When this month’s assignment was handed down from our illustrious leader to write about our favorite Seafood place in New Jersey, I didn’t have to think twice. Take one step into Fischer’s Pelican Restaurant, located in Sewell, NJ and you will be a convert too. Owned and operated by Bill and Eileen Fischer, the Pelican Restaurant is known for its simple and delicious seafood.
As soon as you enter the Pelican Restaurant, you immediately feel relaxed. Though the restaurant is small, it is comfortable and quaint. Whether you sit by the window for some light or towards the back for some privacy, you will have the best seat in the house.
Each table is given two kinds of fresh, hot bread. One is a crusty Italian bread, while the other is softer with tomatoes and cheese sprinkled on top. During my dining experience we began our meal with calamari, which is prepared with sliced long hot peppers and red onion. The squid, peppers, and onion are all lightly battered and fried, then drizzled with a chipotle aioli and marinara sauce on the side. The presentation was picture perfect and we couldn’t wait to dig in. It is safe to say that it is the best calamari I have ever had. Perfectly crispy, hot and flavorful, without being the least bit chewy. The onions and peppers added a delicious extra flavor and the aioli gave it a little kick. It is also the perfect starter for two, possibly 3 people to share and is satisfying without being too filling.
If you order an entrée at lunch it is served with a salad that is lightly tossed with a vinaigrette. The vegetables are crisp and perfectly coated with the dressing. I really enjoyed this salad! At dinner, entrées come with the salad, a vegetable and potato du jour.
We ordered two entrees that we shared. Zucchini crab cake: jumbo lump crabmeat between crispy, julienne zucchini and panko breadcrumb layers, served with spinach and potato du jour. The crab cake was filled with so much crab meat! Unlike other crab cake, it was not fried or greasy, but deliciously light and crispy.
Pan-seared day boat scallops... served with mushroom risotto and finished with white truffle essence. The scallops were the perfect consistency – firm and juicy. While the risotto was creamy with a hint of wine.
Aside from seafood, menu choices include pasta, meats, soups, and salads. During lunch sandwiches are also offered and a children’s menu is offered all day. If you don’t have time to eat the restaurant, all menu items are available to go.
There are several menu specials offers at the Pelican Restaurant. From Tuesday to Thursday diners can have a 3 course meal for only $22, starting at 4 pm. During lunch, $9 express lunches are offered, which includes sandwiches, salads and pastas. Other deals include coupons for free dessert, a free appetizer and a coupon for $5 off the total bill. To see any of the deals, find Fischer’s Pelican Restaurant on Facebook or visit the restaurant site http://www.fischerspelican.com/.
If you’re a Gloucester County resident and haven’t visited the Pelican Restaurant, I highly recommend trying my favorite local seafood restaurant. And if you aren’t a local, well then I would suggest you take the drive here – it is worth a drive for a delectable meal! Stay tuned next week, for more Fish picks from our Editors.
Allie Coremin, regional editor for Gloucester County, is a fashionable food enthusiast trying her best to eat healthy while enjoying all that there is to taste. On most days you will find her cooking something delicious in the kitchen, wearing a fashion savy apron of course. Join Allie as she cooks, dines and experiences all things food related Gloucester County has to offer – and shares it with you. Feel free to check out Allie’s personal blog and follow her on Twitter: @allieat.
The restaurant boasts a large circular dining room complete with black and white checkered floors, red booths encompassing the edges with time-honored movie posters and black shiny records decking every wall. The retro style carries all the way to he Coke bottle salt and pepper shakers and brilliant, metallic tables and chairs scattered throughout. 
There is even a toy train that run along the ceiling! In the center of the dining area rests a platform featuring classic cars and bikes which rotate throughout the year. And if you are a fan of the classic car scene, be sure to stop by during the summer months for “Cruise Night” or “Corvette Night”. These events, and more, occur every week or month,and the parking lot fills to the brim with classic cars and bikes while the Chatterbox’s own DJ plays tunes. The DJ, Doc South, has been sharing his love of music at the Chatterbox since they first opened.
The Chatterbox whips up all the foods considered standard fare for a New Jersey diner. There are also some creative interpretations of the 
usual menu items, such as the Sinatra burger, topped with peppers, onions, and brown gravy, the mac and cheese wedges, and homemade chilies. What the Chatterbox is most known for is their charbroiled burgers and old-fashioned desserts, such as egg creams and ice cream sodas.
For the past couple of years, we’ve enjoyed locally grown New Jersey produce and other local products at the annual Farm to Fork restaurant event sponsored by South Jersey Hot Chefs. Held each summer, the event provides participating chefs in the Burlington, Camden and Gloucester county areas to strut their culinary stuff and showcase local food producers at the same time. The South 
Next up was the soup course, where you got to try one of the New Jersey dynamic duo summer veggies: either Jersey tomatoes in an Heirloom Tomato Soup or sweet white corn in a Crab Vichyssoise with crab and green onion salsa (as John will tell you, one of the ways he won my heart years back was to serve me the year’s first Jersey tomatoes and sweet white corn on Fourth of July). Both soups were good, although I would have liked a tad bit of salt in the Heirloom Tomato Soup to bring out the flavor even more.
The main (fourth) course opened up a host of tantalizing possibilities: Sweet Potato Ravioli, Pan Seared Scallops with pickled yellow squash, Pan Roasted Salmon with heirloom eggplant puree and pepper slaw, Herb Roasted Chicken Breast with chili banana and black bean and Peppered Sirloin Strip with a purple potato hash.
The final choice was dessert: the toughest choice of all. I was torn into bits over having to choose between a Vanilla Bean Angelfood Cake with a blueberry crush (you think the vanilla bean was from Madagascar, New Jersey?), a Peach Sorbet with cinnamon biscotti, or a Chocolate Truffle Brownie. Man, this was a tough one. John and I had spent the previous morning picking 20 pounds of blueberries at a location off of Route 70, so I knew how plump and yummy this year’s crop was. I love local peaches in the summer, too. In the end though, my love of all things chocolate (
When I received an invitation from the folks at #ClearAmerican and #CBias to experiment with summer recipes using Clear American water (available at Walmart), I was intrigued. Perhaps I could do a better job of hydrating myself if I tried flavored water instead of the plain stuff. In addition, since we are at the height of summer fruit season, I thought it would be fun to combine the #ClearAmerican water and a little fresh fruit in a complimentary flavor for a refreshing treat.
