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Pineapple and Pearls, Fine Dining Restaurant on Barracks Row by Rose's Luxury, $325 All-Inclusive Including Drinks - $225 (No Drinks) at the Bar


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The new name of the new fine dining restaurant from Aaron Silverman will be Pineapple and Pearls:

"Rose's Luxury's Sister Restaurant Has a Name: 'Pineapple and Pearls'" by Jessica Sidman on washingtoncitypaper.com

Café/coffee/sandwich shop in the mornings and fine dining (with reservations accepted!) in the evenings. They're only going to be open 4 nights a week and no weekends.

A very bare bones website is up too:

PineappleAndPearls.com

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I was wondering if he was going to run into some kind of trademark or other legal problem with Elaine's, which had been the initial name reported. Perhaps that was the case.

According to the comments on Popville, there is a blog with the same name. The blog is plural on the pineapple, but so is the title of the web page for the restaurant. They wouldn't have been able to register the "pineapples..." domain because it was already registered to someone else :unsure:. Awk-ward?

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Actually, the name makes some sense given Silverman's commitment to hospitality and the fine-dining intention of the evening service: the pineapple symbolizes "welcome" and the "pearls" should be obvious. I think it's actually LESS hipsterish than Rose's Luxury.

Honestly, I don't use the term "hipster" -- I just think the ampersand naming trend is funny (and tired). I definitely get the pineapple part, I know that's a big symbol for Southern hospitality, which Silverman has a real connection to from his time in Charleston. And I think Rose's Luxury is a fantastic name - "hipster" as it may be. (Note: I named one of my daughter's Rose. Biased  ;) )

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Honestly, I don't use the term "hipster" -- I just think the ampersand naming trend is funny (and tired). I definitely get the pineapple part, I know that's a big symbol for Southern hospitality, which Silverman has a real connection to from his time in Charleston. And I think Rose's Luxury is a fantastic name - "hipster" as it may be. (Note: I named one of my daughter's Rose. Biased  ;) )

My wife has worked for one of the Williams Sonoma Brand stores for the greater part of a decade.  The Pineapple is a big part of their logo, and company lure.  They like to say that the pineapple is the "international symbol of hospitality" (for her 5th year anniversary they gave her this really nice insulated plated caraf, in the box was a card which explained the significance and how they wanted to encourage their staff to entertain), but this article claims that it is more of an American Colonial symbol (not necessarily just limited to the south: Pineapple Folklore.  I am not really sure why I am sharing all of this, but discussing the symbolism of the pineapple really gets me excited.

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I am not really sure why I am sharing all of this, but discussing the symbolism of the pineapple really gets me excited.

For "How I Met Your Mother" fans, it's also the answer to the mystery of the pineapple from Season 1's "Pineapple Incident" episode!

So looking forward to this opening, especially because Rose's roof reservations disappear in literally under ten seconds.

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The new name of the new fine dining restaurant from Aaron Silverman will be Pineapple and Pearls:

"Rose's Luxury's Sister Restaurant Has a Name: 'Pineapple and Pearls'" by Jessica Sidman on washingtoncitypaper.com

Café/coffee/sandwich shop in the mornings and fine dining (with reservations accepted!) in the evenings. They're only going to be open 4 nights a week and no weekends.

A very bare bones website is up too:

PineappleAndPearls.com

Yay and boo

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For "How I Met Your Mother" fans, it's also the answer to the mystery of the pineapple from Season 1's "Pineapple Incident" episode!

So looking forward to this opening, especially because Rose's roof reservations disappear in literally under ten seconds.

I love the reference to the pineapple incident episode :)   But as for reservations, maybe not 10 seconds, but I kind of wonder if they'll disappear in 20 seconds...We'll see...

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According to a Jan 31 twitter conversation on the Rose's Luxury site, Pineapple and Pearls anticipates opening the coffee/sandwich shop portion of the operation in about two weeks. By Presidents Day, perhaps?

