Pelican’s (West Side)

Clam Chowder is average. Needs more and tastier clams, which have a slightly rubbery texture. Bottomless Salad Bowl is very good with crisp, fresh ingredients. Needs a selection of diet dressings, though. Trout Almondine is good, if a little dry. Fish and Chips are carefully prepared, with moist and tasty fish fillets, but the batter is tasteless and a bit thin. The chips are mealy. No competition for Two Fools in Nob Hill.

There are some nice touches, like whipped butter and roasted garlic cloves for the excellent, warm bread. Service is friendly and attentive.

The Return

July 29, 2011

Grilled Swordfish Skewers

Ever on a quest for diet food, what better cuisine to satisfy this neorequirement than a seafood & steak house. Our meal this evening was a textbook example of what dieters can feast on by choosing wisely from a menu. Leave out the bread/whipped butter/roasted garlic starter (sigh—it was delicious). Order the bottomless salad, which is still fine. Don’t order potatos, fries, rice, or pilaf. Stay away from white poison.

Jane ordered swordfish skewers with vegetables, the whole thing grilled beautifully. Very tasty, and the side of steamed vegetables (carrots, broccoli florets, and cauliflower buds was cooked judt right—tender and succulent.

Blackened Tuna

I ordered grilled blackened tuna, and asked for it to be seared on the outside and reddish on the inside. It came out exactly as I asked for. Somewhat spicy but not overpowering, and the tuna was as good as any I have had in ABQ. It was served with very hot and tasty wasabi and thin-sliced ginger, both of which enhanced the flavor of the already fine tasting tuna. Also accompanied by steamed veggies, this was a delicious meal, and that says a lot for diet food.

The service was exemplary, and our server, Bethany, was there when we wanted her and not there when we didn’t need her. Sha made several valuable suggestions, too.

Restaurants like this might not survive in Maryland, but they serve a needed role in New Mexico. If you arrive between 5:00 and 6:30, you can order from the early bird menu, which is a genuine bargain. We shall certainly return when we need an inexpensive seafood fix. Not great, but quite acceptable until the desert turns into an ocean again, which will take many millions of years, so go there now.