Let The Good Times Roll!

Pearl's New Orleans Kitchen

By Janice Binkert | April 1, 2017

Call it what you will, The Big Easy, Crescent City, NOLA, N’Awlins…The list goes on and on, as do debates about which nickname best describes it, but no one debates the fact that New Orleans is a mecca for food and drink lovers.

For years, we here in northern Michigan could only dream about savoring that city’s iconic specialties unless we were ambitious cooks or jetted or road–tripped down south to sample them firsthand. Then, in 1998, the original owners of the Magnum Hospitality Group, who had already found success with two unique restaurant concepts in small towns (Latin American–themed Red Mesa Grill and European–style bistro Cafe Santé in Boyne City and a second Red Mesa Grill in Traverse City), opened a destination restaurant with a different ethnic twist – Pearl’s New Orleans Kitchen in Elk Rapids, specializing in both Cajun (rural) and Creole (city) cuisine.

Getting It Right
To ensure the authenticity of the atmosphere and menu they wanted to create for their new venture, the owners made several visits to New Orleans to get a feel for its multicultural origins and to taste their way through the legendary venues and culinary delicacies of the old French Quarter. Their odyssey included beignets at Café du Monde, which now supplies Pearl’s with its signature beignet mix and chicory coffee, and Bananas Foster at Brennan’s, creators of the dramatic rum–infused tableside–flamed dessert. And, of course, they indulged in gumbo, jambalaya, muffulettas, etouffée, po’boys, shrimp and grits, oysters, dirty rice and blackened alligator. Now all these delicacies, along with many more, appear on the menu at Pearl’s.

The Pearl’s concept has proven to be a big hit with locals and tourists alike over the years, and the new owners (since 2015) of Magnum Hospitality, Mark Wibel and Steve Rossi, have wisely chosen not to change it. But they also encourage the staff to exercise innovation and creativity. “Our chef, Ben Cross, does wonderful specials, and he’s brought a lot of fresh new ideas,” said Jessica Jones, one of the three managers at Pearl’s. “He’s also made some subtle changes to the menu that have been well received by our customers. That said, we will always try to keep certain items that have been offered for a long time because people would be disappointed to see them go.”

Gumbo ya–ya, made with chunks of chicken and spicy andouille sausage and finished with rice, is one customer favorite that will doubtless always be on the menu. “Filé powder and the browned roux are what give the soup its distinctive taste – that smokiness and nuttiness,” Jones explained. “Then there’s the okra, which has some of the same thickening properties as the roux – it all kind of works together.”

Feasting and Festing
Several festivals and events are featured at Pearl’s throughout the year. The Origins of Creole Cuisine menu series started Mar. 20 and continues for five weeks until Apr. 23. Louisiana cooking been influenced by many cultures – Irish, French, Spanish, German, West African and Italian – and Pearl’s will focus on a different area every week, sharing a little history and culture on each menu.

For its six–week Crawfish Festival in late spring – usually from the beginning of May to mid–June – the restaurant sources its crawfish directly through the Louisiana Crawfish Company right out of New Orleans. “We pay a premium to get it delivered fresh twice a week from them,” said Jones. “You can obviously get crawfish anytime down there, but in the spring, when they’re running and plentiful, we like to make them accessible to people here. We do a crawfish boil with traditional spices and make crawfish cakes, crawfish–smothered catfish and lots of other combinations.”

There’s also a Louisiana shrimp boil held every Friday from Labor Day to Memorial Day. Also a Bourbon, Vittles and Sips event in the fall. And of course there’s always Mardi Gras – Pearl’s does it up in true New Orleans style every year. But that’s another story for another time.

The Bourbon and Cocktail Show
A large horseshoe–shaped bar anchors the dining room at Pearl’s and is itself a main attraction, not least of all thanks to its selection of more than 40 different bourbons. And in deference to the city that was the birthplace of the cocktail, bartenders at Pearl’s are true mixologists who are happy to concoct such classic New Orleans libations as the mint julep, the Sazerac, the hurricane, the oyster shooter and the “Big Easy” Bloody Mary garnished with a crawfish and a house–made blue-cheese–stuffed jalapeño as well as any number of other specialty drinks.

“The bar is kind of like a show in itself,” said Jones, “and that’s nice, because when people are sitting there, they are at the center of things and can look around and also get a feel for the restaurant’s character and ambiance.”

About that ambience. It would not be an understatement to note that the décor is an important part of a visit to Pearl’s. Deep red–painted walls are covered with a riot of photos, murals, posters and other artwork depicting famous jazz, blues and zydeco musicians, bourbon barrels, distillery equipment and Mardi Gras revelers, just for starters. Long rows of shelves display hundreds of hot sauce bottles. Giant papier–maché sculptures of a bee, a dragon and an alligator in vibrant colors dangle from the ceiling. A shady–looking fortune teller adorned with gaudy beads glares into the dining room. Subtle it’s not, but somehow it works and gets you in the Pearl’s spirit.

“A Heap of Hospitality”
Surprisingly, with all the Cajun– and Creole–inspired dishes Pearl’s offers, Jones revealed that their brisket dinner is hands down the biggest seller on the menu. “It has been forever. We slow cook the brisket in its juices and accompany it with cheddar mashed potatoes and andouille milk gravy. I think the fact that it’s something familiar might be one of the reasons it’s so popular. You get people in here – maybe for the first time – who are a little apprehensive about the kind of food we specialize in, and they kind of start there and maybe eventually try something else.”

Ultimately, Jones said she feels it’s the staff’s focus on hospitality that is one of the restaurant’s biggest selling points. “I feel like many of our guests – at least the first time – come in out of curiosity and because it’s something different. We get a lot of phone calls, too. People will ask, ‘Do you only have Cajun and Creole?’ Maybe they’re bringing in someone who doesn't like spicy food, and of course we can tell them that we have other things as well. Everyone does have their own taste, so we try to accommodate that. We really want to make sure that everybody has an enjoyable time and feels welcome here, every single time. It’s not just about people coming in and getting food and drink – we want them to have the whole experience.”

In short, as in New Orleans, the reigning motto at Pearl’s seems to be “Laissez les bon temps rouler!” or “Let the good times roll!”

Pearl’s is located at 617 Ames Street in Elk Rapids. Happy hour occurs daily from 3pm–6pm. Lunch is served 11am–4pm Mon.–Sat.; dinner from 4pm–10pm Mon.–Thurs., 4pm–11pm Fri. and Sat. and 3pm–10pm on Sundays. Brunch is served every Sunday from 10am–3pm. Separate vegetarian, vegan and celiac–safe menus are available. Everything on the menu is also available for carry out. For more information, call (231) 264-0530 or visit pearlsneworleanskitchen.com.
Price rating: $-$$