Restaurant Review:

If any restaurant is themed to capture the charm and quaintness of Balboa Island, it is Wilma’s Patio.

The restaurant feels like a cross between a cafeteria and a country cottage with both its décor and cuisine.

Not only is there a homey feel because of those two things, but the lineage of owners and employees also add to it. It was opened in 1975 by Maurice and Wilma Staudinger. Maurice died in 1995, and now his children help run the restaurant. The cooks come from two families and are cousins. The restaurant exudes family and community.

I love the story about how the restaurant was so popular for breakfast that, on Sunday mornings, the crowd of people from St. Vinnaey’s Catholic Church across the street left Mass early to make sure they got a table. The monsignor apparently caught wind of this and started locking the door until he was done.

Breakfast is definitely the biggest seller of the day and for good reason. Eat a Balboa Belly Bomber, and you will immediately begin planning a return visit. The mini-round of French bread is hollowed and then stuffed with a scrambled egg mixture that can include ham and cheddar cheese and other items.

The omelets, pancakes, waffles and French toast are also popular, and one of my favorites is the lox and bagel. There aren’t a lot of places that will give you capers with your lox, and I love the tomato and onion combo they use.

This visit, though, was for dinner and it is definitely a different vibe from the breakfast crowd. Dinner is more relaxed and, in the old days, the restaurant didn’t even serve dinner after the summer months.

There were fewer people in the restaurant, and that was fine with my guest and myself. We grabbed one of the padded faux leather booths and plopped down.

The menu is pretty extensive for the last meal of the day — everything from Mexican to seafood to pasta. The lunch menu can also be ordered at dinner, and that opens up things considerably.

Dinner has a section called Wilma’s Favorites, and the four items are pure comfort food. There is a meat loaf with a brown gravy that I thought was perfect for the entrée. Pot roast, top sirloin and a vegetable plate with Hollandaise sauce are the other selections.

I got the fried chicken and was not disappointed. The honey used in the batter is evident, and the skin had a nice crisp texture. The meat was good, though I got a piece of thigh that was a bit chewy in one spot.

My guest had the garlic chicken sausage penne. The sausage had a really rich flavor and, mixed with the bell peppers and onions, was a nice fit. I liked the marinara sauce, but I wished the dish had more garlic. That is a personal preference in my quest to have garlic take over the food world.

We topped our meal off with the ultimate in comfort food, splitting a piece of apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top.

This is a great family place, and the atmosphere is always warm. The coffee and sodas are always topped off, and the wait staff will talk with you as long as you let them.

The food will always be solid, if not spectacular, but it does what it is meant to do, which is fill you up and satisfy your hunger.

A meal here and a walk around the island are as soul soothing an experience as one can have in the bustle of Orange County.

Wilma’s Patio

Address: 203 Marine Ave., Balboa Island

Phone: (949) 675-5542

Website: www.wilmaspatio.com

Cuisine: American

Specialty dish: Pot roast

Alcohol served: Beer and wine

Entrée price range: $11.35 to $28.10

Family friendly: Yes, separate children’s menu

Credit cards accepted: American Express, MasterCard and Visa

Rating: ***

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at [email protected] or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.