The final service at Pelican & Pig carried a mix of emotions. At the chef’s counter, where smoke from the wood-fired grill slipped past the hood system and lingered in the air, two diners looked startled when a line cook told them it was the restaurant’s last night.
Behind the counter, cooks moved through the familiar rhythm of service, plating dishes and calling orders even as the room palpably wound down. Server Kate Bradford crossed items off the menu with a black pen as they sold out. The music faded, and no one turned it back on. The last ribeye crossed the pass, cooked perfectly, as though there were more to come.
“I feel like I’ve just been pushing it out of my head all week just to get through service,” said Bradford, 26. “This was the first job I’ve ever had where I was excited to come to work.”…