I love opening nights, and not just when it comes to the theater. When a restaurant opens its doors for the first time, there’s a mood created which no longer exists later on once the unfamiliar rhythms settle into a perfected routine. Both staff and customers are filled with excitement and wonder, and as they’re both experiencing the venue for the first time, maybe even a tickle of uncertainty as well.

Will it all come together? Will confidence be rewarded? At the outset, you can never be sure. But one always begins filled with hope.

Which is why, when Aaron Silverman announced that Pineapple and Pearls—his spinoff from Rose’s Luxury—was going to open in April, I knew Irene and I had to be there. After all, Bon Appétit had judged Rose’s Luxury to be 2014’s best new restaurant in America, so Pineapple and Pearls promised to be something quite special.

And it was.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Pineapple and Pearls opened its first phase—a coffee shop serving amazing sandwiches and sweet rolls—on February 12. Though I wasn’t able to get there for its opening day, I was able to pop in exactly one week later, when I was in D.C. to record an episode of my Eating the Fantastic podcast, and I checked out the entire menu.

To experience the coffee shop, all I needed to do was show up. But to get a table for the fine dining component, I had to work my Internet magic the moment reservations opened. Luckily, I was able to grab a table for the first seating on the first night.

And so, at 5:01 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, we arrived at Pineapple and Pearls—me wearing a pineapple, Irene wearing the pearls—and were immediately handed mint juleps. (Sans alcohol, of course, for we had chosen the non-alcoholic pairings, as we always do.)

Once we were led to our table, I peered over to the kitchen and spotted what felt like a historic moment which cried out to be captured—head chef Scott Muns and chef/owner Aaron Silverman conferring as service began.

And there was another familiar face I spotted that night—and at the next table, too. Facebook foodie friend Robert Rymarz—who was also moved to be there for the first seating opening night—was at the next table with his wife and daughter. And suddenly we were more than merely virtual friends.

But enough of that—let’s eat!

We began with a series of three one-bite courses.

Puffed then fried tapioca pearls with spring onion and whipped ranch

Masa chip with dip

The dip being inside the chip.

A spherical shell of fennel—filled with fennel

This was served over a shot of fennel, celery, and apple juice—which includes absinthe for those who drink alcohol.

And then the more expansive dishes began …

Osetra caviar, avocado, and lime crema

Snow pea & Spring garlic egg drop soup

Bone marrow custard, morel, and red onion marmalade

This dish caused my first audible groan of the night, as there was some powerful umami packed in that shell. Plus, I’m a sucker for bone marrow.

Spanish mackerel, ramp, and zucchini blossom

Spring vegetable barigoule with trout roe

Toasted rice bread with white miso butter

White asparagus okonomiyaki

Not only was this the dish of the night as far as I was concerned … but it may be my favorite dish of the year so far.

Smoked beef rib served with Jimmy Red grits

For Irene, however, nothing beat the beef rib … served with three side sauces, including one made from stinging nettle which had quite a kick.

But let’s take an interlude, shall we?

A meal of that length—we were there more than three hours—doesn’t pass without at least one trip to the rest room. And though that might seem at first to be too much information, when it comes to Pineapple and Pearls, you’ll want more information, because the decorations there were as entertaining as the food.

Each of the two rooms had some wisdom to share …

… which if you read all the way to the end you’ll see was their way of making a required reminder to employees more whimsical.

One of the two restrooms contained a framed print which will be of particular interest to science fiction fans. (Or which I, of course, am one.)

The instant I saw the photograph on the left, I immediately recognized that it was inspired by a Life magazine photograph of Hugo Gernsback, editor of Amazing Stories, the first science fiction magazine. And contrary to how I reacted to some other uncredited homages, this one pleased me.

Upon my return to the table, we shifted to the dessert courses …

Rhubarb-pea kakigori

This brought back memories—in a good way—of the English pea cake I shared with friends during a 2014 visit to Rose’s Luxury.

Pecorino cake, basil gelato, and strawberry

Sweet AND savory!

Crispy buckwheat and honeycomb ice cream

Alas, though this course was served with a delicious chocolate soufflé—I failed to photograph it. So you’ll have to imagine …

Chartreuse, Campari, Grappa, and Zucca donuts

And that was dinner!

And this was dinner—

And dinner was good.

We then headed home, after having been handed a bag containing a copy of the menu shared above, plus a few slices of shortbread to nibble along the way.

It was a fun night, one which had us feeling more as if we were at a party than a restaurant. But as that seems to be the goal of Rose’s Luxury, it seems only right for Pineapple and Pearls to engender the same warm emotional response. Our thanks to Aaron Silverman, Scott Muns, and the whole crew for a wonderful night. Congratulations, and good luck!

For reservations, so you can experience all this with more than just your eyeballs, head over to Pineapple and Pearls.