NOVEMBER 2006

Drink and Dine

Red Pearl Kitchen’s Radiance

JOURNEY THROUGH THE FIVE SENSES WITH BRADLEY TUCK

BY BRADLEY TUCK

The owners of Red Pearl Kitchen, Tim and Liza Goodell, opened their first restaurant, Aubergine, in Newport Beach in 1994. Aubergine is a delicious word, full of voluptuous promise. Look in the mirror and say “Oh-ber zjheeeene.” Notice how your lips form a kiss and then blow it to some unidentified paramour. It’s impossible to utter without a flirtatious tilt of the brow. Very naughty. Tim and Liza married the same year they opened the restaurant, hardly a coincidence, I’m sure. Their new venture, Red Pearl Kitchen induces the same rush of pheromones. What was a drab corner of Melrose is now occupied by a giant, glowing, scarlet-lacquered box. Red quickens the senses, stimulates the appetite arid the libido. Hopefully in that order, I thought, as I entered, imagining being caught in flagrante delicto at the table, and having to get my food to-go. Metallic gold paths led us to our table in the middle of the dining room. On shelves around the room lamps with bases made of brightly colored statuettes of Chairman Mao glow discretely. Dangling above, giant Chinese lanterns reminded me of the air balloon in Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. A glance the menu whizzed us around Asia In five minutes. While the decor is to a layered, sexy Chinoiserie, the menu is decidedly eclectic very successfully so. Appetizers include Thai chill-glazed calamari, Korean barbecue short ribs, pork-shitake Shu Mai, and steamed barbecue pork buns.

I ordered the spicy tuna, tempura eggplant appetizer. it was a little difficult to pick up with chopsticks and my flailing bamboo utensils resembled a drunk’s first time on stilts. But, when I got the prize into my mouth, It was amazing. An exterior as crisp as a choirboy’s ruffle gave way to a center like a campfire marshmallow. The Silky tuna tied it all together, while the spiciness pulled it all apart in the sinuses. A flourish of caviar was the happy ending that made it sing, cleansing the palatte for another bamboo clog dance.

Duck foie gras Shu Mai could have been a disaster (fole gras, truffles and Kobe beef are the most overblown items in a modern restaurant). In the wrong hands, they can be the gastronomic equivalent of sitting in a Maserati on Sunset on a Saturday night — all show, no go. In this case, the foie gras added a velvety rich note to a dumpling that was tender but with enough bite for you to know It’s there. Next was a lettuce wrap with duck and banana paste. Interesting, but I should have asked for more of the crisp lettuce to counteract the sludgy sweetness of the banana. Black bean mussels and Manila clams made a smoky broth; with meltingly soft onions and pungent shellfish. The onions were so sweet, I worried they might spoil my dessert.

However, I spotted a Cardamom Pot de Crème with Banana Fritters and went for it. Cardamom is a difficult spice to use well. In the Middle East, a cardamom pod is inserted into the spout of a coffee pot to flavor the drink upon pouring. In India, it is used to freshen the breath after dining. Too much can have the effect of pouring Listerine into a dish. I think our chef erred on the side of caution, though I hasten to add that it was delicious.

Of course, we had a couple of drinks in the interest of research. I had a Jade Mistress: Belvedere vodka, Thai chili, apple, Thai basil and fresh lemon sours. What started as fruity ended with a spicy kick. My companion had a Red Pearl, which had pomegranate lurking somewhere, and was light and fresh. Many of the cocktails were on the sweet side, presumably for the ladies. In addition, the wine list was comprehensive and many are available by the glass.

Red Pearl Kitchen doesn’t set out to be a pedantically authentic Asian eatery, and it’s all the better for that. It’s unpretentious, and it’s stylish without seeming contrived. The service was friendly, and our server guided us through the menu with aplomb. I’ll be going back to Red Pearl Kitchen. I want to bathe in the warm glow of the lanterns and feel sexy as I down another surprise of a cocktail, acting worldly as I pick on a strawberry-cinnamon short rib. Most of all, want to see Mao with a lampshade on his head.