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Did you ever go out for a meal and the service was vastly superior to the food? I thought about this during a recent dinner at Pelican Fish, a three-month-old restaurant at 1305 Locust St., the one-time site of Girasole.
We almost drove right by the place because the entrance is quite dark save for a bit of a neon sign. My mom Berthe and I entered the bar area and front dining room, which was lit by small votive candles. It was so dark in these areas there was no way anyone could see the food placed in front of them.
Keith, the young man who later would take extremely fine care of us, met us at the door and advised that the back dining room was brighter and we would enjoy the warmth generated by the brick pizza oven. He showed us to a roomy table for three, as my husband, Edward, had not arrived yet.
When Edward arrived, he ordered a martini ($9) while I tried a Rob Roy ($7). Both were well prepared. Keith brought us hot-from-the oven homemade flat bread dusted with fresh herbs with a nice touch of olive oil. Since I had been to Girasole, I could not help but notice how different the rooms looked. Gone were the rich warm Tuscan yellows and Italian pottery. The walls were now minimalist, painted a light taupe.
We began dinner with oysters Rockefeller ($10), a unique clam chowder ($6) and a seafood twist to Caesar salad ($11).
Oysters Rockefeller were created in New Orleans. Spinach was used because it echoed the millions of greenbacks the Rockefeller family had amassed. I received only five with my starter, not the half dozen most restaurants offer. The menu described the appetizer as Pernod-scented oysters Rockefeller. I do not know what Pernod scented means, but they arrived freshly made and piping hot. Pernod is a French liqueur with a strong anise flavor and the oysters did have a very light hint of anise flavoring.
The rich and creamy soup was an interesting blend of New Jersey clams and sweet kernels of Jersey silver queen corn with good-sized strips of smoked bacon. Chunks of potatoes and celery added texture and additional flavor. We all tasted it and enjoyed.
Edward’s Caesar salad consisted of one romaine heart, left whole, topped with a creamy dressing, fried rock shrimp – called rock shrimp croutons on the menu – a sprinkling of pine nuts, some bits of goat cheese and slices of oyster mushrooms. I thought there was too much going on here, but it was tasty.
From the entrees, we selected the crab cake ($23), halibut ($23) and grilled tuna ($25).
The crab cake was described as "jumbo lump crab cake with lemon-scented Madras curry, shiitake mushroom cake, haricot vert and sugar snap peas." Unfortunately for me, my platter bore little resemblance to that description. The salty and dry crab cake sat atop the mushroom cake. Very little jumbo lump crabmeat was used; it was stringy crab with bits of red pepper. The mushroom cake had good texture, but it, too, was salty. I did not receive haricot vert and sugar snap peas. I received some overcooked snow peas that sat in a pool of sauce. Everything was placed on one plate.
The halibut was "cashew crusted," but, per our request, the chef prepared the fish sans nuts. The halibut was salty, a bit dry and overcooked. Mom’s platter also lacked eye appeal. Everything was piled slapdash on the plate. The dinner came with key lime Thai green curry, which I guess was the sauce, green plantains called tostones and garlic-scented spinach. At least the spinach was not piled with the other items. Two small mounds were on the rim of the plate.
The tuna was OK. It arrived rare as ordered, but was not properly seared. It was described as "jalapeno sushi-grade red Gulf tuna." I don’t think there is a beast in the sea called jalapeno tuna. But a nice-sized portion was set on some radicchio and romaine leaves, although the menu stated baby greens are used. Some grilled pineapple arrived on the side of the plate with the whole dish bathed in a candied shallot miso vinaigrette.
The wine list had good value, even though it was short. We sampled a Chateau St. Michelle Gewurtztraminer ($6.50) and a Wishing Tree Shiraz ($6).
I picked up a take-away menu when we entered, which had coupons for complimentary appetizers or desserts with any two entrees. The chef put together a sample of poppy seed cookies, lemon cheesecake and a slab of chocolate pate. I thought the dessert fared better than the entrees.
Keith is a professional waiter. He served and cleared with ease, filled our water glasses and was familiar with a majority of items on the menu.
Pelican Fish’s platters are overly ambitious. There is so much going on it was difficult to actually taste the fish, which should be the star of each dish since this is primarily a fish restaurant. I do not doubt the freshness, however. I think Pelican Fish should lower its prices and keep it simple.
One tip of the toque to Pelican Fish.
Pelican Fish
1305 Locust St.
215-546-0711
Credit cards accepted
Restaurant is not wheelchair accessible
