A real ‘pearl,’ this new Boise restaurant is already expanding next door, opening a bar

When Little Pearl Oyster Bar made its debut last fall, Idaho foodies took immediate notice.

Chef and co-owner Cal Elliott spent 28 years working in New York City’s dining scene before returning to his native Boise. Launched downtown at 160 N. 8th St., the intimate, seafood-focused restaurant didn’t just survive during a pandemic. It hummed with a local excitement that’s still palpable 11 months later.

“We’re lucky,” Elliott says. “The response has been really great.”

How great? Little Pearl is already expanding.

Elliott and his wife, co-owner/co-operator Ashley Elliott, plan to take over the former Bru beer bar next door at 132 N. 8th St. The space will become Little Pearl Bar, a drinks-driven companion to Little Pearl Oyster Bar. Similar in size, the two spots will work in tandem, sharing a patio and providing an improved overall experience.

“Extra seats is one thing,” Elliott jokes, “but really we just want to give our customers a better bathroom situation!”

Actually, he’s not joking. Little Pearl Bar will offer two private, ADA-compliant restrooms for customers of the restaurant and the bar. At the moment, Little Pearl Oyster Bar has a less-than-optimal shared facility inside the Main + Marketplace building.

Little Pearl Oyster Bar is open only four days a week right now: 4:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Elliott would like to see that become noon to 9 p.m. five days a week. “Our ultimate goal once the labor shortage is over,” Elliott says, “is to operate as a bistro serving the same menu throughout the day.”

Elliott is hunting for a liquor license for Little Pearl Bar, which will have a small food menu featuring oysters, other raw bar items and dishes exploring “the art of garde manger,” he says. (Translation: Cold foods.) The bar will be open 3 p.m. to late, Tuesdays through Saturdays — and include a Little Pearl happy hour.

The extra seating at Little Pearl Bar — about 40 — will allow the original restaurant to offer reservations. It’s currently walk-in only, with a wait list.

Along with his chef duties at labor-tight Little Pearl Oyster Bar, Elliott has begun remodeling Little Pearl Bar himself. “I’m working around the clock,” he admits. He’s crossing his fingers that a liquor license will materialize for lease or purchase in the next month or two.

“The hope would be to get this thing open in the fall,” he says. “It’ll be fun. I’m really excited about it.”