The Scene - As soon as I entered Perla’s lush, oak-tree lined patio area, I felt like I was on vacation. The blue, white and yellow striped color scheme leaped from the painted wooden picnic tables and canvas umbrellas to give the place a sleek, festive and friendly nautical vibe. Laura and Jodi scored a table right near the sidewalk, so we could enjoy watching the people strolling along SoCo – hipsters, trendsters, young families and retirees.

We were even paid a short visit by the iconic, lovable, local celebrity, Leslie, who shared a few laughs and dirty Jesus jokes. Overall, I really dug the scene; it made me happy and relaxed, yet excited with anticipation for Laura’s belated birthday dinner.

The Service – Our waiter was attentive and reasonably pleasant, but somewhat lacking in the menu knowledge and the polished customer service skills that come with experience, personality and/or training. When I asked whether the bbq shrimp appetizer was made from Gulf shrimp (the only kind worth eating, in my opinion), he said he would check with the kitchen but never got back to me with an answer. When we inquired about whether they offer anything special for birthday girls (i.e. free dessert), he said it’s a good possibility and that he would check on it. When he returned to our table a few minutes later, he simply asked us if we had decided on a dessert without acknowledging our birthday inquiry, which led us to assume that they didn’t offer special birthday treats. That was a little awkward, so we ditched the idea of dessert altogether. On a positive note, our waiter was patient as we asked many questions about the menu, gave us honest recommendations on what to/what not to order, brought out our food very quickly and let us hang out on the patio playing Foodie Fight long after we finished our meal.

The Seafood - While the wine and cocktail menu looked interesting, I ordered a frosty pint of Live Oak Pilz as my pre-dinner refreshment. After initial sticker-shock followed by much deliberation about what to order off of the pricey menu (Soft shell crab BLT? Grilled rare ahi? Splurge on the $25 lobster roll?), we settled upon sharing the lobster roll and two appetizers – seared scallops and the pan roasted crab cake. We couldn’t agree upon fries or coleslaw to accompany the lobster roll, so we ordered both.

Oddly, we were never offered a complementary bread basket or crackers to munch on before the meal, but fortunately all of the food came out very quickly and at perfect temperatures. While I can typically take or leave fries (unless they’re sweet potato fries), Perla’s generous basket of fries was potato perfection – thin, hot and crispy with just the right amount of grease and salt. The three scallops that came with the seared scallops appetizer looked a little puny, especially for the $10 price point, but they were simply delicious. I loved the balance of flavors and textures between the succulent, warm buttery scallops in a spicy sweet jalapeno sauce accompanied by crisp shavings of jicama and green apples. The crab cake was the most beautifully adorned crab cake I had ever seen, crowned by a garland of fresh herbs and greenery. Unfortunately the crab was drab, the cake was too bready and the herbal garnish was the only fresh and interesting item on that plate.

Hopeful for some improvement, I saved my portion of the big ticket item – the $25 lobster roll with cole slaw – for last. While I don’t know if any lobster roll is worth such a hefty price tag, this one was pretty darn good, all the same. The crusty, toasted sandwich roll was stuffed with a generous portion of cool, luscious lobster salad made from large chunks of fresh, sweet lobster meat. The lobster roll was flavorful enough on its own and didn’t need the drawn butter sauce that was inexplicably served on the side. The tangy, crisp coleslaw and a second glass of Pilz were the perfect accompaniments to this dish.