The designers of Hilton's Coffee Garden divided a huge room into smaller, more intimate dining areas without losing a sense of spaciousness.
A long wall of windows, overlooking the pool, admits natural light without glare. The thick, dark-patterned carpet absorbs noise, and the furnishings do not call attention to themselves. The overall effect is quiet and peaceful, not what I would expect in a commercial travelers' hotel coffee shop.
The Coffee Garden's ambience resembles Oakmont Country Club at lunch time with highly polished brass fittings and sumptuous floral pieces. I noted that the Hilton diners were dressed like the lunch crowd at Oakmont; we saw no tee-shirts or denim.
The lunch menu offers a wide selection of salads, sandwiches, starters and entrees. Judie recommended a salad, but I spied the magic word, "buffet" and my decision was made. When I was a little girl, my family belonged to a Norwegian fraternal organization in Chicago. Nearly every weekend, we went to our private club to enjoy a traditional smorgasbord, the Scandina-vian buffet. Nowadays, I bring a childlike, gusty enthusiasm to the buffet table, balanced by a more mature palate and an eye towards design and presentation.
Hilton's buffet did not disappoint. The square buffet space is centered by a huge urn of flowers. The table to the left displays hot dishes, the one to the right presents cold foods. Desserts are set out on the rear table.
Heeding my mom's caution, "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach," I started lunch with dessert so as not to worry about saving room for dessert.
My choice, a hard-to- find, drier New York style cheesecake, pleased me immensely. Next time, I will try the chocolate mousse or the strawberry cream cake.
