Simply Irrepressible

I’m seated at the bar at Red Pearl Kitchen, a chic new Asian restaurant in Huntington Beach. My chopsticks are poised to snatch the last of the Chinese dumplings on the platter when I notice a cluster of people giggling at the end of the bar. The guy I’d noticed earlier showing off his digital camera now has it aimed squarely at the small of his girlfriend’s back.

What’s so interesting?

Her tattoo, of course. “Want one?” the bartender asks, casually holding out a stack of decals with the restaurant’s logo. On a red-and-yellow background, inky brush strokes outline a Chinese woman. Below her, Red Pearl Kitchen is spelled out in kitschy “Oriental” letters.

Only 5 months old, Red Pearl Kitchen is already the hippest place to eat along the beach. The restaurant is a big departure for Tim Goodell, one of Southern California’s most interesting chefs. At Aubergine in Newport Beach, his first restaurant, he turns out intricate, precisely focused French-California cuisine. He and his wife, Liza, also recently opened a restaurant in the new Viceroy hotel in Santa Monica called Whist.

Both are serious restaurants. At Red Pearl Kitchen, though, Goodell indulges his playful side. The small beachside locale is the kind of place where he and his crew would like to hang out after hours. He’s been slipping Asian touches into his menu at Aubergine for years, but here he has room to follow his interests wherever they take him--whether it’s to Shanghai, Japan, Thailand or Vietnam.

With a blood red awning, bronze dragon door pull and tall, rustic Chinese tables, the restaurant’s design is attention-grabbing without going over the top. Columns of candles flicker in odd corners, and a riotous collection of shapely red, orange and pink silk lampshades casts a sexy glow over the small dining room. Images from kung fu or Japanese monster movies flood across a large plasma screen mounted next to the discreet takeout counter.

At the bar, set squarely in the middle of the room, two bartenders wield cocktail shakers like marimbas, concocting a daunting parade of drinks for an ardent crowd. The Manhattan is the best I’ve ever tasted. Made with good bourbon, it’s barely sweet and capped with a slurry of shaved ice.

People eat at the bar, too. Lone diners read the paper between sips of clams with green curry in a lemon grass broth or bites of noodles. Others come just to pass the time while they wait for friends or a table.

Red Pearl Kitchen is perfect for grazing through a slew of little dishes. When Vietnamese egg rolls arrive, I’m quick with my chopsticks. Piping hot, these are not the innocuous egg rolls I’ve come to expect at Asian restaurants pitched to a young urban crowd. The meat filling is spicy, liberally spiked with ginger and garlic and rolled up in a lettuce leaf with sprigs of intensely perfumed mint. “Little Dragon” dumplings are a swirl of pleated dough, anchored by a bright-tasting pork and shrimp filling. Next arrives a big bowl of the absolutely terrific spicy chicken wings. They’re slathered in a sambal honey glaze that’s sweet, complexly spiced and fiery, and we gobble them down even though they’re hot enough to burn our fingers.

Goodell is on to something here. This is what P.F. Chang’s and other restaurants of that ilk should be serving instead of the bland low-quality fare they’re foisting on Middle America. In a stylish setting, Red Pearl Kitchen offers Asian food with some integrity. Goodell and his chef, Jeff Armstrong, are using good ingredients. His flavors are gutsy and authentic. And the beach crowd seems to be going for it.

Thai green curry with chicken, Thursday night’s special, is the color of spring grass faded to a paler hue once the coconut milk is stirred in. Topped with feathery leaves of fresh cilantro, it’s a study in green etched with fresh spices. Red beef curry wouldn’t win any beauty prizes, but the milky sweet curry fuses the flavors of braised short ribs, fingerling potatoes and rice into something much better than any of its parts. This may be my single favorite dish. Don’t miss the crispy pork belly either, thick slices of melting tender pork striated with delicious fat and served with a pile of greens and a dipping sauce of honey with Sichuan peppercorns.

The kitchen makes some missteps. Too many dishes exhibit a heavy hand with the salt. A couple of items were so excessively salted, they were virtually inedible. Fried rice tends to be oily. On occasion, the simple, appealing rice noodles tossed with Chinese sausage are marred by burnt chunks of the sweet sausage. Pork spare ribs permeated with Chinese five spice powder are butter tender, but if you’re dreaming of barbecued ribs, these will disappoint. (Note: Barbecued is not mentioned anywhere in the description.)

On weekends, diners often form a line around the block waiting for the restaurant to open (the restaurant doesn’t take reservations). On Wednesdays through Saturdays a live deejay charges the room with energy. On Thursdays, Mr. Danny Love dances and sways over his equipment, spinning the room into what feels like the shimmy of a rocket takeoff.

Aubergine’s pastry chef, Shelly Register, does the desserts here, too, and they’re wonderful. I don’t use the word irresistible very often, but that’s an accurate adjective for her dreamy cardamom pot de creme. Served in a cafe au lait bowl, it’s thick and satiny, topped with a cloud of whipped cream. Her pineapple upside down cake is made with fresh pineapple. The brown sugar topping seeps deep into the cake and caramelizes the fruit. Who knew this dated housewife’s staple could be so delicious?

Times are changing when you’re able to find such sophisticated, daring food in surfer territory. If only more restaurateurs in the beach cities would take up the challenge.

*

Red Pearl Kitchen

412 Walnut Ave.

Huntington Beach

(714) 969-0224

CUISINE: Contemporary Asian

Rating: * 1/2

*

AMBIENCE:Chic Asian boite with rustic Chinese tables, massive bar and a live deejay Wednesdays through Saturdays. SERVICE: Amiable and quick. BEST DISHES: Little Dragon dumplings, Vietnamese egg roll, spicy chicken wings, tempura-style prawns, green papaya and shrimp salad, red curry braised short ribs, crispy pork belly. Appetizers, $2 to $10. Main courses, $10 to $17. Corkage, $15. WINE PICKS: 2000 Loibner Gruner Veltliner, Wachau, Austria; 1999 Ravenswood Zinfandel, Sonoma. FACTS: Dinner daily starting at 4:30 p.m. Lot and street parking.