Thanksgiving with the Duke

DINING REVIEW

If you want to show off Surf City to visiting friends and

relatives this Thanksgiving, there’s no better place than Duke’s, the

1940s colonial island restaurant at the base of the pier where Main

Street meets Pacific Coast Highway.

A friendly casualness pervades Duke’s with servers in Hawaiian

style shirts and diners in informal “SoCal” attire -- but its cuisine

is far from casual.

According to Executive Chef David Baumann, Thanksgiving food

service will run from 2 to 8 p.m. with additions to the regular menu.

Mahi mahi, which we tried recently, is wonderful -- sugar-spiced with

a dark, sweet papaya-mustard sauce that blended well with the firm

white fish. Herb-crusted fish is one of the most popular dishes with

fish being flown in daily from Hawaii, according to Manager Julia

Parker.

Duke’s offers meat, as well, with a slow roasted prime rib

($19.95) with fresh herbs and garlic and herb-infused au jus. Or

there is Huli Huli chicken ($14.95), voted Honolulu’s favorite

barbecue chicken, with garlic, ginger and shoyu (Japanese soy)

flavors with a fresh tropical salsa that is based on a family recipe.

If your Thanksgiving extends to Sunday brunch ($16.95), Duke’s

offers a brunch buffet that spreads through three rooms. There are

trays of crisp bacon and big plump link pork sausages with a mildly

spicy taste. The scrambled eggs, however, were disappointing, not

fluffy and almost cold. Not only could the steam trays be adjusted

for more consistent heating, but warm plates would help. A chef

carves ham and roast beef, and best of all, there are labels on

clever little surf boards identifying each tray’s contents.

The salad and dessert buffets are at one end of the main dining

room. There is fresh fruit -- the pineapple sweet and juicy -- elbow

macaroni salad not often found at buffets and the usual greens and

Caesar in large bowls. Here, too, area baskets of bagels, mounds of

cream cheese and silky smooth yogurt.

But the round table covered with tiny pastries, dark

chocolate-dipped strawberries, mini custard-filled eclairs and

squares of delicious cakes filled with pecans, chocolate bits and

unidentifiable “good stuff” ... you’d have to have a will of iron to

resist this beautiful selection.

Duke’s, named for Duke Kahanamoku, a Waikiki beach boy who became

a surfing legend and Olympic medalist, is a perfect fit for “Surf

City,” where annual surfing contests attract worldwide attention.

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

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or send e-mail to

hbindy@latimes.com.