This is a first: As dining critic at The Denver Post, a post I’ve held since 2005, I’ve yet to review a restaurant twice. Today, I break that run.
The reason? A new chef, and a renewed energy, at Platt Park’s Black Pearl restaurant, which (despite my initial misgivings about the place, as revealed in a 1-star review back in 2005) has persevered to become an essential, deeply rooted player on Denver’s South Pearl Street.
I was perhaps too hard on the initial incarnation of Black Pearl, mostly because I expected so very, very much. Deafening buzz and a promising menu spiked my hopes; but those hopes were ultimately, dashed. “I was crushed,” I wrote. “(The dishes) didn’t work, and I think there was a step missing somewhere in the kitchen: quality control.”
What a difference four years of refinement and reinvention makes. Because Black Pearl is now as much a gem as its name suggests.
Much of the credit goes to the dogged determination this place exhibits, a fierce sense of resolve to fill the tables with locals thirsty for drinks and hungry for supper. Black Pearl’s energy, at some times better- directed than at others, has been unwavering for nearly five years; this persistence has rendered the place necessary to its neighborhood. Too rooted to fail, as it were.
But much of the credit also goes to chef Kate Horton, who now runs a revivified kitchen with a clean, focused eye. The plates are more consistent now than they’ve ever been (and I’ve been paying attention — I must have visited the place over a dozen times in the past few years).
Tops on the current menu is the succulent, well-seasoned pork porterhouse, savory and satisfying alongside its pile of creamed apples. The kitchen is not afraid to serve this steak medium-rare, which is as it should be. Truth be told, most pork steaks in this town are better left alone for the dried-out, overcooked, flavorless hunks they are, Not so Black Pearl’s, which is a triumph.
Not especially creative, but particularly well-executed, is the hanger steak with fingerling potatoes and braised kale. Rather than making customers feel valued by sending out a 16-ounce monster steak, this was a reasonable portion, with plenty of greens to balance the plate. The kind of steak a cardiologist can love. I only wish it were a couple of bucks cheaper than its $24 price tag.
One item to avoid on the menu is the seasonal risotto balls, flavored according to the month and fried. Rote and unremarkable, they are perhaps this menu’s least-good value.
Of note: Black Pearl’s wine list, an unpretentious, international roster lousy with relative bargains.
Here’s a trick: Come to lunch during the week, when the place has a breezy, relaxed vibe. Order a glass of Moscato D’Asti and the duck confit salad. Though duck confit is beginning to overreach its welcome in Denver (every restaurant serves it now, and many ruin it), Black Pearl’s kitchen delivers it judiciously and with circumspection, framing its soft flavors with faintly bitter frisee and mild goat cheese. Or, choose the meaty crabcake and a plate of roasted piquillo peppers. Skip the seafood tacos; unless you luck out, their wraps will likely be stale and tough.
Here’s another trick: Come late on a weekend and sit at the spacious, well-designed bar. Start with a cocktail and a round of oysters (BP usually has three half-shell options to choose from, from both coasts) and end with dinner, preferably the bison burger with blue cheese on a brioche (hold the laborious truffle fries).
Black Pearl would rate higher if its prices were 15 percent lower. When compared with other restaurants of its kind, Black Pearl’s prices are not out of line, but neither are they a bargain. Lucky for them, Platt Park has a critical mass of folks happy to pay for a pleasant evening out.
Black Pearl, which didn’t make sense to me way back when, has proven its worth to Denver’s dining scene. Just goes to show what I know.
What do you think of Black Pearl? Hit denverpost.com/restaurants to pipe up.
BLACK PEARL
Contemporary. 1529 S. Pearl St., Denver, 303-777-0500, blackpearldenver.com
** 1/2 STARS
Atmosphere: Multilevel dining room, separate bar area and large front patio. A stylish crowd that’s evolved from flashy to friendly.
Service: Efficient and professional, if not always indulgent
Wine: Amiable, accessible list
Plates: Steak, $24. Pork chop, $22. Tacos, $13. Crab cake, $17.
Hours: Lunch Monday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner seven nights from 5 p.m.; the kitchen serves until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Details: Reservations suggested but not usually needed. Street parking. Lively and roomy bar area, well-designed for eating.
Six visits
Our star system:
****: Exceptional
***: Great
**: Very Good
*: Good
