Crane & Pelican Cafe — Restaurant in Le Claire Township

Went with my fiance to try out the restaurant, as we're looking into caterers for our wedding, and we had heard Crane & Pelican was great. The atmosphere is great! Service wasn't bad by any means, though I think the two servers could have used another hand once guests started coming in for dinner.

The food was not good. I honestly should have left after the second bite. I got the pecan salmon, it came with a side of green beans, and rizzoto. The green beans must have been soaking in a vat of oil. I have NEVER had green beans like this. I understand too much butter, and that's forgivable, but I mean soaked through with oil. I should have just stopped there, but I didn't want to appear rude, so I finished them. The rizzoto? Genuinely so bland it was almost tasteless, other than a strange sour flavor that was reminiscent of dawn dish soap. I took two small bites, and I wish I didn't. The salmon was cooked very well, though. Perfect. But when I ordered, I guess I neglected to realize the salmon would be completely covered in blueberry syrup with pecans? It wasn't bad, per se, but I still can't fathom how those are supposed to taste good together.

My fiance got the gluten free, vegan pasta salad. I don't know what the name of the dish actually is, but it's just pasta salad with those gross checkpea noodles with random bits of broccoli and avocado. We've both had a fair few gluten free, and vegan dishes. There's no reason it should have been so bland. The first taste was simply off putting. It was gross. Not like it needed salt, but it needed to be reconsidered as a dish all together. I felt so bad for her I tried to give her some of my salmon, but she doesn't care for pecans, and is not big into fish. She tried to force herself to get through some of it, but ultimately she couldn't.

Of all the items we got. The bread service, and the summer sangria were just about the only two things worth their cost. I genuinely do not mean to be rude to the chef, the staff, or anyone there at all. We were quiet, didn't make a scene, and waited until we were outside to talk about how we both felt. We both agreed. Never going back. I paid, and left a 15% tip. I usually always leave a 20% but I just genuinely could not bring myself to. I don't know if something went wrong with our meals, or if there was some mistake while they were prepared, but I genuinely cannot believe this place has a 4.6 star rating, while serving food like this.

Now it's been about 3 or 4 hours since going, and we're both nauseous. I don't think we have food poisoning or anything, for myself, I feel it was the absurd amount of oil I consumed, and the sour soapy taste of the rizzoto, as for my fiance, I think it was just simply how off, and sad the pasta salad tasted.

I won't pretend to have the most refined sense of taste, but both my fiance and myself have eaten quite a wide range of foods, in a fair few places across the US. This was simply not good. It made me feel sick.

This restaurant has great potential, the presentation, and the atmosphere, and the staff were all great, but I genuinely think some menu items need attention. Maybe partner with a survey company, and offer 20% off, or a free drink at your next visit for giving feedback, on the receipt. The chef is obviously talented, and cares about their work, I just cannot see how the average person would enjoy the items we ordered. I'm sure there are other items on the menu that are much better. We specifically chose items available on the catering menu, as we were taste testing for our wedding dinner.

The food was a genuine 1 or 2/10. But I do believe with some adjustments and reinvention this restaurant could be a regular date destination for my future wife and myself. I do hope to see a few changes, and I hope no one takes this review as an attack. I am just trying to give...

OK, here's the deal. I'm a Le Claire resident and a long time Le Claire booster. I always advocate for this town and the places in it. I'm also pretty easy going when it comes to dining - it doesn't take much to make me happy. All that said, the Valentine's Day dinner my wife and I just had at the Crane and Pelican has to be the worst meal we have ever paid for in our lives. Let me go over the highlights, from best to worst:

Service (OK) I was a little disappointed that when we arrived, there was no host/hostess, just a sign that said 'Please wait to be seated'. We stood in the entry way for several minutes before I finally made my way back to the bar area and asked if we could be seated. They pointed us towards our table, which was the only table without a drink menu, but the server (a gentleman named Autumn) was very friendly and prompt and brought us a drink menu when we asked. For the rest of the evening, Autumn did a great job and we had no complaints about the service.

