Oft-seen nightlife fan Janey Cheek takes in the relaxing atmosphere, a game of chess and some bubble tea at the Pearl in the Old City.

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As a veteran of the Knoxville nightlife scene (and former nightlife columnist) I'm always looking for a new nightlife approach.

Sometimes, drinking just doesn't do it for me. Yet I don't want to stay in. In other words, I've been looking for somewhere to go relax.

Knoxville lacks a good coffee shop. You'd think that would be a college-town staple, but we simply don't have one.

And whereas the Pearl, a cereal bar located in the Old City, still isn't technically a coffee shop, it's a similar enough concept to spark my interest.

In fact, the Pearl only borders on having a nightlife component - being that it's open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. It doesn't serve alcohol and it's all ages.

What it does serve, though, is unique atmosphere.

Stuffed in between the Pilot Light and Barley's, the Pearl resembles a bizarre fusion of a coffee shop (with thrift store furniture arranged in a living room setting), a children's nursery (there are coloring book pages pasted to the walls), and a hippie co-op with a '70s vibe (distinctly post-hippie, but the clash adds to the vibe).

There's a piano with a sign reading "please ask permission to play," a '60s TV set, and the bathroom even has a shower. It feels exactly like a living room.

Owned by Jamie Johnson, who's also a self-proclaimed "full-time mom" (hence the youth motif), the Pearl offers all-you-can-eat cereal at a self-serve bar featuring all of the classics as well as some organics. That's its claim to fame.

And a friend once asked me "why go out to eat cereal?" The cereal serves as an added plus. The real gem at the Pearl is the boba tea - Asian tea with tapioca balls in it. The Pearl is the only place in town I've seen bubble tea, which is boasted on the Pearl's bumper stickers, which read "my tea has balls in it."

But the decor astounds. There are cereal box covers glued to the walls. The walls have all been painted in mural fashion (a hippie staple) showing off a Sunsphere, a desert scene with bats flying around (reminiscent of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"), and a variety of colorful patterns. The leather furniture looks dated.

It's like being in an eclectic living room, sans kitsch. And the entire time during a recent stay of mine, modern Brit-rock band Portishead was playing, whose trance-y and surrealistic beats didn't fit the decor theme but fit the atmosphere. It's a great place to relax.

Being that it's open late and surrounded by Old City bars (Urban Bar, Patrick Sullivan's, Barley's) odds are you or someone you know have stumbled into the Pearl. I've heard friends say they enjoy stumbling in to play one of the Pearl's many board games (Clue, Chess, Candyland) while blasted. There are even free coloring books. The owner Jamie places the finished products on the wall. "I haven't gotten to these yet," she says, chuckling, holding a fresh stack of drawings.

But as my friend Chip says, the Pearl isn't the kind of place where it feels appropriate to be intoxicated. There are plenty of heavy drinking venues nearby to host that sort of evening. The Pearl is a more wholesome nightlife experience.

On a recent visit my girlfriend and I chose strawberry boba tea, the chess set, and the table against the north wall to be our setting. The crowd was sparse, with college students on the younger end of the spectrum wandering in and out occasionally.

Like I said, it's a perfect place to relax while enjoying an evening out.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel
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