At Pearl, They’re Pushing the Cocktail Envelope

It's not the liquor behind the bar, it's how you use it. A mighty selection of base spirits and liquors can be found behind most bars nationwide to create cocktails your average bartender would know how to make. These bottles play host to new interpretations of the classics and define a bars signature; its persuasion to woo you through the door.

Pearl is a rare find in the sea of designer boutiques and chain restaurants the new Bellevue boasts. The ability for the staff at Pearl to radiate the business of hospitality in all senses of the word is refreshing, much needed and highly desirable. Do yourself a favor; read on, and then just go.

Roll up to Pearl in whatever ride you choose, and utilize the free valet parking at its opposite, the Westin Hotel. They'll call for your car when you're ready. Enter Pearl's doors and feel relaxed. The dark walls of silvers and grays are much like the ocean gemstone itself. The interior is unrestrictive, open and vast, allowing little seclusion. It is a canvas for curiosity, be it food or festive drink. With open eyes and tantalizing thought, a read over the drink menu reveals delectable treasures; the Shiso Wild Drop with a huckleberry tea-sugared rim, the Black Pearl with blueberry vodka and muddled blackberry and the Silver Tequila Sour with sweet black balsamic vinegar and a lavender-salted rim. These are some of the best drinks in Seattle. Period.

Look a little longer at the menu and find 250 wines by the bottle, glass pours to satisfy even a sommelier, and cuisine to keep even a top chef content. If you happen to glance at your watch and it reads something between 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to closing, seven days a week, you'll be lucky enough to experience happy hour. Basically the entire bar menu is half off. It was voted Best Happy Hour and Best Place to See and be Seen by the Downtown Bellevue Association.

It's safe to say Pearl is owned by some real professionals. Chef Bradley Dickinson and co-owner Mikel Rogers, both veterans of the industry, raised millions to put this place together. They've brought in some serious investors; Rob Angel, who invented Pictionary, and your very own current and former Seattle Seahawks, Lofa Tatupu and Shaun Alexander, all frequent attendees of Pearl. Unlike many operations, you can find Brad and Mike on-site daily, and they take care of you like family. The cocktail waitresses or dining room servers always do just the same.

At Pearl, they're pushing the cocktail envelope with a side project using molecular gastronomy. The producers of Cointreau have chosen Pearl to participate in a process that uses a formula to make pearl/caviar-shaped jelly beads, which serve as Cointreau-infused garnishes for their cocktails. This process provides a revolutionary sipping experience in two parts. First, they separate flavors between the cocktail. Second, the explosion of flavors by way of the pearls. At this stage of development, its mastery of cocktail perfection is almost complete. Ask about it when you go.

Pearl Cosmo
Pearl Plum
Triple Sec
Fresh Oranges and Limes
Cranberry Juice

Cucumber Melon Mojito
Bacardi Melon Rum
Triple Sec
Simple Syrup
Fresh Mint and Cucumber

Black Pearl
Pearl Blueberry Vodka
Triple Sec
Fresh Lemon and Blackberry
Fresh Lemon Sour

Tequila Sour
Silver Tequila
Sweet Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Lemon Sour
Lavender Salted Rim

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Pearl
Lincoln Square
700 Bellevue Way NE Suite 50, Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 455-0181
www.pearlbellevue.com

Bellevue Restaurants