Lucky, and Good

Restaurant: Lucky Pelican Bistro

Address: 6239 Lake Osprey Drive., Sarasota, 34240

Phone: 941-907-0589

Website: LuckyPelicanBistro.com

Recommended by: Alisa Bennett, co-owner of People at Play, a Bradenton-based heavy construction equipment playground for adults.

Reservations: Not required.

Parking: Ample, though spots fill up fast during the peak of the lunch hour.

One-hour lunch test: Passed. Service is fast and attentive. Waiters come back frequently to check on drinks and food. Staff is friendly and interacts, and jokes, frequently with guests.

See and be seen: Guests at lunchtime run the gamut, from retirees in golf attire to employees and executives from the companies that fill the nearby corporate park, including Neal Communities and FCCI Insurance Group.

Privacy: Some booths in the back corners are the best for quiet deal making and conversations. Tables in the middle tend to get loud, quickly.

Ambiance: The friendly atmosphere leans toward a beachfront seafood restaurant, with blackboard specials.

Food: The starters and sides portion of the menu is seafood-themed, with bacon-wrapped scallop poppers for $8.95; a shellfish bar with oysters, shrimp and clams; and smoked fish spread for $5.95. One of the more popular salad items is the Lucky Pelican: mixed greens, goat cheese, cucumbers, roma tomatoes, red onion, croutons, artichokes, carrots and herb vinaigrette for $6.25.
The sandwich and burger side of the menu is eccentric. It includes: Senor Oscar fish tacos with Baja sauce, pumpkin seeds, lime, cilantro and cabbage for $8.95; Leo's Gulf Oyster Po Boy for $10.95; Molly's Crunchy Chicken Picatta with olive/caper mayo for $7.95; and Teddie's California Club with turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, provolone and aioli on grain for $8.75.
Finally, there's the Lucky Pelican staple: Salty's Ale battered fish and chips, for $11.95.

Ownership: Jim Poitrast, who ran a restaurant in Cape Cod before he and his family relocated to Florida, opened Lucky Pelican in September 2007 with his wife, Beth Poitrast. It has since become one of the more popular eateries in east Manatee County, both for lunch and dinner. “It's been phenomenal,” says Poitrast. “We are extremely busy. We are very pleased with how it's going.”

Review date: April 2013