Monday Night Football at The Pelican Grill? Whaaa?

The Pelican Grill at the Pelican Hill Resort is the last place I would think of when it comes to Monday Night Football. After all, this is a valet-parking, ocean-views, uniformed-waiter, white-table-cloth kind of establishment, where the customers are the country-club types, not the average Joe Six-Pack (to borrow a recently heard term).

But that's not stopping Donald Bren and company. They've got two 9'x6' HDTVs that will be tuned to the game and a "Burger and Brews" menu to feed any deep-pocketed sports fans in attendance.

Since this is still Pelican Grill, it won't be your typical pub fare. For their "burgers", they boast the use of Brandt Farm Beef, Norbest free-range turkey, and of course, American Kobe.

Here's a sampling of what'd fill up your gut if you were to go to the Pelican Grill for Monday Night Football:

- Colorado High Mountain Lamb, made with fresh ground Colorado lamb, tomato, cucumber and hummus herb yogurt sauce.

- Ahi Tuna, with #1 grade ahi tuna steak, piquillo peppers, balsamic onions, lettuce and mayonnaise.

- Dungeness Crab Cake, with romaine lettuce, tomato and tarter sauce.

- Surf and Turf made with fresh ground Brandt farm beef, half Maine lobster, sautéed spinach and whole grain mustard sauce.

The coup de grâce is called The Classic Burger Rossini, made with American Kobe, sautéed foie gras and black truffle Madeira sauce. The cost? A cool $50.

Joe Six-Pack might get a beating from Jane Hockey-Mom if she ever saw the tab.

On related news, although The Irvine Company laid off about 100 administrative employees this past August, it's been on a hiring frenzy at the Pelican Hill Resort in anticipation for its opening on November 26. Reports have put the number at about a thousand new hires, and suggest that it will top out around 4,400 by that target date.