Monday, December 31, 2007

Halfway through a dozen steamers at Dave's Last Resort & Raw Bar, George Brock got a funny look on his face.
He pulled a bowl under his mouth and spit out something that his wife, Leslie, said sounded like a BB clinking against the plastic. But when the couple bravely peered into the clammy broth Friday afternoon, an iridescent purple pearl winked back at them. One expert says that lucky bite could fetch thousands.

"The funny part of it is he hardly ever orders clams," Leslie said Sunday.

The Royal Palm Beach pair had headed east for a drive by the beach when they decided to stop for seafood in Lake Worth. A line stretched out the door at their first restaurant choice, so they pulled into Dave's.

By the middle of their meal, they had gotten to know most of the other diners inside. Everyone wanted to see the purple pearl on the half-shell.