Brass Pelican

Brass Pelican

132 Main St

Huron, OH

419-433-5555

near the Huron Boat Basin

garlic parm wings

The Brass Pelican has moved into the old Old Plat on the River restaurant location along the Huron Boat Basin access channel from Lake Erie. From my perspective, the Old Plat closed about a decade ago, and maybe reopened briefly here an there, but never open when I passed by it over the decade. This location has a good sized indoor restaurant and bar area, and a very large outdoor patio with a view of the channel from Lake Erie. For at least a decade, the outdoor patio was chain linked fenced to keep vandals out. The fence was an eye sore and and it was frustrating to walk along the channel from the boat basin to the Huron lighthouse because the ugly chain link fence was in the way. Now with the Brass Pelican open the horrible chain link fence is gone, and there walkway is completely open now.

perogies

Now, boats can come right up the channel and dock next to the Brass Pelican. If driving, there is a huge free parking lot right outside. If walking, there are plenty of sidewalks and the channel walkway now open.

The patio is really nice to sit for a drinks and bar foods over looking the channel to the boat basin. The only problem with the view is what is across the channel, it is a ConAgra industrial area with a huge limestone processing factory, industrial smoke stacks, big piles of rock, huge industrial setting basins that attract seagulls (and seagull poop), and a huge industrial building. The 1st time I saw this area over a dozen years ago, I thought that the town was cute, but the ConAgra factory buildings and industrial piles was just terrible to look at. When I first came about Huron Boat Basin about a dozen years ago, I saw the cuteness of the town, but when I caught a glimpse of the ConAgra industrial area breaking apart the boat basin horizon, I was actually a bit grossed out. This is not the only industrial area imbedded into a vacation shoreline community along Ohio's Northshore Funcoast, there is one on the west side of Sandusky, and there is another as you drive into Marblehead. Huron, Sandusky and Marblehead could be quaint vacation areas, but it is tough to get around these huge industrial smoke stacks and buildings. This area could be as valuable as Laguna Beach, central Cape Cod, Lahaina, Chautaqua, etc, but the old industrial areas are just too imposing.

gazebo with a view of the ConAgra plant in the background

The Brass Pelican has some visual issues to deal with, but besides ConAgra industrial area issue, this Brass Pelican patio is really nice. When we were there, there was only one waitress for all the tables and seating outside (maybe 20 tables worth of seating) and there was no bus-service to remove the dirty dishes and glasses and clean the tables for new patrons to come in. There weren't that many clients at the patio because all tables were covered with dirty dishes, so there was no where to sit. The table we sat at was not clean, but I am guessing some visitor moved the dirty dishes to the next door table, just to clear a place to sit down. There were at least 3 parties of 4 who came by looking for a place to sit, but did not because the place was so terribly covered in dirty dishes, that they moved on down the channel to eat and drink somewhere else.

We went in late July, and the place has been open for months. That should have been enough time for the Brass Pelican management to figure out work flow, and at least get a bus-person out there, and not leave everything to only one waitress who was obviously overwhelmed.

panoramic view of the ConAgra plant

We got some bar snacks, drinks and a salad. The bar snacks, house made chips, wings and perogies were very good. There are a ton of different flavors including the original Buffalo, teriyaki, garlic, parmesan, butter, bbq, etc. That wings are worth visiting the Brass Pelican. The perogies also were good, and served in a classic way with sauteed onions and sour cream. The salad was scary and sad with wilted lettuce and a dirty bowl. The chips were not crispy enough, rather they were soggy. Getting drinks was tough because the waitress barely came around and we were awfully thirsty. At a bar with food, it is important to keep people hydrated with water because they are bound to stay longer and order more. When our little water glasses ran out, and our salty bar snack foods too hold, we either wanted more drinks and water, or to leave. The 1st chance we got, we left because we just needed water.