Edition:
January 21, 2005
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Columnist
It is the first Sunday after the deluge. A raging Salt Creek has dropped to a trickle, the San Jacinto River has returned to its banks and the causeways in the community are again traversable; only wispy remnants of depleted storm clouds mar a blue sky. It is a perfect day for brunch at the Lighthouse.
Eight of us went at noon to celebrate a birthday. Our corner table gave us views of the green hills – and the muddy brown surface of our lake. In time, of course, the hills and the lake will trade colors and that view will change. No matter, the panorama of Canyon Lake is always beautiful.
But now it was time for brunch. The doors open at 10 o’clock Sundays and by noon the brunch was in full swing. We settled in at our table. Jorge Garcia approached and announced he would be our server and asked for our drink orders. Soon, water, coffee, apple cider and champagne arrived.
When we entered the Lodge, guests were seated at tables in the bar, on the bar patio, on the landing outside and in the dining room. Some of us circled the serving counters enroute to our corner table. A sure sign of a classy brunch is the presence of oysters on the half shell and peeled shrimp. The eyes of everyone in our group didn’t light up at this revelation, but mine did. I would be back.
The omelet bar was busy as was the roast beef and pancake stations. There were salads and rolls, cheeses and fruit, eggs benedict, potatoes, bacon and sausage, a savory stew, sliced and sautéed yellow and green courge (squash), chicken, crab with rice – the list went on. .
Our group was large enough to breakdown into components; the two kids went out first and returned shortly with pancakes and bacon. This stimulated the rest of us to form up and move out. I went alone to the oyster bar.
It is mildly interesting to note what others choose as first selections from an all-you-can-eat buffet. There appears to be a psychological component to their thinking. Eat lightly in the first round; save space for the main course. At our table there were fruit plates, salads, rolls – all preliminary to the main event.
I began with oysters and peeled shrimp (the child sitting next to me recoiled when I offered him a half-shell - oysters are an acquired taste.)
Our server, Jorge, promptly refilled our glasses and cleared away the used plates as the second wave set out for the buffet. I headed for the omelet bar. I always marvel at the skill of the omelet maker. Steven Lineras is a master. On this day, and on previous occasions, I watched Steven practice his art. Oiling the pan and adding ingredients is pretty routine; tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, ham, olives, green and red peppers, some jalapeno for zest and cheese were my choices (I stopped adding because Steven needed room in the pan for the egg batter.) As the concoction simmered and sizzled, Steven poked, prodded and stirred – waiting for the “moment.” When it arrived – and this is where the real skill kicks in – he flips the omelet.
Flipping an omelet may seem pretty simple to the casual observer, but think about it. First, the assembled ingredients must have cohered into a stable mass that won’t disintegrate as it rises from the pan. Then it must execute a 180 degree turnover in the air and settled back precisely into the pan. Steven does this so smoothly that one might overlook the precise hand-eye coordination required of this feat.
Eggs benedict were the second course selection for some at our table. There is some mystery as to the origin of this breakfast favorite. What is sure is that it was not the Benedictine Monks, or Benedict Arnold, that inspired the dish; more likely it sprang from the musings of a New York restaurateur trying to add zest to a monotonous breakfast menu. No matter who gets credit for its creation, it is a clever way to present the standard “bacon, eggs and toast” breakfast familiar to all. Instead of spreading it across a plate, just stack it up and eat it all at once. Serve the potatoes on the side. Hollandaise sauce adds an exotic air.
Prime rib and rare roast beef showed up on two plates at our table. In a previous interview, Food and Beverage Manager Tim Tait confirmed that only “certified Angus Beef” would grace the menu at the Lighthouse. I’ve made my way through most of the beef dishes offered; all lived up to that claim. Our tablemates expressed the same satisfaction.
Back to oysters. Once upon a time, I too shied away from the notion of eating an oyster – raw or otherwise. As a boy, oysters were the source of the black pearls sought after by swashbuckling movie heroes in Technicolor South Sea adventures featuring a brave, young Polynesian pearl diver whose foot gets caught by a giant clam and is rescued by the brave ships captain who dives to his rescue and spends 12 minutes underwater prying his foot loose before the shark gets there and is celebrated on shore with a big feast and is given a sack full of black pearls and the princess for his troubles but nobly refuses them all and sails away into the sunset as the drums beat louder and the princess sheds a tear on the shore. It was years after Hollywood quit making those pictures that I consumed my first Oyster on a Half Shell; I’ve been hooked ever since.
I was asked once by an acquaintance watching me consume an oyster, “Hey, you like omelets. Whyncha git a oyster omelet?” I have. They’re called Hangtown Fries, oysters mixed in a scrambled egg batter and fried in a skillet. The dish was created during the Gold Rush in Hangtown, California (now called Placerville.) It was a high-end menu item because eggs and oysters were rare in the Sierras.
Anyway, oysters are only part of the bountiful choices for Brunch at the Lighthouse. That claim is easily checked out any Sunday from 10 a.m. until 2 in the afternoon. Price is $17.95 for adults and $7.95 for children 10 and younger.
Oh, and let me tell you about the dessert bar – no, wait! I’ll save that for another time.
NOTE TO MANAGEMENT: I encountered a very nice lady checking out the heat trays. She was holding a plate in one hand, a tray lid in the other and wondering out loud why the Lighthouse didn’t provide hangers on the trays to hold the lid while she served herself. Seemed like a good question.
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