Feed Your Soul: The Fat Pelican Bar and Grill

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - The Fat Pelican Bar and Grill in Monroe has been a neighborhood staple for years.

“Six wonderful years. It’s some of the best experiences I’ve had in my life, honestly,” said owner and chef Chris McKnight.

He and his wife Mandy opened the restaurant and has created a comfy atmosphere with the decor.

The name came about in an interesting way. It was named after a band.

“My daughter had a friend that was in a band called The Fat Pelican, and it just sounded right. It had the certain cusp of what we were looking for; the grip of Louisiana with the pelican and getting everybody a little fatter every now and then is a good thing,” said McKnight.

McKnight trained under a premier local chef in the area.

“One of the best chefs around Cory Bahr, and I worked at Sage for about eight years,” said McKnight.

Even with ten years of kitchen experience from local chains, McKnight was eager to learn more about food from Chef Bahr.

“You know, I really thought I knew how to cook till I got there and then a whole new world was opened up to me, starting it at the low levels of how things are formed for the dish to get on the plate, seeing everything behind the scenes, the making of sauces, the chopping of vegetables, everything that comes together to make this one dish is really inspiring,” said McKnight.

The inspiration is peppered in each dish and has some with that Creole and Cajun flare. The dining manager, Kelsey Foster, loves the dishes served here and gave some suggestions.

“At lunch, it’s definitely the shrimp po’boy, and then at dinner, I would probably go for the shrimp polenta or the barbecue shrimp,” said Foster.

Trying the Shrimp and Polenta is one of Chef McKnight’s menu items that definitely has that simple, yet great flavor. The spice level was just right and not overpowering; with a subtle spiciness. Yet, going there, you not only have great food but great company as well.

“The community that you get whenever you come in here and you can visit with the customers because it is more of a family in here than just a restaurant. We do engage with our customers and it’s a friendship,” said Foster.

“We are family here and that’s the only way to describe it,” says McKnight. That is another reason to head to The Fat Pelican and feed your soul.

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