Pearl District Expands from Westlake Village to Sherman Oaks

Westlake Village restaurant Pearl District recently opened a second location in Sherman Oaks. They claim the spot previously occupied by SOCA and short-lived Boneyard Cocina + Cantina. Owner Peyman Afshar hails from Oregon, and his eatery finds inspiration in Portland’s trendy Pearl District—utilizing local ingredients to deliver a globally inspired menu.

A crispy, deep-fried “six-minute egg” with sticky yolk stars in a signature starter that comes plated with baby arugula, crispy Parma prosciutto, Pecorino, sugar plum tomatoes, sherry vinaigrette and potato puree. Their opening salvo also includes an inspired avocado toast plated with house-cured Faroe Islands gravlax, Meyer lemon-dill aioli, shallots, chives and tangy capers.

Pearl District dials up the ambition even more with entrees, particularly grilled New Zealand venison. This Asian-tinged preparation co-stars sticky rice, carrots, King trumpet mushrooms and Sichuan hoisin sauce.

As one might imagine, they’ve put a lot of thought into the beverage program. Pearl District pours 14 wines by the glass and many more bottles. For the most part, Pearl District’s wine program centers on California, but they have nods to Oregon. The only international selections are sparkling wines from France and Italy.

Eight draft beers draw mainly from in-demand Southern California breweries with limited allocations like Beachwood, Craftsman and MacLeod. Signature cocktails include Wildwood, a relatively healthy homage to a Portland culinary institution crafted with vodka, cold-pressed cucumber and green apple juices, and Italian parsley.

Visitors may find that the glass-fronted space looks somewhat similar to the previous tenants. The interior still features striking blue walls, cream colored booths, back-to-back cushioned tan banquettes in the middle of the dining room and an L-shaped bar.

The two previous tenants couldn’t find their desired audience despite serving ambitious food and drinks. Hopefully Pearl District will fare better.

14015 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 818-301-3700