delectation

Park Chalet

On Sunday, Nora and I decided to spend the day at the beach, stopping first at Park Chalet -- newly opened this past April -- for some brunch. The hostess informed us that there was about an hour wait for a table, or we could sit on the lawn right away. There were a few bright yellow and green deck chairs scattered here and there; all were taken. But we had our beach towels with us, and were ready to spread them out quite happily, when a couple vacated their station, and we swooped down ... It was hot, and not many folks were brave/ tolerant enough of the heat and direct sunlight to opt for lawn dining. We are a spoiled lot indeed here in the Bay Area... But it was better than waiting an hour, and Nora and I loved the warmth. With enough liquids and some occasional breezes (we were right by the ocean, after all), it was wonderful.

Nora ordered a pizza topped with artichokes, panchetta, olives, mushroom, and poached egg, while I chose their Crab Salad Martini. Both were pretty good. The crab salad a nice mix of dungeness, avocado, diced red bell peppers and red onion, but the best part, I thought, was the crunchy crostini tucked in back smeared with garlicky aioli. I took a bite of Nora's pizza and enjoyed the creamy blandness of the poached egg juxtaposed with the salty rich pancetta.

At around 3pm the band, a group called Los Nadies (the nobodys) began to set up. We stayed for their warmup song, and left for the beach. We returned around 6pm with Brian, who was craving a beer, and the band was still playing. It was such a glorious day -- children frolicked, people smiled, we loved everything and everyone. The $9 mojitos were not as good as the ones at Luna Park, but at the end of this day, with the prospect of a good dinner awaiting, we didn't care very much.

Posted by claudine at September 7, 2004 11:45 AM