Mary Furr -- Dining Out

Have you ever craved a spinach omelet at 3 a.m. or wanted to stoke up

on steak and eggs before a trip to Vegas? Harbor House Cafe, on Pacific

Coast Highway just south of the big wooden water tower in Sunset Beach,

is there for you and all the diners who line up every Sunday outside for

a seat at the counter or a booth in back to the patio plastered with

vintage movie posters.

We held the front screen door recently for a server coming out to

replenish the drinks of three dripping-wet surfers seated on the bench

outside devouring a plate of pancakes and eggs.

Walking past the nine-stool counter and labyrinth of black vinyl

booths, we settled in our favorite spot: the glass-enclosed,

awning-protected back patio where tables were nearly full with patrons

from age 3 to 83 as eclectic as the menu.

First, server Brandy brought glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice

(small, $1.85, large, $2.10) as we poured over the menu of egg dishes

($4.35-$10.50), omelets ($5.95-$9.95), lite and healthy food

($3.95-$7.65) and side orders of muffins, bagels and hobo potatoes

($1.50-$4.25) to settle on a new omelet: the Club House ($6.95).

The Club House is so filling you can easily skip lunch -- it’s a firm

egg envelope stuffed with tomato cubes, loads of fresh steamed spinach

and big pieces of lean bacon blanketed with a cover of melted cheddar.

There are 30 varieties of omelet from the usual to the unusual -- chorizo

with Mexican sausage, Bavarian with asparagus and sour cream, Hawaiian

with teriyaki or fresh crab with premium Canadian crab meat. Harbor House

has been doing omelet since opening in 1939, and they are experts in a

delicate craft. They were recognized by Orange Coast Magazine as serving

the best omelet in Orange Coast.

Fresh spinach is used in many dishes and is served with the New York

Steak and Eggs ($10.95) -- a trimmed, center cut beef steak nearly an

inch thick, char--marked with a good beef flavor. Served with fluffy

scrambled eggs, it’s a meat lover’s selection, firm not tough, yet with

enough trimmed fat for flavor.

Though breakfast is served all day, there are also lunch and dinner

selections of Mexican, Chinese, steak, chicken and seafood, with new

preparations popping up on the menu like Lemon Pepper Chicken ($9.25) or

Grilled Chicken Breast ($9.65) on fresh baked biscuit smothered in gravy.

According to owner Gary Quick, who bought Harbor House in 1975, the

restaurant has a history dating back to 1939 when it was known as the

Sunset Coffee House with one waitress and one cook. Now there are 50

employees and an extensive menu with items Quick says are suggested by

diners as diverse as athletes Mark McGwire and Shaquille O’Neal, former

TV stars Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and current lovely Brooks Shields.

Harbor House Cafe, with its round-the-clock menu and funky ambience,

has the appeal of a quality neighborhood hangout that conceals an

award-winning cuisine.

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

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

FYI

WHERE: Harbor House Cafe, 16341 Pacific Coast Highway, Sunset Beach.

Phone: (562) 592-5404.

Hours: Open daily, 24 hours.

Misc.: Beer wine. Major credit cards.