Farm to table eating at country house restaurant: PEI’s The Pearl Cafe’

You know you’re at a farm-fresh restaurant when the menu lists the names of the owners of farmers supplying the produce, edible flowers, locally produced sparkling wines for the champagne cocktails, meats — and they’re neighbors. Prince Edward Island‘s The Pearl is in the country, a funky but still-polished oasis with art on the walls and fresh flavors on the plates. Dress is dressy-casual. I was glad to be able to experience it!

I’m always torn between eating the local raw oysters — they’re world famous at PEI! — or trying the chef’s creation. In this case, I tried the butter braised Raspberry Point oysters with vermouth tapenade. Raspberry Point oysters are a well-known variety out there, only found on a certain point on the island. The oysters hold a great deal of their salty flavor, even when cooked. The butter makes for a simple complement.

Incidentally, several farm to table restaurants on PEI serve their lettuce for salads untorn into pieces, to highlight that they are getting lettuce straight from the garden and not from a bag.

Can you believe that after a few days on the island, I had eaten so much gourmet lobster — they even sell it at their Subway and McDonald’s — that I was ready for a change of pace? I tried a vegetarian risotto, made with creamy, pungent local goat cheese, kale chips, pickled baby beets from Kenny Doyle’s farm, caramelized honey anise and roasted peanuts. It was a flavor fusion of European and Asian flavors, quite hearty and filling. The flavor contrasts were spot-on and this was certainly no apologetic toss out to vegetarians. The composition was creative.

For dessert, I had a creamy lemon “pot”, like a lemon pot de creme, with candied lemon peel and local red raspberries. Coincidentally, it looks a little like my entree in the photos, but it did have a light, lovely summer texture.