CK Pearl, Essex, MA

Regional Dining Discussions Boston, New England
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[Met two friends tonight at CK Pearl in Essex, MA.

We started with libations: Hibiscus Raspberry sangria for me (white wine, Triple Eight raspberry vodka, citrus, pineapple, and hibiscus), prosecco, and a Koloa Fizz (Koloa coconut rum, cranberry, lime and cava) for my two friends. Another Fizz was also ordered before the mains arrived.

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For apps, I had my cuppa clam chowda with a couple of fried clam strips on top, which was creamy, enough potatoes and clam pieces in the cup. My friends shared coconut shrimp with a honey mustard sauce. But we determined these were more like shrimp fritters with a bit of coconut…but they still enjoyed them.

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I had fish and chips…the fish was so very fresh, although I thought it could have been left in the fryolator just a bit more to crisp up. The shoestring fries could DEFINITELY have stayed in the fryolator another 30-60 seconds. Most were relatively limp (although I’m sure some got steamed under the fish).

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There was seared tuna tacos (with the icky cilantro picked off because no one likes that stuff! :wink:) for one and medium steak tips with fries and asparagus for my other friend.

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We were sort of full…but they had key lime pie and strawberry shortcake! Sooo…I got the pie and another got the shortcake. Woof! We were even fuller!

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All told, with tip, $85 per person.

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Just to be picky, the fries looks to be hand cut fries and they should not be as crispy as the previous frozen variants.

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I don’t think they’re hand-cut. The uniformity of them on all three plates seems to indicate machine-cut.

And why should hand-cut fries be less crispy? If they were of actual different and multiple thicknesses, yeah, I can see that. But other than a few fries which were obvious ends of the potatoes, the fries were pretty similar in size.

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Hope that you and your friends enjoyed, despite fries not being at the desired crispness. Hate it when that happens. Yep, it has happened to me there.

Also I do love a seafood fritter, so I’ll have to try that coconut shrimp in your photo (but I would ask ‘em to hold the honey mustard sauce—not my thing).

CK Pearl remains favored daycation dining for us, though. The view of the Essex River, going out to the ocean just beyond the horizon, makes my heart happy. Then there’s the possibility of covered screened deck seating in-season, plus oysters and a cocktail, and I’m in.

We’ve gone there often enough that I even have tips. Definitely reserve whether for lunch or dinner if you are dining on a nice day or in season.

Also, though most excellent fried whole belly clams are the specialities of The Clam Box, Woodmans, and Farnham’s, sometimes I just want a proper restaurant experience versus a beloved clam shack one. Then it’s good to know that CK Pearl usually has fried whole belly clams too, even when not on the menu.

Finally, if you’d like your plate to have half fries and half salad, that is often possible for the asking at CK Pearl.

Now, on to dessert. Sometimes nothing else but ice cream will do on a daycation day. When that happens, we head over to Down River Ice Cream in Essex afterwards for a rich, New England style scoop.

That’s my story. Hope that this summer holds more daycation meals for you, @LindaWhit!

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I saw your multiple reviews last night and was pleased with the choice my friend had suggested. We ate indoors (reservations made 2 weeks ago) as we weren’t sure what the weather would be like. Still had a nice breeze from the screened windows until near the end, when I was a bit warm. The dessert menu was a perfect fan. LOL

The view was pretty…low tide, so a good bit of mud flats in view along the river. I was next to a window frame, so my view was partially blocked. I happened to glance out the window and saw a bit of a wake edging towards the edges of the river, and thought “Wow, what sort of fish could be making that wake?” Two seconds later, a small motorized boat came into view to my left with a family of three. :laughing: Right, Linda. A “fish” made that wake.

As for the coconut shrimp, my friends said they weren’t as coconutty as they had expected, but they paired with the honey mustard sauce, so it ate well. So if you’re not a fan of honey-mustard, maybe they’d be a bit bland? I didn’t try them, so I can’t offer any info on flavor.

In the 35 years I’ve lived in MA, I’ve never seen the Clam Box in person, but I passed it on the way there from work. So cute! And I was floored to see a small DQ in Ipswich! I havent been up in that area in years, but I need to hit up those antique stores again, and just mosey around the area some time this summer!

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The Clam Box building is iconic, isn’t it?

I’m not an antiquer, but when you mentioned antiquing, it clicked that Rt. 133 is the fried clam “superhighway” and perhaps an antiques supethighway to boot.

Also once we did pair an outing on Essex River Cruises with late lunch afterwards at CK Pearl. After watching people’s boats wend their way down the Essex River—often with an adorable dog onboard—it was fun to actually get out there on the water ourselves.

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*antiques superhighway. That typo of mine is ridiculous :laughing:

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Your way or the thigh way?

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Well, eating a lot of fried foods might cause antique superthighways for some of us older folk. :wink:

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Good one. It’s up there with “French Proverbial “ that I saw in an LA Times real estate article.

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