Boston: China Pearl

Last Sunday (April 25th). I accompanied Michael to a Sleater-Kinney concert at Roxy. Beforehand, we had the opportunity to dine out at China Pearl, mention of which was made on the Chowhounds site. Located in Boston's Chinatown, this place has earned a lasting reputation and received a few awards -- mostly in the area of dim sum (which is a particular favorite of mine).

Because we'd never had it before, and watch far too many Iron Chef episodes (okay, we haven't watched them all yet, so I guess it's not quite "too many"), we felt we just had to try the Shark Fin soup. I'm glad I had the chance, but I'm not quite sure I see what all the fuss was about. The cosistency was a bit odd, and got odder as the soup cooled. I liked how it tasted, but it didn't change my culinary world (like the first time I ever had truffles). We also split an order of Peking Ravioli (better known, perhaps, as pot stickers - pan fried dumplings filled with spiced pork and spinach tastiness).

For my main entree, I had deep fried squab. It tasted vaguely duck-like, but lighter. I was most intrigued by the fact that the presentation included the poor guy's deep fried little head, complete with a tongue sticking out inside the beak. Michael had beef - Hong Kong style. I'm not sure if it had an official title. I tried a piece or two and found the sauce tangy, with a taste that nudged me towards thinking about good barbecue. All in all, a filling and very pleasant meal.

China Pearl touts its great ambiance, and we had an extra treat that night -- entertainment. There was no translator available, so we made our best guess as to why most of the dining room (we sat in a small little side alcove with only a few tables) was filled. Our first thought was a wedding reception, and then a business award dinner. But we finally concluded it must have been some sort of talent contest or variety show as we were treated to various groups performing traditional-seeming singing and dancing. Mostly children. There was even someone dressed up in a Chinese dragon outfit.

I'm not very good about reporting on the restaurant side of my pursuit of the next great taste experience. I have a significant backlog. I think I'm going to have to see what I can do about that.