Austin, Texas
The Austin Restaurant Hop Part 2:
Cape Cod Style Seafood
Dined in March 2015
My girlfriend, daughter and I just finished a small bite with a long wait at Home Slice Pizza, and now it was time to continue our restaurant hop with the next stop being one block down and to the left, a place that my girlfriend had recommended for wonderful happy hours, and great food all around. With less of a wait, we enjoyed some wine and appetizers at Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Restaurant.
Scroll down to read the main review
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Follow Wine, dine, and Play:
Star ratings chart:
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5 stars
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Extraordinary |
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4 stars |
Outstanding |
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3 stars |
Exceeded expectations |
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2 stars |
Above average |
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1 star |
Average |
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No star rating |
Basic, poor, or appalling |
Review basics:
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Overall Star rating by Wine, Dine, & Play:
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3 of 5
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Quality of food:
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7 of 10
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Presentation:
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7 of 10
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Wine selections by region:
Scroll below the main review section to see the tasting notes of the wines chosen.
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7 of 10 Old world: France: A). Bordeaux: (Haut Médoc, Cotes de Castillon, Médoc, Pessac Leognan, Sauternes, St. Estèphe, St. Julien, St. Émillion, Pauillac, Pomerol, & Margaux). B). Bourgogne: (Chablis, Puligny Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet, Macon Villages, Meursault, Pernand, Pouilly Fuissé, Nuits St. Georges, Gevrey Chambertin, Viré‐Clessé, Vosne‐Romanée & Bonnes). C). Loire: (Sancerre, & Saumur, Vouvray, & Chinon). D). Other: Côtes du Rhône, Champagne, Lirac, Alsace, Spain: La Rioja Italy: Piemonte, Lombardia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Abruzzo Germany: Mosel, & Rheingau Austria: Kamptal, & Wachau. Portugal:Alemtejo New World: Argentina: Mendoza, New Zealand: A).Marlborough: (Wairau Valley, Awetere Valley, Waihopi Valley) California: Sonoma, Napa, Santa Barbara County, Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, Russian River Valley, Suisun Valley, Green Valley, & Carneros Oregon: Willamette Valley, Southern Oregon, Umpqua Valley, Dundee Hills, Rogue Valley, Columbia Gorge, Walla Walla Valley, McMinnville, Eola-Amity Hills, and Snake River Valley South Africa: Cape Peninsula, Constantia, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Swartland-Western Cape, Walker’s Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Elgin, Swartland, Bot River, Citrusdal Mountains, Robertson, Greyton, Franschoek, Cederberg, Bottelary, Hermanus, Oranjezicht, Bottelary Hills, Coastal Region, Banhoek, and Wellington Texas: High Plains “Explore the restaurant wine list” |
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Customer service:
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6 of 10
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Ambiance:
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7 of 10
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Corkage fee’s:
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American Restaurant standard is $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual
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Dress code:
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Smart casual, Casual, or Conservative attire
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Reservations:
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Not Required, But Recommended
Make reservation through opentable.com, or by contacting the restaurant directly. See contact info below the review section
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Walk-in:
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Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette. Hire a Babysitter. See Alinea Baby Gate, god I love Alinea. |
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Cuisine style:
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Contemporary, Modern, Seafood, American, Southern, French, Organic, Mediterranean, Fusion, & Vegetarian
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Music styles:
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Background instrumental
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Business parties, Hot spot, Great bar, Great outdoor dining, Good for special occasions, Rustic, Trendsetting, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood gem.
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Gratuities:
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Industry standard is 18-20% added to parties of 6 or more
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Payments:
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Public lot, or Street Parking
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Transport options:
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Bus, taxi, limousine, personal vehicle, and walking
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Medium
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
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Patio:
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Yes
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Chef:
Larry McGuire
Tom Moorman Jr.
