DINING REVIEW
Eastern Pearl: New restaurant is Cantonese, if you please
Located at the corner of the Boardwalk Blue Plaza, the newly opened Eastern Pearl is the very heart of casual country. Yet, inside, the place is glamorous indeed. Handsomely upholstered booths, good lighting, a sophisticated little bar and — what is this? — a Chinese fountain on the back wall. The tables are well spaced so the place is relatively quiet. Even the chopsticks are special. They are shiny ivorylike plastic and much fancier than the usual break-apart wooden splints. (A lot more slippery, too.)
Eastern Pearl is nothing if not ambitious. It calls itself the Buffalo area’s “first gourmet Cantonese restaurant” and it’s true that many of the dishes it presents are lavish indeed. Of course, if we’re going to be purists, not all of the dishes presented on the menu are necessarily Cantonese in origin. Take the Peking Duck ($17), for instance.
It did not have to be ordered in advance. And it’s not your usual Peking Duck. There is no soup and the meal does not arrive in courses.
That doesn’t mean that it’s not terrific.
What comes out is a large garnished platter of juicy meat with hoisin sauce. The separate pieces of skin — traditionally created by pumping air beneath — were delectable. A guilty pleasure? Oh my yes. But at least worthy of the risk.
The dumplings here are obviously house-made. Shanghai Buns, prettily enclosed in their wrappers, were flavorful and juicy. (OK. Maybe not quite authentic. Real Shanghai Buns are filled with soup that kind of spurts out when you bite into them. At least this version cuts down on cleaners’ bills.)
Shrimp Shumai and Vegetable Dumplings were great.
We did not have quite as much enthusiasm, sorry to say, for the Hot and Sour Soup ($3.50). It wasn’t that the soup wasn’t delicious. It was — I guess. But the temperature was off — very cool.
Also the fried noodles accompanying the soup — another guilty pleasure usually — were old and they were stale.
Things improved, however, with the delicious Moo Shu Pork ($9). Perfectly seasoned, the meal was served in a portion large enough for at least eight people. Not enough pancakes, however.
But then, are there ever enough pancakes? It’s a cruel, cruel world.
Another twist on the Moo Shu—it’s strictly DIY. Unlike in many restaurants, the server does not carefully paint hoisin on the pancake surface with a scallion brush and then enclose the stir-fried mixture into a neat little bundle before handing it over.
But even though we put together some pretty messy little packages, we enjoyed what we ate.
We liked the Crispy Chicken, too. A Chef’s Special at $13, it came out on a bountiful and beautiful platter, as crisp and tasty as the duck. (It made a great lunch the next day.)
There were some lapses in service on each of our two visits to the Eastern Pearl. No water was provided and, when we did ask for it, only one glass came out — to the person who asked for it. The rest of the table? We just thirsted away.
And there’s the matter of that cold soup.
Let us say that there was a certain amount of, well, confusion throughout the meal. (Frenzy is really much too strong a word.) The servers are busy; they try hard, but they don’t exactly hover, if you know what I mean.
A circulating host and hostess try to make up for that to be sure. Maybe it’s simply a matter of early days. It takes a while to get a restaurant’s act together.
While you are waiting for that to happen, try the Sauteed Asparagus with Garlic. This one is definitely a non-guilty pleasure, and it’s great.•
EASTERN PEARL
★★★*
WHERE: 938 Maple Road, Williamsville (204-8898, www.theeasternpearlrestaurant.com).
Great-looking restaurant, newly opened in the Boardwalk Boutiques Plaza claims to be Western New York’s “first gourmet Cantonese restaurant.” There’s a huge lineup of popular favorites, mostly Cantonese and many with imaginative touches. Credit cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa.
FAVORITE DISH: Moo Shu Pork
NEEDS WORK: Hot and Sour Soup
PRICE RANGE:Dinner appetizers from $3. Entrees from around $6. Specials from $13. Lunch specials include soup and rice and start at $5.
SERVICE: Basically good with a soupcon of disorganization.
HOURS: 11 a. m. to 10 p. m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a. m. to 11 p. m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 10 p. m. Sunday.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
PARKING: In the plaza
RATINGS:Stars reflect the overall dining experience at the time of The News’ visit — including service, ambience, innovation and cost — with greatest weight given to quality of the food. * indicates that restaurant is so new that this is a provisional rating.
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