I like to stop into the Palm around twice a year as a ""treat"" for myself, and I mean treat in the sense that getting there usually involves a day trip. With its downtown location, parking is at a premium. If you wish to entrust your car to a complete stranger, valet service is offered. I was with a couple of family members in the downtown area so I suggested we go for lunch. It was a weekday and well after the lunch hour. We used valet, only there was a bit of confusion as to which valet was going to take our car. It seems that the neighborhing Bohanan's also offers the service. Once inside we were glad to see the crowd had thinned out some, with some tables filled with executives having coffee and dessert at the end of a two-hour lunch. Ordering from the lunch menu is easy; they offer a mix and match special for a fixed price. One gets soup or salad, entree with choice of side, and a generous dessert. The food was delicious I have to say, but our dear server was not on her game that day. Unfortunately it was allergy season, and San Antonio's proximity to the Hill Country makes it one of the worst places for people with allergies. Our waitress was one of those people. Don't misunderstand, she was not sneezing all over the food or anything, it is only that cedar pollen also makes people feel lethargic. She was absent so much that we had to ask a busboy several times to get her for us. There weren't that many people in the restaurant, There is plenty to converse about in the restaurant since the walls are covered with cartoons of famous people both local and national celebrities. Some have visited this particular Palm, and others are faces that have visited other locations. Overall it was a good experience, the food saved the day I suppose. The filet and salmon we had was cooked to perfection, very tasty soups and salads, and huge pieces of New York style cheesecake and key lime pie.
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