Colleen Conrad Joins Pearl Dive Oyster Palace as Executive Chef

Washington. Pearl Dive Oyster Palace is pleased to announce a new executive chef, Colleen Conrad, who joins the restaurant from its sister establishment, Republic in Takoma Park, where she worked as sous chef, alongside co-owner and executive chef Danny Wells.

Conrad, who has come up through the ranks of Black Restaurant Group, starting out as a junior sous chef at Pearl Dive, and working her way to opening sous chef at Republic, has a strong commitment to quality sourcing and letting ingredients shine on the plate. After a semester abroad immersing herself in the food culture of Seville, Spain, Conrad decided to switch academic focus and enroll in the culinary program at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, NC.

Her food philosophy is simple: use the best quality, properly raised ingredients, and handle them with respect. She emphasizes the immense care that she and the rest of the kitchen staff have for the products they utilize, often going on staff field trips to the farms where they source their products.

Since joining Pearl Dive this fall, Conrad has worked to add her personal touch to the menu, and recently debuted several new dishes on the dinner menu, including:

• Crispy Brussels Sprouts Salad with fall greens, pickled red onion, smoked Marcona almonds, Benton’s ham, Meyer lemon vinaigrette, Creole mustard crème fraîche ($11)
• Coriander and Panko Crusted Fluke with jicama and apple slaw (jicama, apple, jalapeno, orange, lime, cilantro, fennel tops) fennel and sunchoke purée, roasted fall vegetables ($26)
• Wood Grilled Market Fish with roasted cauliflower, snow peas, and seared mushrooms, served over a smoked paprika and sweet onion cream sauce, and fines herbes ($25)
• Whole Wood Grilled Bradford Bay Farms Black Bass with confit sweet potatoes, sautéed winter greens, spicy peanut sauce ($26)

The full dinner menu can be seen here: http://www.pearldivedc.com/dinner-menu/starters/
 

In the coming weeks, Conrad will be adding dishes to the restaurant’s popular brunch menu. 
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace is located at 1612 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009.
Pearl Dive will now accept reservations from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., seven days a week, and also offer valet parking service Monday through Thursday 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. The cost is $12 per vehicle.