Park Avenue Cafe

The Park Avenue Cafe Is my favorite Restaurant on Balboa Island.

When I first moved here 20 years ago I had an interesting landlord, Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly was in his late 80s and would drive down to Balboa Island every Tuesday so he could go fishing with Jim Jennings on Wednesday and then return to Santa Monica on Thursday. Mr. Kelly and Jim both represented a lot of what Balboa Island was about in 'the good old days'.

When I first met Mr. Kelly he told me he just wanted a rent check once a month and a Christmas card. Not being one to let a relationship languish like that, we became great friends. And Mr. Kelly added taking me to the Park Avenue Cafe for lunch every Tuesday to his regular schedule. I loved the restaurant and the great 'home cooked' flavor of the food. We would have the same thing every week - me the Park Avenue Melt with no Onions and he the BLT.

Mr. Kelly was a lawyer and I could be one - so there was plenty of talk. It was then that I learned that sometimes older men lose the 'censuring ability' we have in gentile talk and say embarrassing things about sex and other topics - loudly - it made for interesting and unusual lunches to say the least.

After Mr. Kelly died I met Mike and we continued to go to the Park Avenue Cafe on a regular basis. I do not like to cook so sometimes we ate there almost every night. Mike loved the pot roast - just like mom used to make. In the summer he had to remember to make a reservation on Wednesday night so he could make sure it was still there when we got to the restaurant. Mike's other favorite was the Eggs Benedict on Saturday and Sunday morning. Me, I love everything - especially the Fish and Chips. We have friends from Vancouver who come and tell us how great that is, even though their part of the world has great fish and chips too.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner - the Park Avenue is just a few houses down from me and the food is consistently good and nutritious. Probably because the owners, Bill and Denise Hardesty, eat there themselves every day. And normally there isn't a long wait - waiting isn't something I do well. It used to be on Monday nights we had the added bonus of seeing Dean Koontz and his dog Trixie there - but all things change and that hasn't happened lately that I know of.

Last night we went to the Park Avenue and had a fabulous dinner. Recently I told Bill I missed the 'chicken chardonnay' that he used to have and he called me on Thursday and said the cooks bought the grapes necessary to make it. In addition Mike's 'steak and lobster' special was on the menu. So off we went with my niece Myria who is a vegetarian and enjoyed a fabulous plate piled high with vegetables and rice and a great bottle of California red wine. Add the wonderful warm rolls and a great salad and we were all happy when we picked our cat Magic off the patio where he consistently loves to beg for food and walked the few steps to our house.

Thanks Bill and Denise and Kiley and Cindy and Christian everyone who takes care of us. Thank you Mr. Kelly for introducing me to "the Park" and to all my friends who congregate there. And a giant thanks to Bill and Denise for the Gift Certificate which made last night possible. Your timing could not have been better!!

Since their restaurant is my favorite we give gift certificates to the Park Avenue Cafe to our Island Flooring Clients as a "thank you". And last night we got a wonderful "Thank You" from Bill and Denise and Kim in return. You guys rock!!!!

I love Balboa Island - the people and the business owners and everything about it, and that is why I live here and why I have had so much fun with www.balboa-island.com.