A long overdue lunch at the Palm Court

Back in April, I was fortunate enough to be a judge at the 2005 Taste of Huntington Beach. My vote for “best bite” went to the crab cakes so elegantly served up by the Palm Court restaurant. These delectable creations also won the favor of other judges and were voted the “best taste.”

The crab cakes, being so wondrous, left me longing to try more of the Palm Court’s offerings. Over the next several months I brainstormed ways of procuring sufficient funding in order to dine at a place where a pastrami sandwich fetches $15. Do I bankrupt my secret poker stash for one meal? Skim from the boys’ allowance? Demand the wife return her unused Pampered Chef products? (The answers -- no way, possibly and not if I know what’s good for me.)

Fortunately for me, the Palm Court is celebrating its 15th anniversary by offering a three-course lunch for $19.90 throughout November. Lunch consists of chowder, your choice of one of three entrees and dessert.

Located inside the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort, Palm Court diners have the option of eating inside the casually elegant dining room or sitting out on the poolside patio.

In the sparsely populated dining room, all the men were adorned with dark suits and seemed to be discussing business deals of the highest importance. Since my buddy Big Jim and I were casually dressed, and knowing our discussion would center around the scarcity of Baywatch reruns on television, we opted to sit outside and relish the ocean view.

We were greeted with a trio of fresh breads -- surprisingly good olive bread, sourdough and some crispy lavash -- and a citrus-tinged iced tea accompanied by a miniature decanter of liquid sugar.

All three-course lunch specials begin with California white clam chowder made with apple wood-smoked bacon. A sufficient number of clams and robust bacon flavor make this creamy concoction a winner.

The anniversary lunch allows you to choose one of the following entrees: chopped turkey cobb salad, Atlantic salmon BLT or the Palm Court burger. Our Atlantic salmon BLT had no T -- as in tomato. How you forget tomato in a BLT is beyond me. Regardless, this sandwich was pretty good, thanks in part to an expertly seared salmon filet, a tangy barbecue mayo and some buttery Texas toast.

Our other selection was the Palm Court burger made from certified Angus beef and cooked to your liking (at least in theory). Our “medium” burger was so well done that when bitten into not one speck of juice stained the bun. On top of that, the cheese wasn’t fully melted and the quality of the fries was several notches below that of Ore-Ida shoestring fries.

The New York cheesecake with blueberry compote was absolutely splendid. This light and creamy creation, with a wonderful cinnamon graham cracker crust, left me anxious to try their other desserts (apple cranberry pistachio crisp, bittersweet chocolate and banana cream tart).

Regularly priced menu items of interest include a creamless tomato soup with little grilled cheese sandwiches; an open-faced New York steak sandwich, a warm goat cheese salad and grilled swordfish.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Palm Court

WHERE: 21100 Pacific Coast Highway at the Waterfront Hilton

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday; 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday brunch.

INFO: (714) 845-8444

* JOHN VOLO is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments or suggestions, e-mail hbfoodguy@yahoo.com.