Eat at the Pearl Hotel

December was my birthday month so we were quite busy claiming the many birthday offers. One of the restaurants we visited was Eat at the Pearl Hotel, located in Point Loma. Their promo was "Free Birthday Eats: Come to the Pearl on your birthday and receive a free entrée on us! Not valid with any other offers or promotions and it must be the actual day of your birthday (bring your ID). Minimum $50 purchase required."

The hotel's bright sign was easy enough to spot at night. Over the phone they had suggested parking at the doctor's offices on the next block after business hours, but we ended up finding street parking close by, which removed any doubts about being in the "correct" parking lot.

Inside, it was swanky and beautiful. There was bar seating and tables available both inside and out on the patio overlooking the pool area.

Dennis started out with a drink called the Half-A$$ ($10). What's that strange silver thing sticking out on the right side you ask? Basically a skewer holding up candied ginger which made for sweet contrast to the intense flavors of the alcohol.

For an appetizer, the Open Face Steak Sandwich ($11) caught our eye. This turned out to be an excellent recommendation from the waitress because the meat was oh so tender and tasty! The bread was soft yet firm enough to hold the meat, greens and thinly sliced cheese. This was our favorite item of the night.

I added healthy to our dinner with the Grilled Salad ($8) but unfortunately the vinagrette dressing overpowered the baked veggies. Some of the veggies were quite thick in some parts too. For example, a huge chunk of the lettuce heart was included. Also, the onions were a little on the raw side whereas I prefer mine cooked. This dish was taken away half eaten, which rarely happens with us!

For my main course, I chose the Roasted Chicken ($18) which was a half chicken dish topped with mushrooms and veggies. I haven't had fried chicken in a while and that crisp skin and succulent meat hit the spot for me. The majority of the meat was plenty juicy save for a small section of meat closer to the breast. It also stayed incredibly hot throughout the meal which was super pleasing. Overall an excellent choice of a entree.

Dennis ordered the Albacore Steak ($20). The seasoning on this was unique in that there was a KICK from the thai chili on top! Dennis enjoyed this one but I would have liked it to have more flavor on the sides instead of just the top. I think the item on the bottom left was roasted garlic (forgot to mention in my notes). The cast iron in the back held cannellini beans and tomatoes which were nothing special.

I recently found "buy 1 get 1 free entree" on the Passport Unlimited card (my friend at Qualcomm has this), which is way better than the birthday promo (day of, min purchase). But I don't work there so no card savings for me, boo hoo! We did save $20 off our bill which isn't too bad. The waitress also mentioned that they were still adjusting the menu and prices so those may be different on your visit.

The hotel itself seems pretty cool too with the pool area's cozy beach chairs, fire pits and projected movie screen! A drive-in is totally on my list of TO DO now!