A Plum good place to have lunch

Jennifer K Mahal

There’s just something about Plums on 17th Street and Tustin

Avenue that keeps me coming back. Maybe it’s the quiet, covered patio

where you can talk under warming heat lamps. Maybe it’s the welcoming

inside, where the sounds echo but the art on the wall soothes. Most

likely it’s the food, which manages to both comfort and qualify as

gourmet without the high prices.

Using ingredients like marionberries and salmon, the menu of Plums

offers a taste of Northwest cuisine without having to brave the

colder, wetter weather.

Though Plums serves a wonderful breakfast -- I once had a waffle

here to die for -- it is lunch that usually draws me. The sandwiches

at Plums are enough to feed two people. It’s a good thing they offer

half servings, complete with a choice of potato, pasta or garden

salad.

On my last visit there, I had a half serving of a Tuscan chicken

sandwich ($6.50), a plump, juicy grilled chicken breast with

sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, pine nuts and pesto dressing. The

combination of the basil-infused sauce with the crunch of the nuts

and the tangy tomatoes makes this a real treat. The only hang-up is

that to keep your business suit clean, you may need to eat it with a

knife and fork. The crusty baguette it is served on can be a little

tough to chew.

I chose the bowtie pasta salad as an accompaniment. Sprinkled with

Romano, farfalle pasta is mixed with tomatoes, onions and pesto for a

satisfying side.

My friend ordered a half serving of the turkey and avocado

sandwich ($6.50), plenty of thin-sliced turkey layered with fresh

avocados and Oregon pepper bacon. It was his first time to Plums and

I could tell by his expression -- and because he said he really liked

the sandwich -- that he will probably be back. He even gave a thumbs

up to the dill red potato salad.

Other sandwiches I recommend are the vegetarian grill, marinated

and grilled eggplant, zucchini and onions brushed with a

rosemary-garlic infusion and covered with slices of mozzarella; the

Northwest turkey sandwich, roast turkey breast, tomato and daikon

sprouts with plum-cranberry chutney (could use a little more

cranberry, but it’s still good); and the hungry man beef, slices of

roast beef with tomato, lettuce, grilled onion, Dijon cream cheese

and light horseradish.

One of the two times I had the beef sandwich, there wasn’t enough

cream cheese, making it a little dry. But I ordered it again anyway,

and the second time convinced me to put it on my list of

recommendations.

If salad is what you are in the mood for, the winter spinach salad

($6.95/half, $8.95/whole) is a yummy treat -- it even has dried

cranberries in it. For something warm, try Adrienne’s Cannon Beach

Salmon Chowder ($7.50 as part of soup/salad). This lovely cream-based

soup has chunks of potato and salmon and comes with a rosemary scone.

You cannot leave Plums without trying their desserts. OK, you can,

but you’ll regret it. If you want to go simple, try their

chocolate-dipped macaroons. Chewy coconut covered in rich dark

chocolate, this cookie will leave you with a smile. If chocolate is

what you like, you must have one of their chocolate espresso

brownies. It’s a reason to go there by itself. Lemon bars,

marionberry tarts, cheesecakes and more make the dessert menu very

tempting.

The service at Plums has always been exceptional, a reason to tip

above the average. Take a break in the middle of your day, de-stress

and go have lunch at Plums. You won’t spend your week’s salary, and

you’ll leave feeling refreshed.

* JENNIFER K MAHAL is features editor of the Daily Pilot. She may

be reached at (949) 574-4282.