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17 Reviews
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Disappointing, especially at this price point
I will divide my review into service, setting and food. The service was very attentive. The staff contributed to the “fun, happy” atmosphere that the restaurant is attempting to achieve. The setting was nice but a bit strange. The balloons along the ceiling were an effort to add to the party vibe. The “bubbles” that were blown when I was dispensing my own ice cream into a cup made me think that I was at a 5 year old’s birthday celebration, not a fine dining restaurant or a New Year’s Eve party. The Polaroid photo taken of me was another apparent attempt to give the evening a more party type of atmosphere. In the end, however, I go to a restaurant for the food, and there were some hits and misses. The “soufflé of the year,” Marco’s gnocchi and the 3 cheese ravioli were all hits, with the ravioli being the best. The Japanese Surf and Turf was a total miss; the surf (allegedly abalone) was not noticeable in any meaningful way, and the turf (Japanese beef shin) was WAY too salty. The LA style mezcal pineapple dessert was okay; the champagne and peach liqueur “gummie bears” that were served with it were a pointless addition from a food perspective, although maybe the intent was to enhance the “fun” part of the experience. The “gifts” presented at various times during the meal ranged from very good (koyo strawberry with cheese inside) to interesting (the beggar’s purses) to awful (Scott’s nachos). Overall, I would have to say that the food did not live up to my expectations. I normally don’t comment on the cost of a meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant, as I expect such a meal to be expensive, but in this case, I found the price point to be way out of line with the quality and quantity of the food served.
Be the first to ReplyCockroach in the private dining room
The private dining experience in the She Loves Me room is a disaster. The restaurant doesn't have the capacity/competency to facilitate an experience that comes anywhere near to matching the price point. There was a COCKROACH in the room that crawled up a guest's leg. When the guest jumped up, the cockroach scurried under the table and we had to go through the remainder of dinner with a loose roach in the room. We commissioned an expensive floral arrangement to be set as the centerpiece for dinner, but the Pineapple & Pearls team (inexplicably) disassembled it so we were left with just a few sparse flowers haphazardly placed on the table and the room looking like a raggity hostel lobby. Dining service took over 4 hours. We were sat at 8:30 and, even after asking to rush through the final courses because of the cockroach, were not able to leave until after 12:30 am. After detailing our disappointment at length and waiting several weeks, Pineapple and Pearls took 10% off our bill. I was mortified to host an event here - highly recommend choosing one of the other many fabulous Michelin star restraurants in DC.
Be the first to ReplyCOVID has taken it's toll
Wow..Pineapple and Pears has lost a step in their post COVID incarnation. My wife and I have been to P&P pre-COVID several times and we totally blown away. Last Saturday was completely underwhelming. First, there attempt at a hip retro vibe did not add to the experience. The techno music was so loud that normal conversation was not possible. We were there for the food. It started out hopeful, the welcome cocktail was excellent. The amuse was amazing. It goes downhill from there. The first was a souffle which was good but far from great, not 2 Stars. The second was gnocchi that was fair but was in a very heavy garlic cream sauce that was overpowering. Third was a "Japanese" braised shank the that was basically Korein barbeque. Again, good but not very interesting. The desert I had was their rainbow sorbet which was just that a selection of citrus sorbets. Not very inspired. Their major fail was some kind of a stuffed taco thing that was served cold (not intentionally) and was uneatable. I've had better frozen /microwave horderves at office parties. This is no longer a Michelin restaurant in my book and at their price point we will not go back.
Be the first to ReplyGloriously divine food!!!
This updated Pineapples & Peaches is a must if you love good food, great music, wonderful vibes and all round great service. Simply adorable! The atmosphere was just electric from the get-go, everything was orchestrated to perfection! Every serving was simply a work of art and simply divine to behold and then to consume! And the surprise at the end - priceless!! You will enjoy yourself once you let yourself go and just enjoy the atmosphere and the music. Will be back!!
Be the first to ReplyExcellent food, limited options and too many gimmicks
This was our first time at Pineapple and Pearls. Unfortunately we had not been to its prior incarnation. No doubt the food is excellent. But the four course menu with 2 options per course provides relatively little choice especially for pescatarians like ourselves (and even more for vegetarians). The amuses that are provided make up for that to some extent. They were fantastic and surprising. The service is great and the staff really works very hard to make the evening festive. But like the previous review, we felt that especially for a 2 Michelin star restaurant, it relies too much on gimmicks that are not essential to or even detract from the dining experience. Low quality Polaroid pictures taken when you enter and leave and getting up to get your own soft ice cream at desert is a bit awkward. The dress code is fine —and it’s nice to dress up for an evening out and see other guests do the same. But the disco-type atmosphere and music doesn’t add much to the dining experience and made us feel out of place. The music style and loudness makes it difficult to hear the waiters explanations of the dishes, even. Overall, we had a good but overpriced evening with some excellent food.