TSchaad

Pineapples, Pearls, and Presidents.

What do you call a Jewish person who shows up at Rose's Luxury for the first time, only to find out there's a two-hour wait?

An oyster!

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The Washington Post reports that Aaron Silverman has hired Jeff Faile as beverage director of Rose's Luxury and Pineapple and Pearls.  Jeff Faile will be starting on Feb. 23.  The Washington Post also says "While Faile has been brought on with responsibility for both of Silverman's restaurants, he'll be spending much of his time for now focusing on Pineapple and Pearls."

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I stopped in for coffee this morning.  The left hand side of the posted menu is coffee options, with multiple types of milk.  The right hand side is food.  There are three sweet roll options, the first being "Pineapple and pearls."  There are also three savory options, one of which was egg something something hash and another was falafel. (I didn't have my phone with me or any way of taking notes, and my memory has seen better days.)  I recall the falafel being $10.  That's what I would have ordered had I been ordering food, so it what's I mostly recall from the menu.  There was also a single food item listed above the three types of rolls/breakfast sandwiches, which I sort of think might have been a sweet option.

The back area (where tables for dining will be) is still under construction, so there is a curtain closing it off.  It's all very elegant looking, black and white inside.  The woman I spoke to said that they will be adding another breakfast sandwich option and will have brisket rolls on Saturdays, starting at some point.

There's no sign outside, and the exterior is painted black.

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I stopped in for coffee this morning.  The left hand side of the posted menu is coffee options, with multiple types of milk.  The right hand side is food.  There are three sweet roll options, the first being "Pineapple and pearls."  There are also three savory options, one of which was egg something something hash and another was falafel. (I didn't have my phone with me or any way of taking notes, and my memory has seen better days.)  I recall the falafel being $10.  That's what I would have ordered had I been ordering food, so it what's I mostly recall from the menu.  There was also a single food item listed above the three types of rolls/breakfast sandwiches, which I sort of think might have been a sweet option.

The back area (where tables for dining will be) is still under construction, so there is a curtain closing it off.  It's all very elegant looking, black and white inside.  The woman I spoke to said that they will be adding another breakfast sandwich option and will have brisket rolls on Saturdays, starting at some point.

There's no sign outside, and the exterior is painted black.

[Pat, is the coffee bar a completely separate area than the fine-dining restaurant will be? You know what I'm getting at here: I'm thinking Pineapple and Pearls needs to be sliced into two threads - one for the coffee bar, the other for the restaurant (not unlike Momofuku CCDC and Momofuku Milk Bar). Based on what you've seen, and based on what you know about this website, do you think that would be consistent?]

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[Pat, is the coffee bar a completely separate area than the fine-dining restaurant will be? You know what I'm getting at here: I'm thinking Pineapple and Pearls needs to be sliced into two threads - one for the coffee bar, the other for the restaurant (not unlike Momofuku CCDC and Momofuku Milk Bar). Based on what you've seen, and based on what you know about this website, do you think that would be consistent?]

I think that call will have to wait until both parts are operating.  The counter they have in the front for taking the coffee orders I would imagine will double as a host stand in the evening. It seems like a pretty solid fixture.  Since the construction in the back isn't fully complete, I don't know how much partition there will be between front and back.  It seems like a separate space now, but that's deliberate on their part due to the fact the back isn't completely ready yet.

With the small space they have up front now, coffee is a standing experience (and there were a number of people standing in the window drinking coffee when I arrived.)  I didn't ask if the space in the back would eventually be opened up for people to sit while they have coffee and breakfast sandwiches.

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A few criticisms and a compliment to the Egg Hash Sandwich with Salsa Verde and Masa Bread:

The two most dominating parts of the sandwich: mayo and a cabbage type slaw, were not listed on the menu and were a bit of a surprise when I got the sandwich. Also the salsa verde (I love salsa verde in all its forms) was pretty much non-existent.

