Business owner Pamela Egan wants to recruit you to visit her favorite dining destination
where Nantucket meets the Florida Keys.
This family owned eatery offers acquaint atmosphere full of smiling faces ready to please and
delicious dishes that will keep inviting you back.
She says everything is homemade and prepared with love and her pick in Lake Park is called
Pelican Cafe.
Hi, it's Mark Frangione chef and the operator here at Pelican Cafe.
My wife Karen and myself established the restaurant in 2008.
The little house was built in the late 30's.
It was a historical home of Harry Simark Kelsey who was a pioneer in the early days of Florida
and we took his little home and we're both from Greenwich, Connecticut so we kinda gave
it this Nantucket meets the Florida Keys kind of feel.
We're open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in an upscale faction.
We have an epicurean style menu a lot of the recipes are three generation recipes my grandmother
to my mother to me.
Like the eggplant rollatini.
We also make homemade donuts: apple cider cinnamon, blueberry, chocolate, and old-fashioned
sour cream donuts come warm to your table after you place your order for your breakfast
complimentary.
When they walk into the house you have a warm feeling like you're coming into my home.
I think Karen and I have accomplished that mission of making everybody feel as if they're
actually, you know home and we all love being here.
Pelican Cafe is where you can come in and get an outstanding breakfast, lunch, and dinner
seven days a week and have that feel of where Nantucket meets the Florida Keys.
Pamela what makes this place stand out?
Oh my goodness as far as...
The first time I went there so homey you walk in the owner Mark so pleasant comes right
up to you and they just have so many items on the menu that you can choose from.
Right.
High end Italian cuisine.
All home made like you said and it's just comfortable.
It's very homey, beautiful to core.
Nantucket meets the Key West with the beautiful white and blues and the crisp colors.
Highly recommend it.
Okay.
So what did you eat this last time you went in.
The last time I went in we had, I went with my girlfriend, we decided on the encrusted
grouper it was a house special that day.
Oh my god it was absolutely amazing.
[Michelle] Okay.
Over creamy mashed potatoes.
Julienne vegetables I mean absolutely amazing.
Any cocktails anything to drink?
We did order a nice red we got ordered a bottle of wine it was wonderful we shared it between
the two of us.
[Michelle] Lovely.
[Pamela] Very nice.
I think you also had a hummus to start too, right?
[Pamela] We did we first got there the bartender they came out with this fresh, warm, hot bread.
It was amazing with homemade hummus I mean it was to die for.
[Michelle] I wonder if it's white bean hummus 'cause it's usually what they would serve.
[Pamela] It was white bean, yeah.
And there was the olive oil and you could actually see the olive oils it was just amazing.
[Michelle] That sounds delicious.
[Pamela] It was really good, yes.
[Michelle] That's a good warm inviting thing to get right?
When you get there.
[Pamela] Exactly.
And it's just very small, quaint it fills up fast reservations definitely.
Lovely, Michael.
So I decided to mix it up and I went for breakfast.
My wife and I went with another couple.
I have a feeling you like to mix a lot of things up.
[Michael] Yeah absolutely I really like the atmosphere.
It is it's blues and whites it's bright has nice wooden floor.
They actually have artwork on the walls that you can buy from the artists.
It was really nice, so I had the Huevos Rancheros.
I saw everybody having Bloody Marys and I do like Bloody Marys, so I asked them what
mix they used because I don't like all mixes and they said they make their own.
[Michelle] Right.
So I said great.
It just was better so no it wasn't the best Bloody Mary I ever had, but everybody had
it everybody was enjoying it they should definitely give it a try.
I mean it might not be mine, but it's theirs.
So how was the Huevos Rancheros tell me about it because I know you're vegetarian, correct.
Yeah, so I asked for no chorrizo and I asked for no cheese so I basically took the flavor
out of the dish.
So I basically had corn tortillas with spinach and onions and so it was no big deal but that's
'cause I made it that way.
[Michelle] Right.
[Michael] What's interesting too is they give everybody donuts they have homemade donuts.
[Michelle] Right.
[Michael] And the donuts were okay.
They were a little heavy for me they were more like Pesach donuts to me.
Meaning Passover for those of you that don't know what Pesach is.
[Michael] But they were still good right.
They were just heavier than I expected.
One's a blueberry glazed, one's a chocolate, one's an apple cinnamon, and there's one just
like a powder.
Everybody else at their table loved their meal, so...
Can you describe what other people had.
My wife had the vegetarian omelet I didn't try it, but she liked it.
The couple that we were with I believe they had maybe pancakes or something like that
and it all looked really good, so the overall experience I had was great, but I shouldn't
do so many substitutions.
Gotcha', Patricia?
I fell in love with this restaurant.
Before I even got there I called to make a reservation and Carol answered the phone and
she was so friendly and so warm I couldn't wait to meet her.
She was at the door and she's just a friendly, warm, welcoming person.
The staff, the waiters couldn't be nicer and I realized that really makes or breaks a restaurant
and they were just so welcoming and attentive.
I had the Eggplant Rollatini and this sauce was incredible that too is a mark of an excellent
restaurant.
[Michelle] Homemadeness.
[Patricia] Yes.
It just melted in your mouth it was so wonderful.
I let the waiter recommend the house special that night which was Shrimp Scampi in a white
wine and Parsi sauce with Pocket Ricotta.
Was it delicious altogether.
It sounds really good.
Yeah, white wine the oil the parsi were perfect synced.
Well you can't really go wrong with white wine and parsi and garlic and then ricotta.
Exactly.
Right.
And then for dessert we shared a seven layered chocolate cake.
This dessert was splendid.
[Michelle] Nice.
[Patricia] Just...
[Michelle] Warm.
Delicious chocolate.
[Michelle] Yeah.
And just enough for the three of us to share.
Perfect.
It's lovely.
[Patricia] Yeah it was great.
I enjoyed it.
How are the prices there Pamela?
I think they are pretty reasonable.
I mean nice sized portions and the wine bottle we purchased a bottle of wine which was very
reasonable.
[Michelle] Nice.
How was the service?
I thought the service was very good.
I like it when the staff knows what's in the meals.
Everything was homemade, fresh, local produce.
Right, New England yet Italian.
Yes, it's beautiful.
Well Pam Pelican Cafe was your choice sum it up for me.
I love it you've got to try it like I said New England meets Key West the food is phenomenal
you can't go wrong the owners will welcome you in as well as Carol the Maître D and
I say give it a try.
Michael?
I would definitely go back, but not make any substitutions next time.
Nice I like that especially's the chef.
[Michael] There you go.
Patricia?
I would love to go back 'cause there was so many enticing items on the menu that I would
love to go back there and try it again.
For food made with love make your way to Pelican Cafe located at 612 US Highway 1 in Lake Park.
Open Tuesday through Sunday for breakfast and lunch.
And Monday through Sunday for dinner.
Reservations are accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about 50
dollars.