once a week.

[djk]

sorry for the delay - had nothing to do with the experience!

black pearl has grown. in size, decor, quantity of food (no more running out of lobster) menu choices and confidence. they seem very happy with everything they've done. and for the most part i guess they should be but there are caveats. the lobster roll is extremely tasty, the mussels (varied choices - a bit like landmarc) in spicy tomato sauce were large, plump and addictively spiced. the haddock ceviche while very fresh was lackluster in tongue play - didn't want to make you reach in for more. the fried clams - all bellies of course, were great to have in nyc in the dead of winter, the haricot verts were lightly steamed with pine nuts and were a delicious break from all the seafood. too many fried choices, a few non fish entrees in case that's needed, and all is very well cooked if not wildly innovative. as for desserts - i tasted the blueberry cobbler and wouldn't have minded more.

the service was attentive, there's a full bar and a slightly pricey wines by the glass list. the thing is - they are playing beach shack big time but the prices (tho not consistently high on the menu) seem to add up very quickly. the bar bill may have put it over the edge - don't know how much those martinis are - but it ends up feeling casual and pricing out at a more special evening. and the music - they must do something about the music. painful choices at times and a bit loud tho they were extremely friendly about my hand gestures to lower it. it's pretty, it's large, it's fun and it's in my neighborhood so i'm sure to be back. for now it's been easy to get a table but i'm sure that will change.

[omnivorette]

Details on the lobster roll please! Is it the same as when they were in the old place?

[djk]

pretty much the same. nicely toasted bun, definite sweet butter happening, fairly full, no extras besides mayo and butter. really good french fries.

[luveeting]

I went back again, last night (second time in two weeks)--myself and three friends. The place just rocks, imho. While I used to go to the one on Avenue A, I found it a bit disheveled. Whereas, the new location on West 26th Street is fab--really comfortable, great service and the food is jsut great. We, actually, would have liked the music to be a little louder, as the tune selection was really interesting (a nice eclectic mix), but we left it alone. After dinner, we sat at the bar for a nightcap==the volume was a little louder, and quite pleasant--you could still talk above it. The raw bar guy was very friendly and knowledgeable, as he answered our oyster questions!

So, the food . . . again, imho, the lobster roll cannot be beat. While it doesn't LOOK as large as Pearl's, for instance, there is DEFinitely more actualy lobster meat in it. And it's not swimming in mayonaisse, something i really appreciate. The price is lower, too. Black Pearl has listed it on the menu as "market" and last night market was $22.50. The accompanying fries are the same "perfect" fries they've always offered. The cole slaw seems to have improved--really juicy and the perfect complement of tart and sweet. Good portion, too.

My girfriend had the fried belly clams, and they were excellent. She's from Cape Cod, and so she does know her stuff. I have to disagree about the comment posted here about the excess of fried foods, though--only 5 menu items are fried--all the rest is steamed, broiled, roasted, etc. The menu has certainly expanded, with three non-fish items. That brings me to my buddy's steak. It was a HUGE slab of prime strip steak, cooked perfectly (med rare), and we felt it was a good deal at $28. The same steak anywhere else is never less than $35 or $40. And to find this steak in a fish joint demonstrated that they're not messing around, this time.

We also tried the littleneck clam pan roast--it was a generous serving of clams quickly cooked in butter and garlic. Absolutely delicious and tender. Lastly, my friend's sister ordered the New England Boulliabaise (sp?). It was a large bowl of fish and shellfish chowder filled with mussels, clams and shrimp. She couldn't even finish it (so we helped!).

We did have some raw bar items--the oysters were ice cold, and shucked perfectly--still resting in their own liquor, which is vital. They also serve chilled lobster claws, which were fun, and pretty reasonable, at $4 a pop.

As for the drink prices--they seemed okay to us. Hey, a martini is a huge glass of top shelf vodka--at least three drinks' worth. They seem to cost $10-15 ANYwhere you go, so Black Pearl's $11 martini doesn't seem so bad (some of the special martinis are $13). The beer prices were about $6 a bottle for microbrews, and there were at least five bottles of wine priced under $35. Good selection, too, from all over the world. Nothing's cheap anymore, at least not in this city, but the four of us had a veritable feast, with great drinks for about $150. fresh seafood, well prepared---i mean, do you really want a $10 lobster roll? I would suspect something wrong, frankly.

There were some things that we found wrong with Black Pearl, this time around, though none were serious. Our busboy was a little too quick in removing our dishes, but then we noticed the manager correcting him, a few yards away. We also thought that there should have been a non-fish appetizer, though this wasn't a terrible mistake--if you go out for fish, you eat fish. They put on the table a neat little (free) starter--kind of a lobstery, fishy dip with some garlicky toasts. We wanted more, but our appetizers came in time to thwart our hunger. It also took a long time to get our check, but I'm fairly certain this is opening week stuff that they'll soon sort out.

All in all, I think we're lucky to have Black PEarl back on the scene.

[omnivorette]

A martini is a glass of VODKA????? Oy vey.

How many varieties of raw oysters were they serving?

"if you go out for fish, you eat fish"

except when you order steak

[luveeting]

omnivorette, on Jan 24 2007, 02:33 AM, said:

A martini is a glass of VODKA????? Oy vey.

How many varieties of raw oysters were they serving?

"if you go out for fish, you eat fish"

except when you order steak

WEll, a martini is approx 6 ounces of vodka and a whiff of vermouth, so yes, it's the equivalent of a glass of vodka. In quantity, not spirit (pardon the pun). This particular joint happens to use very large martini glasses--and they're almost full.

They had seven oyster selections--kumamoto, canada cup (amazing), wild rhode island, cape breton, and i can't really remember the rest.

Yes, except when you eat steak.

[Behemoth]

luveeting, on Jan 23 2007, 11:48 PM, said:

WEll, a martini is approx 6 ounces of vodka and a whiff of vermouth, so yes, it's the equivalent of a glass of vodka.

Be gentle, Omni.

(Welcome, luveeting.)

[omnivorette]

No, good sir, a martini is made with GIN AND VERMOUTH. Not a drop of vodka in sight.

Now I realize that many people drink an abomination called a "vodka martini" but a martini is a gin cocktail.

Ideally, 3 parts gin to one part vermouth. Or perhaps 4 to 1. A twist, or an olive.

That's a martini.

[BackyardChef]

Behemoth, on Jan 24 2007, 12:51 AM, said:

Be gentle, Omni.

I thought she was....

[Wilfrid1]

omnivorette, on Jan 24 2007, 07:20 AM, said:

No, good sir, a martini is made with GIN AND VERMOUTH. Not a drop of vodka in sight.

Now I realize that many people drink an abomination called a "vodka martini" but a martini is a gin cocktail.

Ideally, 3 parts gin to one part vermouth. Or perhaps 4 to 1. A twist, or an olive.

That's a martini.

This is nonsense, of course. See relevant threads.

[g.johnson]

OED:

A cocktail containing (esp. dry) vermouth combined with gin or (less frequently) with vodka.

[omnivorette]

Ay dios mio.

The world is coming to an end. The OED is modifying reality in a bow toward trendiness.

Anyway. Even if some insane person were to acknowledge that (less frequently) a martini might be made with vodka, it still doesn't excuse (and I mean no disrespect) luveeter's comment "a martini is approx 6 ounces of vodka and a whiff of vermouth, so yes, it's the equivalent of a glass of vodka."

6 ounces of vodka is a martini? Or 6 ounces of gin for that matter? Vile. That's a bathtub, not a cocktail. It's the equivalent of a hideous California cab with 17% alcohol.