Be the first to ReplyVersion 2.0 was inconsistent and unfortunately a disappointment
I love Aaron Silverman’s cooking – the inventive combinations of flavors, the purity of the results, and often the playfulness of the presentation. As a result, I ate at Pineapple and Pearls several times pre-COVID, and looked forward to the retooled Pineapple and Pearls 2.0, especially after a glowing review in the Washington Post. So my girlfriend and I went there last month. While I continue to believe in Chef Silverman’s skills, we were disappointed in our visit to P&P2.0, and given the expense of the experience it is not clear when (or if) we will want to roll the dice on a re-visit. While dishes that tasted like they were prepared precisely “a point” were a regular occurrence at P&P1.0, only a few met that high standard at P&P2.0. Most disappointing were several components of the last few savory dishes that were too salty by both my and my girlfriend’s standards. By that I mean more salty than anything I had ever tasted in any dish in any previous visit to P&P 1.0. We also had a sense that “show” had taken too much prominence over substance. We were told by the staff that Chef Silverman wanted each evening to feel like New Year’s Eve, and the reservation reminder text asked you to “dust off your fanciest outfit”. But with all due respect, I don’t associate NYE with fine dining, the line of balloons on the ceiling near the chef’s counter didn’t create much of a NYE atmosphere, and only a few people took the fancy dress request to heart. More weirdly, an introductory Champagne was poured into one of those wide and shallow coupes reminiscent of NYE’s of yore. I’m a wine geek, and it has been many decades since any wine people thought those coupes were any good for enjoying Champagne. Finally, I suppose the level of buzz was raised by Chef Silverman’s mixtape playing in the background – not too loud, but at a level where we had to speak with raised voices, and sometimes both of us had trouble hearing some of the patter of our servers. Maybe I can no longer recognize Chef Silverman – although I think I would have noticed his tattooed forearms if not his face – but I am not sure he was there for the entire evening. Maybe this was part of the problem? Regardless, P&P 2.0 is an expensive special occasion dining experience, so it is just not acceptable for them to have an off night. BTW, I also found P@P’s reworked website left much to be desired. I could not find where it stated when new reservation times become available (each month when?). I just had to keep checking regularly until new reservation dates appeared. And it turns out that some times that many people would consider to be prime dinner times simply do not exist. I could see some people (like us) believing that they got to the site too late to snag these times (e.g., 8PM) and therefore postpone to a later date another attempt to get a good reservation time, when in fact that will not accomplish their goal. It would be considerate for P&P to state clearly which time frames are available and which are not. Maybe they have since revised their website to correct these deficiencies – don’t know.
Be the first to ReplyOne of a kind
My wife and I had a superior dining experience at Pineapple and Pearl. As a pescatarian, I was delighted with the choices of entrees. The waitstaff gave individual attention to the diners, and explained each course in detail. Expensive, yes, but unique. We’ll be back.
Be the first to ReplyLovely Tasting Menu w/ Two Different Wine Pairings
Lovely Tasting Menu w/ Two Different Wine Pairings
In March, we had the opportunity to dine at Pineapple & Pearls, 715 8th St SE, Washington, DC, while in town for my wife to attend several days of meetings on The Hill.
This was our first visit, and was predicated on many recommendations, and reviews, that I had received and read, and I am so glad that we made our reservations - not that easy to do, but we managed, and for an early table at the Chef’s Counter. This was a great meal, with excellent wines, and in a fun venue.
We were greeted by the hostess at a small bar in the front of this nondescript restaurant, that is not all that easy to locate. Our Uber driver had issues, and even with our mapping software, he missed it twice. Hint: the much more obvious Finn McCool’s is next door. Pineapple & Pearls is the black building, with “715" displayed.
We started in that bar area, with a coupe of Charles Orban Carte Noir Champagne - coupes for Champagne seem to be making a comeback. We were led through a small dining area, to a counter, in front of the open kitchen, and seated at one end, with fixed stools, which we found to be adequately spaced.
We had opted, at the time of reservations, for the full Tasting Menu, and for two different levels of wine pairings. Our service began immediately, with more wine (including the Dom Pérignon Champagne), and several lovely amuse bouche courses. I lost count of the number of courses, but lets say “more than adequate,” though all were rather small, which we find ideal for a Tasting Menu. It appears that there were nine distinct courses, plus several amuse bouche courses, so let’s call it eleven courses in all. Each course had a subject name, such as White, Kaeng, Ink, etc, with a full description of the dish for that course, and then the two different, but excellent wines for each.
