Pearl in the Grove

We ordered three entrees and the snack plate:
1. Pork Belly
2. Catfish Meuniere
3. Delmonico Steak
Skip the snack plate.
I ordered pork belly: Free range Palmetto Creek pork belly, stuffed with deckel bacon, Palmetto Creek sausage, Lake Meadows Natural duck egg, tomme cheese, over a biscuit. With pea tendrils in peach vinaigrette and duck gravy.
Get this and thank me later. The best dish on the menu! The Pork belly is on the permanent menu but they change the way they make it from time to time. I can vouch only for the above-​mentioned perpetration.
My father-​in-​law ordered catfish meuniere: Alabama farmed catfish, lightly dusted and pan fried, served with a classic meuniere sauce of pecans, butter, wine and shallots over white rice with fresh greens.
Is this the best catfish I’ve ever had? probably but it’s catfish. You shouldn’t be eating catfish at a place like this. Get the pork belly.
My wife got the delmonico steak: Grass-​fed, locally raised beef served with tallow mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
When it comes to steak, I don’t order steak unless I’m at a steakhouse but my wife doesn’t really believe in that rule. The result is you get a mediocre steak. Here’s another rule: don’t order grass-​fed steak even if you are at a renowned steakhouse. Delmonico is a ribeye and ribeye supposed to be one of the most marbled cuts of steak. Grass-​fed beef has very little marble. Therefore, (and I’m sorry Rebecca) grass-​fed delmonico is an oxymoron.
So, not every dish here is excellent. So why did I give five stars? Just for the pork belly.

Exceptional! Rarely do I use such strong words, but what a surprise, both for the location and the price. Whether the sweet potato bisque (who’d a thunk it?), homemade charcuterie, chicken liver stuffed squash blossom, or bacon-​stuffed-​bacon (my name for the pork belly), it was all done fantastically. Flavors popped, food was fresh, and not a bit of that terribly unhealthy, but tasty, fat was missed. Whenever you see «tallow» on the menu you know you are in for a treat.
I am ashamed that it took us years to make the very short trip from Brooksville, and I hope you don’t make the same mistake. This place was something else.

Amazing Mother’s Day family style meal!!! Every plate was presented beautifully and tasted even more impressive than it looked! Don’t pass this place by

What a great Gem of a Dinner, very quant and welcoming reminds me of a Bed & Breakfast.
We celebrated my cousins Birthday with 5 others and the selection of appetizers and entrees was a great change of pace from so many other restaurants. defiantly off the beaten path but well worth the drive especially if you live in the Wesley Chapel area.

Hidden Gem! Love this restaurant! The menu is unique and everything is local farm to table! This has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants!

My husband and I had dinner here once and really enjoyed it. The atmosphere is great, similar to their sister restaurant, Local, which I also love. The food at Pearl was so fresh and the staff was very friendly. The menu is a bit on the pricier side for the area but you get what you pay for here.

How can you not return to this restaurant? Every time we have friends visit from out of state we bring them here and we have never had a single soul disappointed. The food is consistently delicious, the service is consistently amazing and the special attention that Rebecca gives to her guests makes you feel like you have come home for dinner! If you live in the Tampa area, make a reservation and drive to Dade City and experience this wonderful place for yourself! You will not be disappointed.

Amazing menu! You will be hard pressed to decide because everything sounds so good. I ordered the pork belly which was served over sweet potato mash with a topping of kale. It was delicious.
Home made breads and and appetizing ceviche were brought to the table without asking. We were very pleased.
Great find.

I was disappointed with the fried green tomato appetizer. It didn’t look like all the pictures I’ve seen on here and definitely didn’t taste like all the previous comments. The batter was plain flour without any seasoning and the tomatoes were cut in big chunks and we’re not cooked. There was very little pesto or mozzarella. The pork belly entrée was delicious. The hazelnut dessert was good, light and not very sweet. Not sure I would go back.

Excellent find! Thank you Unilocal for turning me onto this restaurant. I had low expectations for finding a good meal in the area, but was pleasantly surprised to find this place. Every dish had character and the service was great. Looking forward to coming back.

