MARY FURR -- Dining Out

Start your Fourth of July with a bang-up jog around Lake Huntington in

Central Park in Huntington Beach, stopping to refuel with homemade

cinnamon rolls at Alice’s Breakfast in the Park. The spicy aroma that

wafts around that area comes from the small red cottage owned by Alice

Gustafson -- a 10-table place filled with collectibles that would delight

any ardent watcher of the “Antique Roadshow.”

Breakfast here fills nearly two pages of the menu with everything from

the BIP (Breakfast in the Park, $3.95) -- which consists of an egg, four

pancakes and ham, bacon or sausage -- to a simple dish of creamy oatmeal

($2.50) or homemade biscuits and sausage gravy ($2.95).

Daughter Mary Beth’s specialty, the Outrageous Cinnamon Nut Roll ($2.95),

is a made-from-scratch dough spiral dusted with mildly sweet cinnamon.

Any nuts, however, were missing from ours.

Another breakfast choice that appeals is Make Your Own Omelet ($5.95 to

$6.95), which allows you to choose three items from 14 choices. The good

egg mix, stuffed with what you’ve chosen, is folded over to cover half

the plate and will easily stave off hunger until an early dinner.

If you select a side to go with any egg dish, don’t overlook the home

fries ($1.50 to $2.50), cut round on the diagonal like great silver

dollars, about a quarter-inch thick and deep-fried quickly so they’re

almost oil-free. The bacon (six slices, $2.50) is also crisp and light.

The usual triumvirate of lunch choices -- soup, salad and sandwiches --

though served on or with good, dense homemade breads made by Mary Beth --

lacked seasonings. The Patty Melt ($5.50), a half pound of ground beef

with Swiss cheese oozing out from Swedish rye bread, was quite bland.

The Club ($6), with slices of ham and turkey, three strips of bacon,

lettuce and tomato, was on bread so thick it was nearly impossible to

manage. It was too generous; filling, but not satisfying.

The main entree of Icelandic Cod Fish and Chips ($6.95) has six fish

fillets deep fried in a light batter with those good home fries, which

will satisfy anyone who has made the jog around the lake.

Alice’s is a great place to take the kids on the Fourth. With a hot dog

($3.75) in one hand and a bag of duck food ($1) in the other, they can

eat outside amid a cluster of tame ducks begging for crumbs.

Open from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily, this gem of a restaurant with its

park-like setting provides a respite before the Big Bang begins at the

Huntington Beach High School stadium.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments or

suggestions for her, call (562) 493-5062.

FYI

Alice’s Breakfast in the Park

WHERE: 6622 Lakeview Drive (left off Edwards Street at Central Park

Drive), Huntington Beach

HOURS: 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

CALL: (714) 848-0690

MISC.: Reservations suggested. Cash or personal checks only. There is a

gift shop.