My wife has a few, minor dietary restrictions, but those were acknowledged, and accommodated for, by the kitchen staff.
Each course was very good, to excellent, with the stand-outs, for me being:
Kaeng - Ginger, Mustard and the accompanying Skin - Chicken, Burnt Peanut, Makrut Lime
Then Coal - Squab (not our favorite fowl, but this one was great), Black Forbidden Rice, Binchotan
Ink - Octopus, Scallion and Black Lime
The wines/beverages were great, and some rather esoteric, which we love.
Now, service was from both in front (kitchen side), as well as from behind. All wine/beverage service was from behind. That is probably the one aspect that was a bit uncomfortable, but then we were able to watch the kitchen in action, so not a major issue - just a slight inconvenience. All food service, as well as the wine/beverage service was excellent, as was the pacing. The Sommelier took the time to go over each wine in some detail, and we had adequate space for our growing collection of glasses.
The presentations were lovely, and each dish tasty. It did feel that maybe the kitchen was trying a bit too hard on a few, but they all worked, so I can overlook the theatrics - besides, we’ve dined at Alinea, é by José Andrés, MiniBar by José Andrés, Benu, Atelier Crenn and several other restaurants, where the theatrics are a big part of the experience. The lighting was also very good, to allow us to appreciate the culinary beauty, and artistry in front of us.
One nice aspect was that we were celebrating our anniversary, though a few days late. We did such celebrations this year, in Chicago, San Francisco and Washington. Pineapple & Pearls was one of the few restaurants that got it correct - “Happy Anniversary.” Most of the rest celebrated with “Happy Birthday??” Oh well, we still got to celebrate.
We had an early seating, so it was rather quiet, when we began. However, as the smallish restaurant filled up, the noise level never reached above moderate.
Though not even close to inexpensive (especially with the “reserve” wine pairing), we found Pineapple & Pearls to be a very good value. They were great in every aspect, from wine service (the Sommelier was excellent), to food and its presentation, to service - with the slightly awkward presentation from the rear, mentioned above, for a few of the courses. So, while maybe not perfect in every respect, we were very satisfied, and will return.
A fabulous restaurant
A specially enjoyable experience. A very beautiful restaurant with friendly, efficient service. Two of us had the non-alcoholic pairing and the third had the regular pairing. both excellent. Food was creative and delicious. By far the best meal we have had in DC. I inquired where I could buy the alcohol free wine we had when we arrived at the restaurant, which I had had in Germany. As we were leaving, we were given a bottle as a present. A very kind gesture. I look forward to returning.
Be the first to ReplyAbsolutely wonderful experience!
This is probably the most unique dining experience I've ever had! We choose seats at the Chef's counter and it was so fun to watch all of the detail go into every course! We had 10 courses and each one was fantastic, I couldn't even pick a favorite! We also had the luxury wine pairing which did not disappoint! It was truly an experience I will never forget, definitely in the top 3 of all time!
Be the first to ReplyHow is P&P not rated higher?
We loved our bar experience at pineapple and pearls. Unless you really like to eat a lot or just want to go all out, the bar experience is more than enough.The bartenders were super friendly and engaging all night long, having all the answers for everything food and beverage. Their whole team was very friendly, the food was inventive, playful, and delicious. They made our dinner very personal by offering me a pour of whiskey from a bottle I hadn’t seen in years after telling the bartender a story about how it reminded me of a family memory - I’ll always remember our dinner there. It’s the perfect place for someone who is looking for two Michelin star dining without having to dress up for it. Will definitely be back I will next time in town.
Be the first to Replyoutstanding but not for everyone
It’s very expensive. I’ll get that out of the way first. It’s an experience with flavors and foods you don’t often have in your life. I hate to use the term foodie but you should be one if you want to plonk down over $300 for a meal. With that being said, it is amazing food. I will never again have a black truffle, blue cheese, foie gras French toast. The service is exceptional. Each course and drink comes with a story. They very much want you to enjoy your visit. I could describe each course in detail but the menu changes so you won’t have the same plates. Just know that it will be awesome. We didn’t leave hungry or overstuffed. It was just the right amount of food and booze.
Be the first to ReplyThere are better places to drop this kind of money.
This is a painful review to write for a super-foodie (one who cooks as well as eats) who is so happy DC has become a culinary hotspot. We have so few 2 Michelin Star rated restaurants here and I was so hoping to be blown away two weeks ago for what was a long overdue visit to this particular restaurant. My husband and I decided to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary here-and, unfortunately, I really regret it.
