1900-B Henderson Ave, Dallas
thepearlcup.com
We went to the Pearl Cup because we read about it in The Observer, then on Yelp. Everybody that we read had great things to say, so we headed down on one of those unseasonably cold Saturday mornings when the wind was whipping and everyone was saying "What happened to spring??" Perfect coffee shop weather to say the least.
The pastry display was not over abundant but I immediately caught sight of the Red Velvet cookies, and the Carrot Cake cookies that I had read about in several of the reviews. Cookies for breakfast, though, I wasn't sure about that. The nine year old was.
The decor at the Pearl Cup I'd call Urban Loft style. Lots of windows, a tall ceiling with clean but industrial feel to it, local and edgy artwork on display and just an all around uptown feel to it. There is no drive through, this is definitely a neighborhood spot, but one worth driving to and worth making a u-turn to find a parking space. On the way I noticed all the furniture and art consignment shops and thought it would definitely be a cool way to spend a Saturday (maybe a slightly warmer one than we were enjoying that day) starting with a book and coffee at the Pearl Cup then exploring the shops around.
We walked in and my son immediately set up the laptop, accessed free wifi and started drinking his organic chocolate milk, while Paul and I explored the menu.
They have a signature drink, the Pearl Latte, a proprietary drink that I almost bypassed, but customers in the store were raving about it, encouraging the obvious newcomer to indulge in the favorite product. It's a lightly sweet latte, I had "for here"...love my lattes in an actual ceramic mug. The recipe is a secret, it hints of vanilla, but is so light, the froth was like cotton candy. I don't know if that's even a good comparison for a serious latte.
The baristas timed every shot we saw them pull and there was a scale under the tamper/portafilter pad for consistency in the shot process. Little details a former coffee shop owner and coffee geek can appreciate, but all you really need to know: they pay close attention to quality and it is obvious in the flavor of the drinks. Originality pays off as well. So let me tell you about the breakfast sandwich I had. A panini that was made with nutella and sliced bananas. I rolled my eyes when I paired this with the latte. It was fabulous. I'm ready to head back uptown now.
Paul got the Italian cappuccino which they described and listed separately from an American cappuccino with less milk. The smooth taste of their espresso was prominent in his cappuccino (yes, I tasted his cap, too, maybe more than once) The coffee roaster, Coffee Eiland from Dallas is known for his smooth, not bitter espresso delicato. Lattes on Location uses it, so did Coffee Dreams. I am so excited that the owners Rita and Carlene from the Pearl Cup use it, too.
They also worked with Coffee Eiland to develop their own Pearl Cup Blend. I enjoyed talking with Rita and Carlene about that process, it envelopes both of their taste in coffee into one unique cup. Yes, I have to say it...it's poetry. You can purchase whole bean coffee to take home, packaged in environmentally friendly gold and silver bags with the Pearl Cup Label. Branding is a good thing, especially on good coffee.
I did buy one of the famous cookies to take home with me, and it was rich and tasty, I enjoyed nibbling on it all day. And wishing I had a much bigger latte when I was there.
My take is that this is perfect for Saturday morning if you live in the burbs, an everyday must if you live on Henderson, and a good place to take friends.
You'll impress them with your discovery of the Pearl Cup.
