When you walk into Pearl’s Place & Pantry, you may think the portrait on the far wall of a woman dressed in black with silvery hair that matches the hue of the pearls around her neck is, in fact, Pearl. “We joke that she is the owner’s mother or grandmother,” says Executive Chef and Manager John Stern. She is not. Lauren Bryant, who, with her husband, Steve, co-owns Pearl’s as part of Church Street Hospitality Group, was leaning toward using the name Ruby when she found the portrait. The right name for the eatery had presented itself.

If the woman in the painting were the namesake, she would be pleased. As soon as you open the door, you are surrounded by warmth, both from the staff and the gentle overtones of smoke from the barbecue pit. The restaurant is bright, the seating comfortable, the atmosphere welcoming, inviting, and low key. “Pearl” would also undoubtedly be proud of John, who, without formal culinary training, has found himself running this place.

John is originally from Florida. He was in Vermont as a teenager and started cooking with his stepfather at Bennington Station restaurant when he was 14. He worked at restaurants throughout high school, moved on to a fast-casual chain, went to Texas to open an Italian place, and helped his business partner run a barbecue restaurant. It was here that John became proficient at smoking meats.

“Barbecue is a labor of love,” he says, “It takes time, it takes trimming, it takes the right wood, the right smoke, the right temperature. And when barbecue is executed correctly, it’s such a beautiful item.”

In time, John moved back to Vermont, and not long after that, he learned that Lauren and Steve were looking for a chef for Pearl’s. This restaurant was the perfect spot to introduce authentic Texas barbecue (dry rubbed, never basted) to the state.

The meat is smoked in a huge wood-fired oven built into the wall. When the steel double doors are opened, smoke wafts out, revealing rotating racks of beef brisket, bacon, ribs, pulled pork, turkey breast, and sausage. The fats drip to the floor, and the mouth waters with the display of what’s been cooking for up to 16 hours.

John refers to Pearl’s as not fine dining but elevated Southern cuisine. “You can come in wearing jeans and a T-shirt,” he says, although you may want to wait for the tee until you can comfortably sit outside on the stone patio to enjoy your meal. “You can have a nice family meal,” he continues, “or you can come in here and get a nice bottle of wine and a steak.”

The way the food is served, too, helps explain John’s contradictory statement. The house-smoked barbecue is served on aluminum trays that look like baking sheets and is surrounded by sides—or “fixin’s” as they’re called on the menu—which include beans and pulled pork, cole slaw, collard greens, fried okra, and more.

Even though John is passionate about barbecue, it’s only part of Pearl’s story. The “Low-Country Plates” such as country-fried steak, shrimp and grits, creole gumbo, and blackened catfish might seem exotic and different to a tradition-bound Vermonter, but they’re worth exploring, as is Momma’s Meatloaf. Made with ketchup, brown sugar, Tabasco onions, and a smoked bourbon demiglace, the ingredients tell you Momma has southern roots.

Fortunately, Pearl’s offers lots of options. For example, if you can’t choose between smoked meats or southern cooking, you can have both. The popular appetizer Candied Bacon Clothesline is precisely how it sounds: smoked bacon hung on a rack and caramelized at the table. It’s a taste of barbecue you can enjoy before your meal. For a meal, Brisket Mac & Cheese combines the restaurant’s two tastes into a best-of-both-worlds entrée.

If you aren’t keen on meat but like the taste of barbecue, Pearl’s offers a Vegan BBQ Sandwich made with tropical jackfruit, whose texture makes it a good substitute for pulled pork or chicken. It’s smoked immediately after the oven is cleaned to ensure it remains vegan. There are vegan-suitable salads and appetizers on the menu, gluten-free options, and something for just about every dietary restriction. Before you leave after your delicious meal, be sure to stop by Pearl’s Pantry and pick up some Vermont products such as jams, gourmet candies, and, of course, maple syrup, some cheese, unique Pearlinspired snacks, and home accessories to keep the feeling of the restaurant in your mind long after you’ve left.

If you’re the cocooning type who’s down for some of the great food Pearl’s Place & Pantry offers, but not up for a night out, you can order your favorites for pickup to enjoy at home.

If you’re in Bennington, why not check out Pearl’s Place at the Garage, home of Village Garage Distillery. The industrial chic eatery, located in Bennington’s former town garage, is here for you, offering much of the delicious food available at the Manchester location, plus a few unique other options such as salmon or barbecued half chicken. Plus, the cocktails are all made with Village Garage spirits.

If the idea of barbecue or southern cooking doesn’t give you the warm fuzzies on a cold night, Church Street Hospitality’s other restaurants offer plenty of appealing options including The Dorset Inn and Barrows House Inn & Restaurant and Dorset Bakery in Dorset, The Publyk House in Bennington, The Lake House at Lake Bomoseen, and CurATE Café at Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester. Whatever you choose, good food and hospitality are always on the menu. That’s bound to warm the heart.

pearlsplacevt.com

COCKTAIL AND APPETIZER

Sunday’s Best Old-Fashioned—a no-muddle version of the classic, made with bourbon, caramelized demerara syrup, orange and Angostura bitters, and served on a rock with orange peel and bourbon-aged cherries

Pork Belly Burnt Ends—served with our barbecue sauce, Grafton Village 2-year aged cheddar, pickled vegetables, and saltine crackers

ENTRÉE

Honey Stung Fried Chicken—southern fried chicken drizzled with chili-infused honey, served with collard greens and candied sweet potatoes

Domaine Carneros 2020 Pinot Noir

DESSERT

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie