<I>DAMIAN MULINIX/Chinook Observer</I><BR>With views of the Port of Ilwaco and local art, owners Shelly Hedges and Jeff McMahon are serving up a beautiful bounty at their new Pelicano Restaurant.

ILWACO – If a portside view, classy cocktails and a memorable time is what you’re after for a dining experience, take a trip down to the Port of Ilwaco and try out one of the town’s newest businesses, the Pelicano Restaurant.

According to owners Jeff McMahon and Shelly Hedges, the Pelicano menu is inspired by Mediterranean cuisine and features a variety of local harvests, such as fish and shellfish from the Columbia River, Willapa Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

Pelicano’s meals are seasonal to compliment the area’s changing harvests and this month’s menu includes specialties like beet soup with cumin and yogurt, cioppino seafood stew, braised pork ribs, fresh fish filets with vegetables, and a deep lemon tart with orange-cranberry sauce.

“It’s a seasonal menu – things that are coming into season,” explains Hedges. “And we try to use as much local and organic ingredients as possible.”

McMahon agrees, “There is a lot of variety and extraordinary seafood in the Columbia-Pacific region – it’s really fantastic stuff. About half of our menu is seafood and we normally have six entrees, six appetizers and three or four desserts.”

While McMahon perfected his cooking skills in New York, Los Angeles and London, Hedges has also spent time in the kitchen, working in a variety of areas, including Portland and San Francisco. Now he describes his signature flavor as being influenced by French, Spanish and Italian styles, such as long-braised meats and other Mediterranean techniques.

“It’s about applying long cooking traditions to local ingredients,” says McMahon, who opened Pelicano Restaurant in December. “Mediterranean foods are considered very healthy, with lots of vegetables and olive oil.”

Offering premium liquors, spirits and cocktails, Pelicano’s unique and evolving wine list features hand-selected wines from areas in Washington, Oregon, Portugal, Italy, France, Spain, Austria and Germany. With an extensive knowledge of wines, the couple is always eager to try new wines and make recommendations to their customers’ meal choices.

While waiting for meals, diners can enjoy the artwork of regional artists, such as Betsy Nelson, Marie Powell, Joan Stuart Ross and Eric Wiegardt. Pelicano’s artwork displays are on loan from the artists and change every three to four months.

“We try to find art that is about the Peninsula or by people on the Peninsula – we want the art to embrace the Peninsula and our region,” says Hedges.

The couple has worked and lived on the Peninsula for seven years and have gained quite a following after working at the Moby Dick Hotel’s restaurant for six years. Luckily, they say loyal customers have followed them to their newest business venture and McMahon and Hedges are thrilled to serve them again. Their décor is streamlined and simple, but also intimate.

“Fine dining should be welcoming,” says Hedges. “We do this because we love it – everything we do is for you.”

Let’s face it – the view of the Port of Ilwaco isn’t too shabby either.

Pelicano Restaurant is located at 177 Howerton Way SE in Ilwaco. They open at 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. To view their latest menu choices, visit their Web site at www.pelicanorestaurant.com. For reservations call 642-4034. To receive monthly menu updates and upcoming event information, contact them at info@pelicanorestaurant.com.