I Tried the Non-Alcoholic Pairing at Michelin-Starred Pineapple & Pearls in Washington, DC
I recently dined at Michelin-starred Pineapple & Pearls 🍍 🦪 in the Capitol Hill district of Washington, DC.
This place had been on my restaurant bucket list for years. YEARS I TELL YOU. A concept by Chef Aaron Silverman (honest to goodness, no relation; Silverman was awarded a James Beard Foundation Award in 2016), who also owns Rose’s Luxury and Little Pearl, Pineapple & Pearls takes its food and beverage programs very seriously while not taking itself that seriously at all. The staff wear blazers over t-shirts. The general manager greets you with a Polaroid camera and snaps a before-dinner shot of you. There’s a huge portrait of Anthony Bourdain on the wall. The playlist is full of bangers. I don’t know about you, but descriptors like stuffy and pinky’s up come to mind when I think of Michelin-starred, not a place with disco balls and lightning bolts.
L: on my way into the city; Middle: with the GM, Cosmo Clemens (actual name); R: it's like they knew I was coming!
The story behind my Michelin experience in DC
For a while, I’d been stewing on a new project: a Washington DC / Baltimore Destination Guide from a non-alc lens. Turns out, it wasn’t so new after all — I’ve been laying the groundwork with Booze Free in DC since I launched the site in January 2020. That being said, my vision is to create a Zero Proof Nation guide local to the DC metro and Baltimore areas highlighting some of the best in inclusive hospitality across price point and occasion (e.g. date night, anniversary, solo dinner, casual dining with friends, staycation in the city). Knowing that people can’t read my mind, I started researching restaurants, bars, and hotels with legitimate NA programs (or at least the hint of a legit NA program on respective websites) and started pitching said purveyors of non-alc hospitality all across DC and Baltimore.
You’ll see the Destination Guide on my website soon; it’ll be a living document that I update based on my own experiences at bars, restaurants, and hotels — you’ll see a “Laura Vetted” stamp next to the places I’ve personally experienced. I’ll also include some that I’ve heavily researched or heard recommended. From the guide will come Substack issues like today’s, blog posts on ZPN, and some social media content for good measure.
Pineapple and Pearls was one of the first to extend a welcome my way. And trust me, I definitely squealed in delight upon reading Cosmo’s email. As I mentioned before, P&P was a bucket list restaurant. I knew they had a zero proof pairing, which absolutely delighted me, and I knew I’d be in for the treat of a lifetime.
Beverage highlights at Pineapple & Pearls
My first and second drinks were courtesy of terroir-focused non-alcoholic beverage importer, Delmosa, who I’ve talked about before.
L: Beskow's; Middle: Manufaktur Gorg Jeiger; R: caramelized onion tartine with fondue comte and edible flowers
Drink one kicked off the celebration vibes with a sparkling cranberry cider that appeared to have glitter / gold specks from Swedish brand Beskow’s. My second drink was by the German Manufaktur Jorg Geiger and was a still grape, chili, and cherry cider with a slight vegetal nose.
While I was served this caramelized — FOR 24 HOURS! — onion tartine and fondue comte with truffle and edible flowers, I heard some old school hip hop playing in the background. The restaurant knew what it was doing here. You eat something fancy, you expect something high brow. But why? Why can’t you pair exquisite food with more approachable music? It makes the cuisine more down to earth, even though it’s highly elevated. I loved how all my senses felt alive.
Some thoughts I jotted down in my notebook:
surprise and delight!
staff is warm, personable, hilarious!, very un-stuffy
it’s like The Bear without the drama (YES CHEF!)
I can’t believe this is my life right now
Antonia let me pick the color of my knife (hot pink, naturally)
EXQUISITE
I’m so full LOL :(
it’s a marathon, not a sprint
The rest of the drinks were made in house. A blackberry campari spritz. Chablis by the Sea with seafoam made of parmesan cheese (!) served in an actual shell. Pictured in the video below: Chinotto Sour, The Salad Course (matcha, Seedlip, sorrel, aquafaba, cracked pepper; served with salty, buttery, and pillow-soft gnocchi), Pineapple Tepache.
So many NA drinks!
Let’s take a peek at some of the dishes that accompanied the drinks because good gracious, they were a spiritual experience.
Here I am, surrounded by a Brady Bunch of sensory delights.
To my right in the gallery is a housemade dippin’ dots palate cleanser! Blood orange, yuzu, and mandarin over pomelo curd and pieces of actual pomelo. Beggin’ (4 Seasons cover) by Norwegian Madcon played in the background. Cold, refreshing, and washed out the other flavors in my mouth, prepping me for the dessert courses (yes, multiple). There was a short stack of funfetti pancake cakes, drizzled with maple syrup and gold flecks. My favorite was a rhubarb tart with edible flowers and a lychee ice cream dollop. It was light, fruity, and capped off the evening beautifully.
The house sent me home with a “midnight snack” or “lunch for tomorrow” (I had it for dinner the next night): a wagyu beef cheeseburger and the one dessert course I hadn’t tried: Dark Side of the Pearl. I also got a printout of the menu, my polaroid photo, and the Spotify playlist from the night on a commemorative cassette tape.
The burger, the menu, the playlist.
Let’s not have any illusions, though. Pineapple & Pearls is astronomically priced. It’s a Michelin-starred restaurant and operates at the top of its game. This is a once-a-year or once-every-few-years type of restaurant, not a neighborhood dive you get chicken tenders and fries at; it’s a true splurge. I can’t afford to eat here. I think the dinner itself was $360 / person and the zero proof pairing was $95. The team invited me to dine on the house, and I graciously accepted. Future wealthy me will definitely come back once a year to celebrate. Yes, the team knew I was a beverage writer and would potentially include them in my forthcoming destination guide, but they treated EVERY 👏 SINGLE 👏 GUEST like royalty.
If an experience like this is ever in your budget, I 1000000% recommend Pineapple and Pearls for their cuisine, NA beverage pairings, service, and ambiance. Laura-vetted.
