Black Pearl: Wood-Fired Seafood, Steak on Okaloosa Island
1420 Miracle Strip Pkwy, Okaloosa Island, 833-3016
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By Bruce Collier November 3, 2005 Issue

Black Pearl sits nestled among shops and drinking and dining establishments on Okaloosa Island’s Boardwalk. It’s a small place, with a bar as you enter, and a strip of tables running along a window, overlooking the beach and Gulf. Weather permitting, you can take a seat outside at what appeared to be less formal-looking tables, likewise along the beach. We ate there fairly early on a cool weeknight.

I walked in to find my friend waiting at the bar, studying the menu and talking with the bartender. She greeted me with the joyful news that this place knew how to make an Old Fashioned. I tested them on their Martini, and they passed that just fine, too. I didn’t have to remind the bartender that gin, not vodka, is the traditional base for a real Martini. That’s good news these days, when every other drink in the world seems to bear the suffix “ tini.”

The one-page menu at Black Pearl offers appetizers and main courses. The phrase “wood fired seafood” at the top of the menu gives you fair warning that grilling is the cooking method of choice here. The emphasis is on fish and shellfish, but Black Pearl offers a nice selection of land-based main dishes. Of the sixteen main course choices, 10 are seafood, five are beef or chicken, and one is vegetarian.

We got a grilled shrimp skewer and the crab and cheese dip for starters. You can also get a fresh mozzarella, tomato and lump crab salad, shrimp cocktail, and grilled mushrooms, served with crab meat in a blend of three cheeses.

Crab seems to be a favorite of the chef, who offers it and lobster as an optional add-on to many main course items. From what I have read, the recent disastrous weather in the Gulf, particularly in Louisiana waters, has made crab harder to come by. Still, Black Pearl seems to have secured a good supply.

My friend’s shrimp were medium-to-large, six in number, and had been marinated in olive oil and herbs. They serve the shrimp tail-on, with a traditional ketchup based cocktail sauce. The latter isn’t really necessary, but people have probably insisted. The shrimp was nicely done, hot, and well seasoned without being overly salty.

My crab dip was one of the richer things I’ve ever eaten. A plentiful amount of crabmeat is mixed with herb-seasoned cream cheese, then baked and served with warm pita wedges. I ate half, and took the rest home.

My friend was in a beefy mood, and I wanted to give the fish and shellfish a good run. She ordered a 12-ounce ribeye, marinated and grilled, served with roasted red potatoes and sautÈed vegetables. I got the Pearl Platter, a huge platter of grilled skewered shrimp (as in the appetizer), grilled scallops, and mahi tuna.

The tuna came grilled rare, as requested, and the scallops were plentiful and nicely charred. Seasoned rice and sautÈed vegetables, predominantly squash and onions, came on the side. I liked it all, though the fresh (i.e. raw) pico de gallo was unnecessary on the tuna. The salsa tasted fine, it just wasn’t needed with the other seasonings.

My friend’s steak came boneless, which doubtless meant excuses for her dog later that night, but large enough to take home about a third. Cooked as ordered, it was thoroughly marbled, and had a good ribeye flavor and chew. It seemed to have been marinated and lightly seasoned, but the kitchen had the good sense to let the beef shine through.

Other main course choices include seafood and chicken pasta, grilled shrimp and scallops, various land and sea combos, king crab, lobster tails, and a beef filet.

There were three desserts the night we were there. We got the two chocolate ones, a brace of gelato scoops, soused with Grand Marnier, and a chocolate mousse cake. Both were rich, above-average versions of their type. Our coffee was on the weak side, but our server discovered it was a mechanical malfunction, not someone’s misguided recipe.

The food at Black Pearl is fine, the atmosphere warm and even cozy, the service friendly though slow and uncertain at times. With some polish, Black Pearl has a good shot at becoming a permanent ornament to the area’s restaurant scene.

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