A Meal Fifty Years in the Making

 Pacific Hideaway

500 Pacific Coast Highway

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

It's birthday time for me, and this year it's a big one. I have finally hit the half-century milestone. That seems like a big number, but seeing so many of my high school friends already go through it on social media made it a little less scary. While I was waiting for my AARP card to arrive, I began looking for a restaurant to eat at off of my ever-growing restaurant wishlist. Katie was going to be playing hookey from work so we could celebrate with a birthday lunch. After much deliberation, I finally selected Pacific Hideaway in Huntington Beach. 

Pacific Hideaway is located in the Kimpton Shorebreak Hotel, which is a block north of the Huntington Beach Pier. The restaurant is situated on the third floor of the hotel. The vibe is hip, but not pretentious. It feels very open and airy, thanks in part to the two large roll-up doors that bring the outside in on the 300 plus days of perfect weather in this seaside paradise. 

This place caught my eye from the numerous media mentions I have spied since they opened four years ago. There's been some change in the leadership of Pacific Hideaway, but they still maintain a solid four-star rating on Yelp and get excellent press for their cocktail program. I had made reservations, but it was clear that they weren't needed when we visited here on an overcast Thursday afternoon early in June. We were one of three parties that dotted the dining area. 

The operating hours for Pacific Hideaway are pretty much all day, 8am to 10pm daily. They have a brunch menu in play seven days a week, then they start their dinner service at 4pm, although it's not listed on any menu. We were relegated to the brunch menu, which did have a wide variety to choose from, whether you are looking for breakfast items or a midday meal. Prices are $15 to $35 for their lobster roll, which at that price better have a pound of lobster on it. That's a little rich for my blood, even though it was my birthday. Let's see what we did end up having on this momentous occasion. 

Starting us off will be Katie's meal this afternoon. She went with the Crab Toast ($18) and Sweet Potato Fries ($7). Lump crab was placed on top of the housemade sourdough slice with a smear of avocado, pickled onion, and chili garlic oil. She loved the lightness of the crab and the way that the chili oil and pickled onion had a yin and yang thing going. I'm no fan of sweet potato fries, but these were some of the best I have had. They came with both ketchup and a garlic aioli that I think Katie asked for when ordering. The garlic aioli was my favorite, but I found myself using the ketchup as well, just for a little diversity.  

What to have when you reach a half-century? Fish and Chips ($26) would be the answer. Pacific Hideaway uses halibut instead of the usual cod most places use to make this. The difference was very apparent, even after one bite. The fish was fresh and the crunchy breading was very flavorful and lacked the greasiness you often associate with fish and chips. This came with coleslaw and fries. The fries were your basic fries but made better with the very nicely done remoulade sauce that I used with the fish also. The coleslaw kind of got lost here, as it was the loser of this plate. Not very flavorful whatsoever.  

Instead of a birthday dessert, I was given this Birthday Shot. To be honest, I do not remember what they called this, but it showed up on our check as a Kim Birthday item, and I do know it was made with Cruzan white rum and maybe some mango juice or another tropical juice of some sort. It was a nice touch to a solid birthday lunch. 

I really have no big qualms with the food at Pacific Hideaway. Besides the lackluster coleslaw, everything else was very tasty and impressed both Katie and me. I did find the prices to be a little high. Katie's slice of bread with crab and avocado was scrumptious, but not nearly enough to warrant almost paying $20 for it. I know that hotel restaurant prices are usually higher, but that seemed a little extreme. The service was cordial and very relaxed, which is what you really want at a beachside hotel. I'll definitely visit again to experience their dinner menu. I'll just have to make sure it's payday so I can enjoy their $62 new york strip steak or the eye-popping, wallet clearing $90 Thai snapper. Maybe on my next milestone birthday. 

Out of five train tracks, (because like me, 1971 was when Amtrak debuted, and just like them, I plan to keep chugging along), five being best to zero being worst, Pacific Hideaway gest 3.5 train tracks. 

For more information about Pacific hideaway, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.pacifichideawayhb.com/