Scallop Stuffed Artichoke @ Pelican Club
Scallops are not from around here, but in these days of being able to fly any seafood anywhere, it's easy to find good ones around town. I can think of many versions around town that I love, but none better than the way they cook the big diver scallops at the Pelican Club. They sear them first, and place them around some artichoke heart, splayed out into a flower around an artichoke bottom. The whole thing is touched with a garlic beurre blanc, and the net effect takes full advantage of the flavor affinities between scallops (or any other bivalve, for that matter) and artichokes. This is the best appetizer in the house, which is saying something given the size and goodness of the shrimp remoulade and lump crabmeat ravigote the Pelican Club puts out.