The whole sandwich, even the toasted bread, was room temp or cold. Perhaps they are pre-toasting the bread.

The sandwich was a nice size for $7.50 and the side of sliced dried chilies were a nice smoky, spicy complement.

Lastly, and most importantly, the amount of waste with the wrappers and the boxes and the bag and the plastic containers with the chilies, was a bit staggering for a breakfast sandwich. I do hope they find a way to remedy this.

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I had the falafel a little bit ago and really dug it.  The price may seem a bit steep, but the pita is freshly made in house, and the toppings are top notch.  Great hot sauce as well.  Compared with the egg sandwich, I much preferred the falafel.

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Well last week's hot topic on here was the pricing/experience at the forthcoming Shaw Bijou.

Tim Carman reports that Pineapple and Pearls will begin serving dinner starting April 7 at a whopping $250 per person. But! That includes food, drink pairings, tax and gratuity. Like Shaw Bijou, it will sell tickets.

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Well last week's hot topic on here was the pricing/experience at the forthcoming Shaw Bijou.

Tim Carman reports that Pineapple and Pearls will begin serving dinner starting April 7 at a whopping $250 per person. But! That includes food, drink pairings, tax and gratuity. Like Shaw Bijou, it will sell tickets.

 

Broken down, it's $125 for food, $65 for drinks, $20 for tax, and $40 for tip, which is in-line with other upscale prix-fixe meals. Personally, I prefer to know how much I'm paying, and the *less* shock that people express at seeing $250, the *more* we progress forward as independent thinkers; the difference in pricing is nothing more than a psychological one, because people, for so long, have been manipulated into believing that $19.99 is less than $20.00, or that a $35.16 Restaurant Week menu actually costs $35.16.

However, the article makes no mention of what happens if people choose not to drink alcohol, or buy a bottle of wine, or whether they allow corkage - those are pretty big unanswered questions.

All this said, just as I no longer purchase Henri Jayer or Coche-Dury, there was exactly one time in 2015 when I spent this much on a meal (and that meal was almost *exactly* the same price, broken down and everything). I'm not saying that I wouldn't spend that much (in fact, in the right situation, I would); merely that, in general, I feel like I can dine *really* well without shelling out this much money. The best thing about not having an expense account is that it forces you to fly low to the ground, and makes you a better restaurant critic.

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It's funny, the $150 price for the Shaw Bijou didn't strike me as horribly expensive, but this one (at first) seemed prohibitively expensive until I read Don's breakdown and realized they're both probably going to end up to cost the same.

I understand Don's point about knowing exactly what you're paying for, but I do like this aspect too (from the article): Pineapple and Pearls wants to "eliminate the guest from ever having to look at a bill," Silverman says. "When you show up, you have nothing to worry about. Everything is paid for. All you have to do is sit back and have a good time. We'll take care of the rest."

That's a nice feature for a special night out. The other thing that was mentioned that is pretty cool is "At Pineapple and Pearls, Silverman says there will be no sticker shock. A $250 dinner will cost $250." They made a point to mention that unlike a lot of high end places (Per Se) there are no additional charges for supplements.

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Don, I had the same reaction as you. I would eagerly try this (and don't think it's a bad deal with all the charges included) BUT my husband does not drink alcohol.  I would be hard-pressed to think that a few mocktails would cost the same as the alcoholic pairings, and it makes me a bit uncomfortable that the price is the same booze or not....

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will there be a la carte drinks available? or just with pairings?

if the former I could foresee several levels of tickets: the full-on drink pairings level, slightly cheaper with mocktails, and a food only one for those who abstain or want to just purchase a la carte (say one cocktail and/or a bottle of wine).

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One thing that strikes me as a little strange is the fact that they are not going to be open on Saturday night.  Seems like a weird choice for special occasion type of place where the meal will likely be many hours long.

