Early or late, Jon’s is great

DINING OUT

Seeking a comfort zone for breakfasts where the owner knows your name

and you know hers? Drop by Jon’s Coffee Shop on Bolsa Chica Street

and Heil Avenue and you will be greeted by owner Candice Dubrin, who,

nine years ago, inherited the 25-year-old cafe from her dad, Jon

Pence.

It might be 6 a.m. or 11 p.m. but the light will be on and your

friendly server will be ready to bring a warm plate with perfect

over-easy eggs, thick toast, orange juice and steaming coffee. The

cook, Temo Hernandez, has been at Jon’s for 20 years and his

breakfast selections now number more than 30 -- anything from old

fashioned oatmeal ($2.95) with brown sugar, raisins and spiced apples

to New York steak with two eggs and toast, on special ($7.95).

We sat in one of the cozy booths -- there is a 10-stool counter and tables on an outdoor patio. The generosity of my order was

astounding -- two medium thickness, mild pork sausage patties, one

egg over easy and, on a separate plate, a crisp Belgian waffle, the

extra large honey-combed surface perfect for holding warm syrup.

On another occasion, I had the special New York steak with two

eggs, toast and juicy ripe water melon slice, sweet honey dew and

chunky pineapple. The steak, which covered one side of the warm

plate, was disappointing -- very firm but verging on toughness.

A light, healthy selection is the grilled halibut steak ($9.50), a

thick slice of pure, white, flaky fish served with a steamed al dente

vegetable and a well-seasoned mound of rice pilaf. This perfectly

balanced dish not only looks good, it’s healthy.

The 3-5 R ($7.95) is a daily special server Jackie says is an

overlooked bargain -- soup, garden salad, mashed potato, roll and

apple pie with an entree choice of roasted chicken, top sirloin or

fish tempura.

The generosity at Jon’s extends to every dish -- the a la carte

vegetable beef soup ($2.65) made fresh daily, is loaded with

cauliflower, green beans, carrots, bell peppers, corn a chunks of

beef in a mildly spicy broth -- it looks more like a bowl of fresh

vegetables than a soup -- just right for a healthy light lunch. Mark

Twain once said cauliflower was nothing but cabbage with a college

education. This soup has earned a degree.

Owner Candice has known some diners for nearly 20 years. As we

talked, a customer from Huntington Harbour stopped by to say she’d

been coming every day for 10 years. Some diners even eat three meals

a day at Jon’s, which is as much like home as you’ll get.

Enjoy this comfort zone and let your imagination travel as you

admire the many ship models collected by Jon, who was a World War II

Navy man.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

[email protected]