Mar. 12, 2004
The Blue Pelican: a promising bird

There's been something of a vittles vacuum along the eastern shore of Torch Lake lately. First Mico's burned. Then Spencer Creek vanished. And now Tuma's. It's asking an awful lot of the Alden Bar and the Dockside to feed one whole side of the lake, especially in summer. Now, however, some welcome relief appears to have flown in on the wings of an unlikely bird called the Blue Pelican.

Based on early reconnaissance, we'd say this new seafood restaurant at East Torch and Old State Rd. has real promise.

So what's unlikely about it? Well, even though it's a seafood restaurant, there was nary a whitefish in sight, and only a polite nod to fresh water. The house specialties felt more like the Eastern Shore of Maryland than the eastern shore of Torch Lake, especially the crab--succulent, steamed legs and soft, pillowy cakes. We had to get into the fine print to find prime rib or steak. It's the sort of seafood restaurant we usually associate with spring break.

The Blue Pelican is the brainchild of a Marylander named Cris Corbett, an electronics entrepreneur from Virginia whose heart and soul never quite escaped the spell of the Outer Banks and Chesapeake Bay. When he sold his company, his Michigan-born wife led him Up North.

Despite its crab-shack menu the Blue Pelican is very swept up--a crab shack with carpeting and insulation, if you will. The bright and cheery bar and dining rooms suggest a lot of thoughtful remodeling. The walls display funky, beachcomber's treasures, old signs, and some neon-hued art.

The Blue Pelican was quite busy when we went six weeks after its opening, but we were seated quickly and enjoyed hospitable, easy-going service that was attentively efficient. Corbett himself patrolled the room, chatting up customers, urging newcomers to try his crab, and spinning yarns.

Naturally, we had crab. After sharing a crab-cake appetizer, Sherri moved on to a half-pound platter of steamed king-crab legs. Graydon had char-grilled sea bass, and another of our foursome had scallops--herb-crusted and pan-seared. After exchanging forkfuls, we agreed that any of the four dishes would bring us back for more. (The fourth at our table, ignoring the obvious, had prime rib; he pronounced it "okay," but his voice lacked conviction.)

The crab cakes were so meaty, rich and sweet that we flatly predict they'll be a hot topic all around the lake by July. Made of nothing but lump crabmeat, mayo and Old Bay seasoning, they were nicely browned but not at all hard or crusty the way shredded crabmeat gets when it's bound with egg and breadcrumbs. Corbett beamed when we said we'd liked them. "Yeah!" he said. "Lumpy and loose, aren't they? Just the way they should be!"

The brightly herbed scallops were just slightly browned outside but molten within, and the crab legs were sweet and succulent. The sea bass was a thing of beauty--moist, flaky and very flavorful. Like all the fish on the menu (the others are cod, walleye, perch, catfish, and salmon) it comes sauteed or blackened as well as charbroiled. Almost all the seafood dishes come with fresh salsa and snappy, house-made tartar and cocktail sauces. The menu lets you mix and match from a long list of side dishes that includes fries, whipped or sweet potato, black or baked beans, rice, and slaw. (If you crave greens, we suggest you pass the steamed vegetables in favor of  a house salad.)

The appetizer list fills a whole menu page by itself, starting with those crab cakes and moving on to seared tuna with wasabi, fried clams, mushrooms, onions and tuna-bites, and house-made soups that include crab-and-corn chowder and a white-bean chicken chili.

The bar's long suit is a roster of beers that fills an entire menu page. The wine list, while short, has some nice choices at very reasonable prices. The food is quite modestly priced, too. For about $35 apiece, we enjoyed a very satisfying dinner, including a cocktail and a glass of wine.

If the Blue Pelican can handle the crowds, people on the east side of Torch Lake are going to be putting a lot fewer miles on their cars this summer.