Four of us tried this restaurant on Saturday evening. We were all very satisfied.
The food was very good although a little expensive.
The fried green tomato caprese salad was exceptional.
We all enjoyed our main courses as well. Even the coffee was very good.
The service was exceptional.

Food was excellent, had the fried green tomatoes and caprisese salad plus the liver for starters. Service very good, friendly staff.
Fried chicken was also good, everything fresh and prepared to order. No room for desert, but looked great. Worth the trip if you are in the area.

Worth the one hour drive to this little restaurant. Don’t let size and location fool you. This place is the real deal. With 15 tables and white linen service, this is a ‘must try’ restaurant. We had the catfish which was prepared simply but with a lot of flavor. All the food is locally sourced and most things on the menu are house-​made. The bread and butter are made there and you can tell that a lot of love goes into every recipe. I had the pork belly entrée and it was delicious. Two pork bellies were expertly roasted with a side of sweet potato mash potatoes and green beans. Wow it was a wonderful meal.

Had okra fries, catfish, Rice, collared greens, homemade bread and fancy butters. I love farm to table restaurants and this was great for my first time. Comparable to a number of high end places in Orlando but a low key atmosphere. Definitely worth a drive for this city girl even if it was pitch black outside

This was by far the best food and dining experience we’ve had since moving to Tampa from Washington, DC two years ago.
We went to give it a try as a place for our wedding rehearsal meal, and it made up our mind that we will definitely choose this restaurant.
We started off with the fried green tomatoes, and the mozzarella is incredible. My fiancé had the filet — perfect — and I had the Parmesan crusted snapper — beyond perfect. We also got a dessert to go that was so good.
We were treating like a special guest. This is the best rating I could give a place on Unilocal,and we’re excited to go back!

After hearing all the rave, we were excited to finally eat at this place. It’s quite a peculiar environment, with delicious local high quality food, at an expensive price.
We started off with the Regional cheeses & charcuterie which contained various farm cheeses, sausages, pickles, and accoutrements.
And I also had the underground salad which has goat cheese, greens, topped with a kumquat Visalia onion vinaigrette. Was really good!
My children had the pappardelle pearl with chicken and loved it! You can def tell the quality of the handmade pasta.
We also had the special which was local grassed organic beef. Had a great flavor and was cooked to perfection.
For dessert we finished off with the blueberry Gillette and the flourless chocolate cake. I would say the desert was mediocre… or wasn’t very decadent like I’m used to. If I order dessert it’s cause I’m cheating on diet and want it to be well worth it! Lol

Appearances are definitely deceiving! This wonderful little piece of Heaven is located in the middle of Dade City’s beautiful rolling hills. If you like a quaint, simple atmosphere combined with a dinner selection that (in my opinion) blows other Tampa fine dining establishments out of the water, then this is for you! The filet minion was ahhhhmazing! The wine selection is fabulous (good wine is hard to find in the hills), and the icing on the cake: a pastry chef who knows exactly how to satisfy a sweet tooth. If I knew when I was going to die, I’d come here for my last supper! Nevertheless, this place will be my top choice for future date nights and special occasions. Move over Berns; you’ve been bumped to my #2 spot.

Another wonderful, farm to fork, meal at Pearl in the Grove. The food is outstanding and the atmosphere is as unique as it gets. Worth it everytime!

This is not only the best place in Dade City but possibly the Tampa area. I came for my 25^th wedding anniversary and I was not disappointed. The food and ambience was classy yet casual. It was an experience that my wife and I will will not forget. The menu was small yet had a diverse selection that would please everyone. The food was fresh and came from local farmers and growers. Make reservations if you plan on coming because this is a popular spot. The staff makes you feel comfortable and make the dinner an experience. This is our newest favorite place!

Pearl in the Grove is one of the two best restaurants in the Dade City area. After living here my whole life, I was really excited for the opening especially being owned and operated by a local family.
If you’re looking for something that isn’t Ruby Tuesday’s, Chili’s, or any of the other chain joints in town, The Pearl is the place to be. The feel of the restaurant is so welcoming and the décor is unique. They offer an extensive beer and wine list and the food menu is always changing.
Although it does seem off the beaten path, it is worth the drive!