Dining Out

Mary Furr

Have you ever wanted to work in a place where you had had a great

birthday party when you were a youngster, with a marching band and

clowns? Well, Manager Lawrence Boyd did -- of course, then it was

Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor at Brookhurst Street and Adam Avenue in

Huntington Beach. Now it’s the Market Broiler. Boyd has worked up from

server to manager -- and he still loves it!

A recent addition to the Broiler’s appetizer menu that has become popular

according to Boyd is snow crab won tons ($5.95), six tissue-thin,

bite-size pillows filled with lots of shredded crab and bits of onion

perfectly arranged on a triangular plate with a sweet, tangy sauce

sitting in the center on a pile of shredded lettuce and carrot threads --

the whole sprinkled with tiny black poppy seeds.

Shrimp scampi (lunch $8.95, dinner $12.95) was a perfect entree -- plump,

tender shrimp sauteed in a medium garlic, wine and butter sauce with a

definite wine taste. Great to pick up by the tails and swish around in

the sauce.

Entrees come with side choices. A good and different cheese potato has a

scoop of mashed potatoes mixed with a baked cheese topping. The cole

slaw, another side, is thinly sliced with purple and white cabbage and

carrots -- good, without too much mayonnaise.

The halibut brochette ($7.95) -- big pieces of flaky white halibut

skewered with tomato, onion and bell pepper -- has a good charred, smoky

taste enhancing the moist texture -- an excellent choice from the lunch

menu (Monday through Saturday until 3 p.m.) and marked with a symbol for

seniors who receive a dollar discount.

Also from the lunch menu are pasta ($5.95 to $8.95), sandwiches ($5.95 to

$7.95), salads ($5.95 to $8.95) and “dishes without fishes,” offering

chicken, steak and a new item: the half rack of ribs ($8.95). For a quick

nutritious lunch, there’s the petite combo ($5.75): a cup of their great

chowder -- Boston (white) or Manhattan (red) -- with a dinner salad and

ice tea or soft drink.

Manager Boyd says the design-your-own combo (any two, $11.95; any three, $13.95) from among eleven choices is very popular. There’s rainbow trout,

Hawaiian glazed ribs, roast chicken, scallops and snow crab legs. That’s

what’s great about the Broiler -- freshness of product and variety of

preparation.

Our serve Sherry, with the Lauren Bacall laugh, urges dessert, and who

could resist the mud pie ($4.50)? It’s a three-layer coffee ice cream

wedge with chocolate crust drizzled with hot fudge with whipped cream and

roasted nuts on the side.

The menu is huge and, like a kid in a candy store, you’ll find it hard to

decide. But it’s nearly all healthy eating at a price you can afford, so

be a kid again and indulge.

FYI

MARKET BROILER

WHERE: 20111 Brookhurst St., Huntington Beach

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m.

Friday and Saturday.

MISCELLANEOUS: Take out on entire menu. Credit cards accepted.

PHONE: 963-7796