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Man, I am starting to get really angry about "blank and blank" restaurant names.  Although this one not so much--if it was truly hipster millennial nonsense that angers me, it would be singular pearl.

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Broken down, it's $125 for food, $65 for drinks, $20 for tax, and $40 for tip, which is in-line with other upscale prix-fixe meals. Personally, I prefer to know how much I'm paying, and the *less* shock that people express at seeing $250, the *more* we progress forward as independent thinkers; the difference in pricing is nothing more than a psychological one, because people, for so long, have been manipulated into believing that $19.99 is less than $20.00, or that a $35.16 Restaurant Week menu actually costs $35.16.

However, the article makes no mention of what happens if people choose not to drink alcohol, or buy a bottle of wine, or whether they allow corkage - those are pretty big unanswered questions.

All this said, just as I no longer purchase Henri Jayer or Coche-Dury, there was exactly one time in 2015 when I spent this much on a meal (and that meal was almost *exactly* the same price, broken down and everything). I'm not saying that I wouldn't spend that much (in fact, in the right situation, I would); merely that, in general, I feel like I can dine *really* well without shelling out this much money. The best thing about not having an expense account is that it forces you to fly low to the ground, and makes you a better restaurant critic.

Mar 9, 2016 - "$250 Actually Isn't Bad For An All-Inclusive Tasting Menu" by Becky Krystal on washingtonpost.com

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The part that is absurd is automatically charging $65 (or thereabouts) for drinks. I don't have more than 3 drinks at dinner, usually just 2 (and I'm not splurging on the most expensive wines). That would be an even more bitter pill to swallow for a teetotaler. Another issue is that by including drinks, most people would feel compelled to drink it. Even 3 drinks puts a driver at risk of DUI.

I think most people like options to some extent, like whether they want booze pairing. I think a couple of all in prices would work, $250 for boozers, $200 for non-boozers, for example.

edited to clarify my point.

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Anyway, long story short, better not go there if you're a teetotaler (or in recovery).

Or pregnant. I went to minibar when I was pregnant. Although I was sad not to partake in the alcohol pairings I was very glad not to have to pay for them.

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I'm wondering if this place is charging $$$ to get some Michelin eyes on it? I'm sure it'll be an memorable experience for all that go. 

You just have to be REALLY into eating to shell out $250 a person on a meal. And many will continue to do just that. Smell a win here. 

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Reservations opened up this morning for the week of 4/12.  I logged in (you need to register with GiftRocker) to check it out.

It come up with several options:

Dining Room - you can book for either 2,3,4 people for $250/each

Chef's Counter - you can book for 2 people for $250/each

Bar Seating - you can book for either 1 or 2 people for $150 (beverages not included)

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Bar Seating - you can book for either 1 or 2 people for $150 (beverages not included)

Irony alert...

Perhaps ironic, but my initial guess is that neither tax nor tip are included either, i.e., it's $150 just for the food. I don't know this, of course, but if $150 is all-inclusive except for beverages, that's a relatively good value.

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Perhaps ironic, but my initial guess is that neither tax nor tip are included either, i.e., it's $150 just for the food. I don't know this, of course, but if $150 is all-inclusive except for beverages, that's a relatively good value.

I should have indicated that in my post. The $150 is inclusive of food, tax and tip. Beverages not included.

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So they're pricing the drinks at $100 essentially? That's some serious pairings.

Essentially this is $115 for dinner and $75 for the pairing, plus tax/tip.

The $75 is on the higher end of the range of what you would see for a pairing with the menu at that price point (probably $50-$60 is typical), but the pairing would normally just be short pours of a few wines to go with the savory courses. If, for that $75, they're doing cocktails and such as well, I think that's not out of line.

Apparently the $250 isn't sent in stone either - you can book the same seat at $225 if you want non-alcoholic pairings.

