Sometimes in the restaurant business, success is a matter of timing.

We’re not talking marketing strategy, whether to introduce a new menu item in winter or spring, but how an eatery handles the ebb and flow of customers; whether it’s as efficient when the joint is jumping as when it’s not.

By that measure, Black Pearl in South Toledo has work to do.

If, as real estate types claim, it’s all about location, Black Pearl couldn’t ask for better, being situated, as it is, directly across the street from the Stranahan Theater on Heatherdowns Boulevard, which hosts touring Broadway shows.

We dropped by the restaurant during the recent run of The Book of Mormon, and again for lunch the next day. The show night dinner was problematic, the other visit not.

The show started at 7:30 p.m. Our reservation was at 6. We were seated within 10 minutes, waited 10 more minutes to order appetizers and 15 minutes more for them to be delivered. Trying to beat the clock, we immediately ordered our entrees, which finally arrived at 6:55 p.m.

That left 20 minutes max to wolf it down and pay the bill if we wanted to make curtain.

A late lunch the next day was a different story. We were among only four tables, which made for a spooky silence that suggested sagebrush tumbling nearby. The service was brisk enough that our server had to time to answer questions. (No, they’re not affiliated with the similarly named restaurant in Ann Arbor.)

Which begs the question: Is the restaurant understaffed or overbooked on show nights? And just how early should one book their dinner reservation?

It’s a Catch-22 diners need to be aware of.

As for the food, it’s good, not great, cooked as ordered and the equal of what you’ll find at many neighborhood eateries.

Still, it can be inconsistent. Over the course of two meals we ordered three appetizers: homemade meatballs ($8.99), calamari ($9.99), and escargot ($12.99). The meatballs were large and dense, but largely flavorless, a flaw scarcely redeemed by the zestless marinara coating them. The calamari was somewhat better, but here again the Cajun breading was about as Cajun as northern Minnesota. Not even a whisper of spiciness.

The best of the lot was the escargot, not something you find at many restaurants in the Toledo area. Served atop mushroom caps, drenched in butter, garnished with bacon and garlic, and covered in cheese, they were delectable. There was no strong "snail" taste, but a wonderful blend of all those accompanying ingredients.

The entrees were also hit or miss. The restaurant offers several options for steak lovers. On our first visit, my dining companion selected the Black Pearl ($21.99), prime rib served with a baked potato. It arrived blackened, swimming in au jus, and draped with mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and garlic.

Ordered medium rare, it arrived close to that temperature. Although the steak was sitting in copious amounts of juice, it was still somehow tough and dry — not the soft, juicy meat one expects from a thick prime rib.

A second entrée, Seafood Alfredo ($17.99), fared better. Despite not being on the menu (which lists a Seafood marinara), our waitress assured me that it could be made. The sauce was thick and velvety, and the embedded shrimp and scallops would be considered jumbo elsewhere.

Lunch found us trying two more entrees from the main menu, though there’s a daily lunch special menu as well. My companion opted for the prime rib sliders with steak fries ($11.99). The three small sandwiches were a bright spot: warm, slivered meat topped with provolone cheese and crispy onion straws, and served with a side of au jus. She was happy with the choice, although she pondered why her steak fries were no larger than the regular fries served at Wendy's.

And I found few complaints about the chicken salad croissant ($8.99), which was overflowing with choice white meat in a subtle yet delectable mayonnaise sauce. My only passing thought: It was topped with enough lettuce to stock a salad bar.

Black Pearl doesn’t pretend to be the fanciest restaurant in town. The menu runs the gamut from steak to meatloaf, with a roster of soups and salads that should sate any vegetarian. The crowds seemed to skew older, and the servers were troopers in the face of not always fair odds.

And nothing on the menu tops $30, which might well be considered a blessing in this age when so many restaurants make a point of giving you less for more.

Contact Bill of Fare at: fare@theblade.com.

First Published September 27, 2017, 6:07 p.m.