I had several issues with the service, food quality, flavors, value, and overall experience at…read moreRestaurant Pearl Morissette (RPM). In my view, Legende, which holds one Michelin star, blows RPM out of the water. Even Alo, which I consider below average for a one-Michelin-star restaurant, was significantly better.
The rhubarb juice had a mediocre flavor and was somewhat bitter. 5/10.
The snacks were a mixed start. The seasoning and sauce overpowered the Dungeness crab, while the caviar portion was minuscule considering the price point. The crisp had a similarly overpowering flavor that was difficult to identify. The vegetable with focaccia was decent. 5.4/10.
The crudité was light and refreshing, with a good balance of herby and creamy sauces. I could identify most ingredients by taste. One mint leaf was bitter, but overall it was like a fruit bowl mixed with a garden salad. 6.4/10.
The first cod was dry, salty, and fishy. I didn't enjoy it. The server wouldn't let me explain what I disliked and rushed me into a refire when I would have preferred something else. 3.9/10.
The refired cod was a substantial improvement: juicy, flavorful, and not fishy. The sauce was sharp but pleasant and herby. Still not wowed, but much better. 6.4/10.
The hen of the woods had a tasty, well-cooked mushroom and an interesting concept. However, the sauce was strangely sour and overpowering, while the dish was excessively oily because of the potato "crisp." Interesting idea, but poorly executed. 4.7/10.
Nearly every sauce was excessively wine-forward, and there was noticeable repetition of flavors, particularly mint and wine reductions.
The halibut in butter sauce was my favorite dish. None of the pepper came through, the wine sauce was overpowering, and the dish was overly salty. However, the halibut was cooked beautifully and wonderfully buttery. 6.8/10.
The savory egg custard was far too sweet, with reduced wine dominating the dish. The texture was silky and the egg flavor fresh, but it was overwhelmed. The chives lacked brightness. 3.7/10.
The grilled lobster with lobster bisque, tomato, and zucchini left me struggling to understand what the vegetables contributed. The bisque was decent and the lobster had pleasant flavor, but it was horribly overcooked and tough. 5.6/10.
The guinea hen was inconsistent. Half was tender and moist, while a substantial portion was chewy and somewhat gamey. I liked the gaminess but not the chewiness. The carrot, nectarine, and clean jus worked well. 6.6/10.
The blueberry juice was light, clean, and refreshing. 6.7/10.
The pork loin and sausage dish was decent but unremarkable. The loin was overcooked and tough, while the sausage was dry. The sauces were decent but not memorable. The beets contributed little, and I wanted more fennel. 5.6/10.
The PEI cheddar and RPM honey course was a good combination, but the cheddar was too fatty and rich to eat alone. I needed bread or a cracker for balance. More honey or thinner slices of cheddar would have helped. 6/10.
The cantaloupe sorbet with sabayon was bland, boring, and lacking sweetness and flavor. 4.3/10.
The raspberry and roasted thyme mille-feuille was extremely disappointing. The raspberry cream was tart, while the raspberries were almost inedibly tart. The pastry was flaky but greasy. I couldn't finish it. 3.1/10.
The frozen strawberry was the best dessert: light, with great texture and pleasant strawberry flavor. I would have liked more floral notes from the blossoms and some chocolate for richness. 6.7/10.
The miso and whiskey madeleines had a strange, spongy texture. I didn't love the flavor and gave up after two bites. They also arrived after I was told the strawberry dessert would be the "last bite." 3.5/10.
Beyond the food, the glasses in the middle of the limited dining room created constant clanking. The extremely loud music gave me a headache and made servers difficult to hear. The time between courses was also quite long. They also didn't answer when I called early to ask if I could come in and wait.
Also, the condition and cleanliness of the bathroom were shockingly bad. The dim flickering cheap lights also contributed to my headache.
I was told the halibut was line-caught on the Atlantic coast, but later heard another server say it was from the West Coast. Which is it?
I also don't understand the obsession with locality. Excluding vanilla or chocolate unnecessarily limits the pastry chef, yet the rules are broken with coastal fish, coffee, and tea. Why impose arbitrary restrictions when a simple local focus would suffice? The ethos should be delicious and elevated food.
Overall, repetitive flavors, especially mint and wine reductions, and sauces that overwhelmed dishes were major issues. There were decent dishes and interesting ideas, but too many were poorly executed. Nothing was above a 7/10, and most dishes were below average in flavor--difficult to reconcile with the price point and accolades.