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I had the falafel a little bit ago and really dug it.  The price may seem a bit steep, but the pita is freshly made in house, and the toppings are top notch.  Great hot sauce as well.  Compared with the egg sandwich, I much preferred the falafel.

I was over near here late this morning and decided today was the day I'd finally try the falafel.  I wavered when I saw the spicy fried chicken on the menu, which I'm pretty sure wasn't there last time I went in, but I went through with my plan.  Given how good Rose's bread is, I wasn't surprised that the house made pita was high quality.  For some reason, I just loved the beets in this.  They really stood out.  Also enjoyed the hot sauce and, well, the whole thing.

A friend was walking along with me and declined to order same, as she's caring for her mother who is on a restricted diet after surgery and can't have garlic.  "It would be cruel" to bring falafel home, she said.  As we walked, the smell of garlic wafted from my backpack.  It got stronger and stronger until I was ready to rip the box open and start eating on the sidewalk.  It is street food, after all  :lol: .  But I knew I'd make too much of a mess trying to eat it as I walked, so I toughed it out.  My friend was right, though.  It would be cruel to bring this within smelling distance of someone who can't eat garlic.

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Are 6:30, 7:00 or 7:30 an option for a seating?  

Times depend on the number of guests you have, but those do not look like options.  The closest I see is 6PM for 2 guests, and I see 8:15 for 2 guests as well.  Some of the slots are booked all the way through on the calendar, so it's unclear what time they are for.  The pattern says "no" to your question, though.  (Perhaps you're looking at the same calendar I am and I'm being of no help.)

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This is interesting. I'm a little shocked there is any availability at all, and there looks to be quite of bit of availability. I guess it's the difference between one table a night (rooftop garden) and many tables a night.

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This is interesting. I'm a little shocked there is any availability at all, and there looks to be quite of bit of availability. I guess it's the difference between one table a night (rooftop garden) and many tables a night.

I believe that Pineapple and Pearls have a total of 59 seats available for any of the four nights they are open.  This includes dining room, bar and chef's counter.  Note that they are only open from Tuesday through Friday evenings.

As of 12:05AM on March 30th the following number of seats are available for April 12th through the end of April.

Tuesday 4/12 2 seats (of 59 potential)

Wednesday 4/13 sold out

Thursday 4/14 16 seats

Friday 4/15 4 seats

Tuesday 4/19 17 seats

Wednesday 4/20 25 seats

Thursday 4/21 14 seats

Friday 4/22 3 seats

Tuesday 4/26 44 seats

Wednesday 4/27 48 seats

Thursday 4/28 45 seats

Friday 4/29 26 seats

For such a highly anticipated restaurant there are a surprising number of seats available.  Several thoughts:

@ $500 for two people they are not going to get two turnovers on at least two of their four nights.

They are going to need to open on Saturdays.

There is a different level of expectations in spending $500 to dine for two people:  starting what will be a two and one half hour+ meal @ 5:00 on a weeknight is not desirable.

For the same amount of money and a couple of weeks notice I can reserve at 7:00PM at Fiola Mare, Komi and several others, choose my own wine or beverage and dine very, very well.

I honestly expect barring extraordinary national press that they will open three nights a week to one turnover in the dining room, perhaps two at the bar and chef's table and two nights (including Saturday) for two turnovers.  $500 is a lot of money to spend.

Also, as someone who heavily entertained for almost 30 years I cannot imagine asking a client to have dinner at 5:00 or 5:15PM.  They are going to need business diners to suppliment the model they expect.

@$500 for two people  Pineapple and Pearls is going to have to be flexible.  Note that Laboratorio with about 30 seats opened @  7:00 PM for everyone.  I sincerely wish them well - the greater their success the greater the recognition for D. C.   I am merely suggesting this is a new league for them and there is quite a bit of sincere competition.

They are opening a national class restaurant with appropriate prices.  They are going to have to cement their excellence before 5:00PM seats are fully booked on weeknights.

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