Ambiance (Needs improvement) The house that the C&P is in could use a little work. It had been a couple of years since I had last eaten inside it, and it hasn't aged well. It could also use a thorough cleaning. The lights were also on at full brightness, which was odd for a Valentine's dinner, where you might expect a little dimming of the lights to set the mood.

Food (Just awful) The Valentine's Day dinner was a three course pre-fix menu. I had the shrimp, beef wellington, and chocolate cake. When the shrimp cocktail arrived, I was surprised to find that it was literally three small shrimps on a plate with a couple slices of lemon, and that was it. But, I figured - it's just an appetizer. I guess having a very small portion isn't that unusual. Then, the beef wellington arrived, with a side of fingerling potatoes, and for the first time in my life, I literally couldn't eat it.

The beef wellington had the taste and consistency of cat food wrapped in a partially cooked pillsbury biscuit. I couldn't believe how bad it was. The fingerling potatoes were even worse - tough, rubbery, unseasoned, and stale. I had my wife take a bite to make sure it wasn't just me. She had to make an effort to choke the bite down.

She had ordered the mahi mahi, and had to work to choke that down as well, as she didn't want to send the entire plate to the kitchen uneaten. But, even her desire to not offend the kitchen staff could not force her to eat the "saffron risotto" on the side, which tasted like mushy yellow ABS plastic. She had me try some, warning me to take a small bite. I thought she was saying she didn't want me to hog it - but she was warning me about how bad it was. We both had to make quick work of our drinks to wash out the awful taste.

The desserts were the only edible thing we were served all night - not good, but edible. The chocolate cake tasted like a little debbie's snack cake with a couple of dollar store boxed chocolates on top. Not great but I didn't need to wash it quickly down with anything else. My wife left most of her panna cotta uneaten as well.

All told, about $200 for a meal we had to fight to eat enough to not entirely offend the staff. We left there and went home and immediately dug up some leftovers to get any other taste into our mouths. A couple hours have now passed and we both feel physically ill from this experience. I honestly can't believe how bad this was.

I've eaten at the C&P before and generally enjoyed it. It's never been my favorite restaraunt, but it's never been the worst. Tonight it takes the crown as the absolute worst meal we've ever had prepared for us in our lives, and we both served in the military. We will never go back, and I can't recommend you go...

I was in the area, visiting a friend, and had planned to make this our dinner stop. Since I had looked over the menu online, I had an idea of what I was having. I started with the salmon croquettes, which were very good. I only wish that I had gone with my instincts, and swapped out the wasabi aioli for the lemon version. The croquettes could have used a little more seasoning. The French onion soup was the best thing that I tasted there. I have absolutely no criticism of the soup. It tasted as if they had properly cooked it slowly, and added the perfect amount of wine and stock. Not only did I have the lone toast/crouton on top, but there were 3 grilled crostinis on the side, making it a perfect course. My buddy had the meat loaf, which came with mashed potatoes and sauteed brussel sprouts. He doesn't like brussel sprouts, so I ended up with those on my plate. They were okay, but also lacking in seasoning. I did not taste the mashed potatoes, but the portion was incredibly small. Potatoes are cheap, and he could have easily had twice as much, and not be overeating. It was a cheap move. The meatloaf good, but lacked in seasoning. The carmelized top was delicious, and you could taste the wine reduction, without it being overpowering. I had the prime rib sandwich. Everything added to the prime rib was spot-on, but the prime rib was in cubes, on the bun. The meat flavor was not only mild, but weak. It's as if the sandwich is made from trimmings of the roast, rather than a true slice. It's the first Prime Rib sandwich that I've ever had, that wasn't a slice of PR. The sandwich was tender and of decent flavor, but could have been greatly improved with a full slice of PR. Over all, I would recommend this place. They have reasonable prices. I've been in the restaurant business, and everyone has a down day. This could have been their down day, and was still pretty darn good. I would also like to give them high marks for using compostable carry out containers, instead of styrofoam. I hope they take my criticism as productive as opposed to mean-spirited. There is talent in their kitchen. ...