New Perido Key restaurant looks to be the local spot for seafood and smash burgers

Perdido Key’s newest restaurant, Salty Pearl Raw Bar, is a diamond in the rough positioned under the Theo Baars Bridge on 13470 Perdido Key Drive neighboring Fisherman's Corner.

Although seafood restaurants are easy to find in the Pensacola area, the Salty Pearl Raw Bar was intended to be a place for the locals.

From the “Hook & Cook” seafood platter that allows customers to bring in their own fresh catch to be cooked and loaded up with sides like fries, coleslaw and hushpuppies — to the oysters purchased from nearby market, Gulf Coast Seafood — the place is intended to be a place that exists for its community.

“We wanted somewhere the locals go,” Matt said.

As Perdido Key residents themselves, creating the restaurant wasn’t a hard-sell for spouses and co-owners, Matt Carstens and Lisa Carstens. Also, it had been Lisa’s longtime dream.

“She’s always dreamed of opening up an oyster bar and she finally talked me into it,” Matt said.

With the pair's culinary expertise combined, spanning culinary school and Lisa's experience as a food service specialist in the U.S. Coast Guard — the two were well-equipped for their next venture.

The restaurant that is now a pastel blue nautical oasis was only a “shell” when the two got the keys to the place in March, according to Matt. The couple were not only crafting recipes getting the restaurant ready, but also partaking in the manual labor.

Friends pitched in along the way to help, like the handcrafted epoxy oyster bar, personalized corn hole boards out back or blue stained benches out front.

“We’ve had to buy a lot of dinners,” Matt said.

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The owners are also hands-on, even to the down and dirty parts of restaurant ownership, such as the oyster-shucking. Matt had popped open 400 shells like it was easy before the day even began on Friday.

The oysters are the menu's crowned jewel and come either raw over ice with a wedge of lemon, or chargrilled with a house made flavors, like the Creole BBQ, garlic Parmesan, or bacon, cheese and jalapeno. It’s the details that make a difference, like the roasted garlic in the garlic Parmesan, that Lisa is particularly proud of.

It isn’t just a spot for seafood though, even though steamed snow crab legs, fried oyster po'boys and blackened shrimp platters are abundant, as there is a smash burger and chicken tender platter on the menu.

It was important that the smash burger be a good one without being overcomplicated, and is made with two Waygu beef patties, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles with the option of adding on cheese or bacon.

The two didn’t want to take anything away from the Perdido Key restaurants that are already out there and thriving, but wanted to provide something they felt it was missing. Something like a laid-back place to grab a bottle of beer on ice, share a seafood steamer plate with corn, potatoes and Conecuh sausage or play a round of cornhole on the outdoor patio.

Now, the two plan on welcoming the community in for lunches and dinners for a long time to come.

"We don't plan on being owners that just disappear," Matt said.

The restaurant is now open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Salty Pearl Raw Bar is hoping to become a Perdido Key local favorite