Large portions by the shore

Mary Furr

The Shore House Cafe at the top of Main Street across from the

library is a location that has housed various ethnic kitchens. We

first knew it as a Swedish Smorgasbord, then it was a French place

and now it is owned by veteran restaurateurs David and Diane

Bonadonna. It’s the epitome of a beach city cafe -- casual, laid-back

-- a “drop-in” kind of place open daily at 7 a.m. and on to a 10 p.m.

closing.

The wedge-shaped, window-wrapped dining room curves around the

corner surrounded with outside umbrella-ed tables, which catch the

hungry early morning surfers or lingering evening couples and

families. It attracts a variety of diners with its huge menu,

declaring a reputation for “enormous portions,” which is so true.

We’d previously tried the country scramble ($7.95) on a big hot

platter that combines pieces of ham, sausage, bacon, mushrooms,

spinach and onions in a “clean the refrigerator” three-egg combo,

which was better than anything I’d had previously that included a

jumble of fresh cantaloupe, watermelon, pineapple and orange slices

-- a good balance of tastes.

Today it was shrimp scampi ($13.95), six tail-on plump firm pink

shrimp tossed with an excellent mix of fresh angel hair pasta,

sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and mushrooms flavored with wine

and garlic -- a sophisticated dish created by chef Ricky Rojas. This

entree is from the “Italian Favorites” section of the menu that

offers 14 choices -- everything from homemade spaghetti with

meatballs ($11.95) to a veggie lasagna ($11.98). And hooray for the

service, which brings hot food on hot plates, sometimes even held

with a napkin.

Also served with entrees are the very good large bowls of soup (or

salad if you choose). On Friday, it’s a wonderful creamy clam

chowder, thick and flavorful with bits of clam, celery and not loaded

with potatoes.

According to head waitress Donna Parkhurst, chef Ricky follows

owner David Bonadonna’s recipes and makes all the sauces and soups

from scratch in portions that are really enough for two. My choice of

chicken pot pie ($8.95) has white chicken breast cubes with carrots

baked in a crust with a mound of mashed potatoes and gravy, a big

helping of colorful mixed squash and zucchini and even a small ear of

corn. For me, the pie lacked seasoning and the crust was not as light

as it could have been.

Dessert is another large portion of homemade bread pudding

($3.95), a big square with a baked top in a creamy pudding pool and

squiggle of whipped cream around the edge.

The Shore House, when we were there, seemed short of staff. We

observed a couple leaving because of a lack of a receptionist. Our

server, Liz Moreno, did a good job but it’s difficult to cover both

the inside and outside tables.

The Shore House offers a large menu equal to its great location.

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

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

hbindy@latimes.com