Food price per person
(Excluding tax & gratuity)
35.00
Price chart:
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - Under 75.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s**
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My food bill:
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Currency:
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Price chart:
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$79.02
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$
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£51.00
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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££
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€70.00
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European Union (EUR)
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€€
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$104.00
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$$
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$110.00
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Australian Dollar (AUS)
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$$$
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¥504.00
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥¥
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To get up to date currency rates:
Scroll down below the main review to see cost of wines and tasting notes.
From restaurants home page:
Perla’s was founded in the Spring of 2009 by chefs Larry McGuire and Tom Moorman Jr. with the goal of establishing a great oyster bar & seafood joint on beloved South Congress Avenue. Perla’s offers fresh fish and oysters flown in daily from both coasts with an emphasis on sourcing from the Gulf of Mexico and simple, clean preparations. The bar makes delicious coastal cocktails and the wine list is stocked with fun sparkling, rosé & white wines.
Perla’s has Austin’s prettiest oak-shaded patio and a comfortable airy dining room featuring a huge saltwater fishtank, poured concrete oyster bar and open kitchen. Perla’s offers lunch and dinner daily, brunch Saturday and Sunday, and happy hour Monday through Friday.
Main review:
We sat down inside, even though the patio was bustling with activity, and the only seats in the house was near the oyster bar a semi bar that my fifteen year old daughter was allowed to sit at. My girlfriend enjoyed a few glasses of Rosé from Domaine de la Perriere Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre, France (Scroll down below the main review to see wine tasting notes) to which I had a few sips and also enjoyed even though I’m not much of a Rosé drinker. Our server Jeremy appeared very busy and distracted with other tables, so the service quality was not entirely the best.
Considering that we were restaurant hopping we only had a few starters from the immense menu. Their cold bar had selections of oysters from all around, Beausoleil, Fancy Sweet, Conway Royal, PEI Daisy Bay, and PEI Irish Point, just to name a few. From there for liter meals they had salads, sandwiches, seafood entree’s and plates. For those not much into seafood, there are also a few steaks on the menu as well. We stuck with two appetizers of shrimp cocktail and tuna tartare which came with a quail egg and crostini with micro green garnish.
This Restaurant reminds me of:
This was a wonderful location to eat and when back in Austin, I look forward to having a full meal with them. Based on the menu and not the service factor, I would compare the food to Cape Cod Room Restaurant in Chicago at the Drake Hotel, and Hank’s Seafood in Charleston, South Carolina, where the food was also excellent, but the service at Hanks was lacking as well.
Other Austin favorites:
Güero's Taco Bar
Other trending story’s on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Council Oak Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida
Kamen Estates in Sonoma, California
At.mosphere in Dubai, UAE
Crocker & Star in Napa, California
Cost of wines and other alcoholic beverages in $$ USD:
$60.00
Tasting Notes:
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Wine & Grape:
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Nose (Bouquet):
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Palette Experience:
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Well balanced and fruity on the nose with aromas of white flowers, peach, vanilla, and acacia.
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supple and well structured and develops mineral and white fruit notes on the finish
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Wine Regulatory:
Vin de Pays, France
Restaurant address:
1400 South Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78704
Neighborhood:
South Austin
Cross streets:
West Gibson Street & West Elizabeth Street
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 30.249775
Longetude: -97.750180
Contact Information:
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Maître d, Reservations:
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+ 1 512 291-7300
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Restaurant Website:
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Email:
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Social Media:
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Hours:
Lunch:
Monday – Friday, 11:30 am – 3 pm
Dinner:
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Monday
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5:30– Close
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Tuesday
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5:30– Close
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Wednesday
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5:30– Close
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Thursday
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5:30– Close
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Friday
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5:30– Close
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Saturday
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5:30– Close
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Sunday
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5:30– Close
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Standard Time (GMT -6:00)
Review by:
Chef Sean Overpeck (CFE) in Dubai, UAE 2010
Chef Sean cooks for soldiers in Afghanistan, 2012:
"Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well."
TTFN
