Pelican Grill

I think I'm in love with Newport Beach,

Ever since I took my host parents out for a nice dinner last week at The Cannery,

I've decided instead of driving all the way up to downtown LA,

I should just stay local and explore the eating joints along the coast.

So one day I paid a visit to Pelican Grill,

The restaurant is actually located inside a nice resort called Pelican Hill,

As we turned into their very own "Pelican Hill Road,"

The first thing came to my sight was a giant arch above my head,

Keep going and you'll see the valet service right at the front.

Many nice cars there,

Mercedes, BMW, Bentley, you name it,

Who were the owners?

I don't know, all I can see were a bunch of golfers wondering around with their very own golf club sets.

Memories came back to my mind all the sudden, will I ever play golf again?

I tried it a few times,

Once I was at a nice golf resort, my pressure playing there was mountain high.

A golf newbie like me couldn't stop taking off the grass while swinging the club,

I have the power of turning a shiny green land into a savaged battleground.

After that, I never played golf again.

Oh well,

I came here for the food anyways.

As I entered the hallway with giant clay pots on the side (it's becoming a signature of Irvine Company's properties in Southern California. Especially in Irvine, you can spot those giants pots in every plaza and apartment complex),

The hostess took us to our booth.

Looking out to the left was the patio sitting looking out the hills,

On our right was a very spacious open kitchen, where you can see Thomas Ryan, the executive chef preparing dishes for the diners.

They had sunflowers on every table, very cute.

*We were there for lunch, I'm pretty sure they change the sunflower to something else during dinner hours.-

My Tangerine Mojito-

I was very pleased with my mojito,

Perfect balance between the amount of rum and fresh squeezed orange juice,

Absolutely loved it.

I give it a "9."

Margarita pizza-

With "sun ripened tomato, basil, and mozzarella," garnished with watercress.

Molasses marinated pork chop-

Our side dish, baby spinach "creme double"-

I have to say that our entrees (my friend ordered filet mignon) and pizza weren't as good as expected,

Somehow our "supporting dishes" out-shined our main dishes,

The filet mignon was very tender and juicy, but not to a point that can give us a "wow" effect,

In the other hand,

Our spinach was gooood,

I guess "creme double" really made a big difference,

It was moist, creamy, and very cheesy of course.

Then our dessert menu came up-

I was too full (as usual, I tend to order a LOT of food) so I passed on the sweet part this time.

Will I come back again?

Most likely not.

There are so many other restaurants out there in the neighborhood,

I will take my time and try each every one of them,

Then I will pick out the top 3, ok maybe top 5 eateries,

These 5 places will be the ones that I'll pay my visit over and over again,

For sure Pelican Grill won't be on this list.

*Wait, mmmm, I'll come back for their mojito!

Overall Rating: 6

End Note:

Approximate price per person: $40 and up.

Pelican Grill

22701 Pelican Hill Road South

Newport Coast, CA 92657

(877) 735-4226

http://www.pelicanhill.com/