Lunch in the City - The Garden Court at The Palace Hotel

My friend Rey got engaged recently (congrats Rey!) so Caloy, Rey and I got together for breakfast so we can get the scoop and the plans for the wedding.

Rey and Caloy have not been to The Garden Court so I thought this venue would be perfect to talk about the details of the wedding plan. The food was great, the service topnotch and friendly and the ambiance classy!

Can you believe that the first and the last time I have been to The Garden Court was way back in 1997 when my former  consulting firm's account manager took me out for lunch. I was new in the States back then so I didn't fully appreciate the place. I even hurt my hard palatte because I tried to bite bread with a hard crust. That this Filipino guy's first time to eat an artisan bread and I took a mental note that these bread are broken first using the hands and eaten in small pieces. I smile everytime I remember this.

Over 15 years later, I was back at the same restaurant with my friends. I love the layout of the dining room. Lots of natural light.

I arrived first at the restaurant. I thought that was perfect since it will give me time take pictures of the place.  Our friendly server handed me the menu and asked if I wanted coffee. She also kindly reminded me that California is having a drought and they will only serve if we ask, not by default. Rey arrived after 10 mins. Caloy, 5 minutes after Rey.

 They served us this free fresh bread selections with butter. The bread was warm when it was served. The coffee was good too.

I ordered the Palace Signature Crab Salad which consists of English cucumbers, fine herbs, cherry tomatoes, and the Palace Hotel Green Goddess Dressing. I smiled when I read the Green Goddess dressing part. It was very good and hearty!

Caloy ordered this American Kobe Beef Burger which consists of crispy onions, artisan cheese, bacon and truffle fries. Of course, we all got to try the truffle fries and I liked it. Caloy said he liked the burger because it was juicy and tender.

Rey decided to order this Roasted Filet Salmon which consists of dungeness crab and spinach flan, gingered broken rice, buttered broccolini and sauce choron. I didn't get to try Rey's dish but it looked really good.

We got the details of the wedding and we are all very excited about Rey's engagement.

Overall, the dining experience was wonderful. The service, the food and the dining area was top notch. We really enjoyed the brunch at The Garden Court. 

~rl