The reception was lovely. The hostess actually came outside to greet us. Inside we were met with delicate glasses of champagne and real thought was put into one’s first impression of the night. We were sat at a lovely table – the ambience was great -the noise level more European than American, a rarity these days, and the attention to tactile and visual detail was undeniable; from stemware to cutlery, crockery to food presentation-it was all a work of modern art. That was the best part, unfortunately.
The first major disappointment was sitting down only to be up-sold -or potentially up-sold on dessert – we were asked if we’d like to spend an extra $200 to have some black truffle shaved into a cognac drink with our dessert. Considering the cost of the meal, which had to be pre-paid, it was super tacky to be asked if we’d like to spend another $200 on what turned out to be one of the most mediocre meals we’ve ever had at a high end restaurant in DC.The second major annoyance was having a table side martini made by a somewhat aloof waiter- who seemed totally uninterested in us....a strange thing as we are sharing intimate and expensive time together....as my youngest son says...…"aaawwwwkard". Neither my husband nor I are particularly interested in martinis, so having one take up a good five minutes of our dinner wasn’t something we signed up for. Finally the food started coming.... The first three courses were predictably delectable Amuse Bouche, with the most memorable being an escargot tart and an eggshell filled with olive oil custard topped with rambutan fruit that was truly delicious. Unfortunately, it was a steep fall after those courses. The following courses were a culinary joke. I don’t want to be harsh, but there are no other words for it. First came a bizarrely placed French toast Foie Gras (this is virtually the exact same dish I’ve had at their sister restaurant Rose’s Luxury- but there it was served-appropriately- as a dessert), a 100 layer lasagna with a spicy meat sauce- call it what you want- you just served me lasagna. Then came a table side🙄 Caesar salad which took another 5 minutes of dinner conversation away- and was made by a well-meaning waiter using the world’s smallest salad tongs. No matter how many quail eggs or fancy service you put around it- you served a Caesar salad. Then there was the finale: raw meat on an aromatic BBQ ceramic contraption I’ve seen countless times at a HomeGoods store, served with potato salad and two sauces (harissa and salsa Verde). I went to a two star Michelin restaurant and they served me a very average backyard American barbecue. It’s taken me nearly 2 weeks to write this review because every time I think about this meal I am incensed. As someone who is considered quite a good cook myself – I spend this kind of money to have culinary experiences that I cannot replicate myself. The fact that these chefs served me at least three dishes maybe more that were badly executed and totally common, is shocking. I have no idea why they have earned two stars when so many of my favorites (Masseria, Komi, Fiola, Sushi Taro) in DC have only one. In short this was our first and last meal here. I wish them well, but recommend they step up their game for any other real foodies coming to experience something exceptional.
Bar Menu Was Fine By Us
Anniversary dinner for two during the week. We opted for the $150 bar menu, sans alcohol (pre- and post-meal alcohol flights are included). Fantastic. Staff was over the top, food was imaginative, artful, tasty and filling, even for the pared down presentation. I highly recommend you do this. Awesome.
Be the first to ReplyChef's Counter!!!!!
Listen, I'm a tasting-menu-lover, I do them EVERYWHERE. And an added bonus is getting to watch the goings-on in the kitchen. Here's the deal with P&P... it's luxe, super creative, killer service, really one of the BEST tasting menu experiences I've had around the world. I also did the high-end wine pairing, and (as a prof'l Wineau,) it ROCKED. Dom Perignon, a crazy 1985 CA riesling leftover from a commune (!) out of magnum, Guigal Côte-Rôtie Ch. d'Ampuis, D'Oliveras Boal 1977... again, luxe AND creative. Every course was delectable. There was a lot of "ooh" ing and "sigh" ing coming from my seat. I mentioned to one of my servers (they seamlessly rotate, and each makes you feel as if you're their only patron,) that the courses were almost coming too fast and I couldn't enjoy their rhapsody in-between... sure enough, a subtle slowdown of pacing happened, it was perfect. Just go. Splurge. Enjoy every bite. It's really worth it.
Be the first to ReplyGood and interesting
I would say that the food and experience is certainly very good but not great. Quality rather than quantity but unlike others I did not leave hungry just not over full. We had a table and had lots of space and did not feel enclosed. Creative and unique dishes that is in line with other similar restaurants around the world. I would book but make sure you get a table.
Be the first to ReplyGreat experience from the minute you walk in the door
From the moment you walk in the staff is creating and managing your experience. It's not just about the food, which was delicious, its about your entire night from beginning to end.
We fully enjoyed to whole evening. Service was exceptional, food was delicious and the drinks were perfectly paired. We also like the vibe here. Not stuffy and pretentious. More relaxed and fun.