Sunday brunch by the beach

DINING OUT

When you call for a reservation for Sunday Brunch at Pete Mallory’s

Surf City Sunset Grille, they tell you that the fictitious Pete

Mallory has gone surfing in the islands, but they’ll take your

reservation. And you’ll need one for this very relaxed, resort-style

brunch.

Pulling into the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa,

there are columns of cars; a valet whisks yours away and you enter

the world of lush resorts. To the right of the luxurious lobby are

shops of resort wear, gifts and souvenirs and the entrance of Pete

Mallory’s Sunday Brunch ($29 per person). There’s a breezy

informality with young servers in flowered Hawaiian shirts moving

about a backdrop of varied colored chairs and tables, a banquette and

doors opening to a patio with burning fireplace and ocean views. You

feel like you’re on a holiday in the tropics.

A salad table at the entrance to the outdoor seating holds a big

bowl of shiny pink peel and eat shrimp with Pacific Rim sauce, fresh

and select. A long buffet displays the hot entrees -- there’s

wonderfully tender ‘beer can’ chicken, ginger green onion Pacific

snapper and papaya marinated tri-tip with guava sauce -- all

reflecting seasonal freshness.

David Bloomfield, chef de cuisine, who trained as a culinary major

at UCLA, says the tri-tip is so tender due to the effect of the

papaya which helps to break down the sinew.

Complimentary bottomless Bloody Mary’s are brought to the table as

you select from the buffet. As with other buffets, one problem is

keeping the food hot. Warm plates would help. Among the varied

selections scrambled eggs with bits of chorizo are firm and tasty,

chicken legs, wings and breast have deep flavors. A clever effort to

maintain the hot entrees is placing them in big covered wooden boxes

which you open to serve yourself.

Each dish is enhanced by a matching sauce. Slender, tender al

dente asparagus spears are served with bacon. A favorite on the

brunch is the chicken and tofu lettuce wrap. According to Chef David

it is “living butter lettuce” that comes to him in a big box growing

on a sponge. Amazing! He is a hands-on chef who wanders the serving

buffets -- the kind that guarantees well prepared food is served

properly.

Finally, there is a beautiful table of desserts prepared by Pastry

Chef Sylvia Datwiler from Switzerland and her four assistants.

Displayed, is the best, richest, smoothest cheese cake and key lime

pie this side of dessert heaven.

Thanksgiving will feature the same brunch selections with the

addition of turkey and the usual holiday selections. My

recommendation is to accept the fiction of surfer Pete Mallory, enjoy

the joke and the wonderful gourmet buffet.