I have been living in Wichita Falls, Texas for just over three years now. My time in this quaint, little city is coming to an end soon. Before it ends, I want to visit many of the restaurants I “neglected” the previous years. One of the restaurants I had not tried was Pelican’s Restaurant, located just minutes away from Sikes Senter Mall and Midwestern State University. It was time to finally check it out.
The welcome stand was straight ahead after I entered the restaurant.
This leads me to another question, should I call it host/hostess stand? Or something else? These are the things that keep me awake at night. Anyway, I was told by the hostess that the locker looking things were for members of their exclusive wine club. Customers can pay to become a member of the club and keep their personal bottles of wine under look and key. Kind of cool.
I was greeted by two friendly staff members who gave me the option of a booth or cocktail table in bar. Since I was alone, I chose the cocktail table in the bar. To my amazement, I was seated at a table where the overhead lighting was out. The manager offered to move me half way through the meal, but I chose to stay seated.
There were plenty of other seating options: on the right side of the restaurant was the main dining area.
Straight ahead was the bar and the aforementioned cocktail table, there was also a small seating area directly behind me.
On the left side of the restaurant were two small rooms. These rooms appeared to be used only if guests wanted a more intimate setting.
The waitress showed up quickly with menus. I took no less than 20 pictures of the menus, but could only get one. If you want to see the menu, click here.
I really wanted an espresso martini to drink, but the bartender was out of coffee liqueur. How??? My next drink, an Old Fashioned, was able to be made…minus the orange peel. The drink was delivered within a few minutes of ordering and it was delicious.
The drink was soon followed by bread. The bread was accompanied by a garlic and butter spread. The garlic spread was really good, it included whole garlic cloves. The soft butter spread was ok.
I ordered Oysters Casino as an appetizer, while enjoying the bread and Old Fashioned. The oysters were phenomenal, albeit a tad small. The panko really made the dish stand out.
Being that it was my first time ordering food at Pelican’s I settled on the 12 oz ribeye, medium rare of course. For the side, I ordered the grilled Brussel sprouts. While ordering, I saw gumbo on the menu and ordered it as a second appetizer.
The gumbo arrived a few minutes later. It was delicious, but seriously lacked meat. I could only taste rice and sauce.
At this point, I asked my waitress if she could pace the service a bit better because I had bread, oysters, and gumbo on the table at the same time. If this kept up, my steak would arrive and potentially get cold.
The steak with sprouts was delivered in less than 10 minutes. First off, the steak seemed as if it was more than 12 ounces. I could not have asked for a better steak though, it was cooked perfectly, while the sprouts were…sprouts.
I could not decide on the steak butter so I was given all four. Jalapeño, truffle, rosemary, and blue cheese. Out of the four, the jalapeño butter was the best for me.
During the meal, the manager brought a Mac and cheese dish for a taste test. IT. WAS. AMAZING. The heavy cream sauce had a hint of bacon, which was over the top delicious. I could have eaten five gallons of it…seriously.
If I had not had enough food, the manager thought it would be a good idea to gift me with a creme brulee. She is apparently the manager and resident dessert maker (is that a title???). Let me tell you this, it was f*cking awesome. The crust on top was the best.
The manager and I talked for a few minutes, during which she told me that they grow a lot of the herbs behind the restaurant. I could not believe it, so she showed me. Color me impressed.
I had overstayed my welcome at this point because the restaurant was nearing closing time. Before the restaurant closed, I was offered a Flavor Ice popsicle and glass of Rose. Um, I have never had them together, but it definitely worked.
Final Word
The lighting situation at the table was a little annoying. If something is wrong with a section, how hard is it not to sit people there? I was appreciative of the manager for offering to let me move, but I had already “dirtied” the table, it did not make sense to do it to another.
I also did not enjoy the pacing of my waitress. If I am still working on a plate, please do not bring out the other food. The plates quickly piled up on that little, unlit table.
I did appreciate the flavor of the food. There was not a single dish I did not appreciate, from the steak to the crème brulee. I would seriously sit in the restaurant all day, while eating the mac and cheese with crème brulee. That would literally be the best day ever. All in all, I had a good visit to Pelican’s. If some of the small things are ironed out, my next visit should be great.
