In the News

Celebrate Easter Sunday in Style:
Magnolia Grille to Serve Tasty Brunch

HARLINGEN, April 13, 2006 –  You can celebrate Easter Sunday in style this year by taking your family for the Easter Brunch at the Magnolia Grille in the East Tower at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen.

The Grille -- which may be the only full-service, first-class restaurant actually located on the grounds of a hospital anywhere in South Texas -- has planned quite a celebration for Easter Sunday Brunch on April 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Whether you prefer breakfast or lunch items, surely you will not go away hungry after sampling the following: 

• Orange Juice, Grapefruit Juice and Cranberry Juice

• Seasonal Fresh Fruit, Berries and Bananas accompanied by Fresh Cinnamon Cream

• Assorted Muffins, Cinnamon Rolls, Croissants and Coffee Cakes • Eggs Benedict A La Ranchero

• Smoked Bacon, Sausage Links and Grilled Pork Chops

• Southern Style Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

• Crispy Cubed Potatoes

• Eggs and Omelet Station

• Blackberry Pancakes, Banana-Nut Pancakes and Buttermilk Pancakes accompanied with Pure Maple Syrup, Butter and Whipped Cream

• Spinach Salad

• Caesar Salad

• Pasta and Feta Roma Salad

• Berries and Nut Salad

• Egg Salad

• Surimi Crab Salad

• Peel and Eat Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce and Lemon Wedges

• Sliced Prime Rib served with Au Jus Lie and Horseradish Sauce

• Salmon Florentine laced with Mornay Sauce

• Chicken Crepes with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

• Turkey Filet Mignon served with Gilblet Veloute

• Shrimp, Scallops and Surimi Crab in Ranch Style Drawn Butter

• Pasta Alfredo

• Wild Rice Pilaf

• Broccoli And Cheese

• Asparagus Parmesan

• Assorted Pies, Cakes and Mini Pastries

• Rolls and Butter • Beverage Service

Price: $22.00 per person plus applicable tax (reservation is recommended)
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The head chef at the Magnolia Grille, Renee Ilog -- who has been voted Cameron County’s best chef by readers of the Valley Morning Star -- has cooked for Olympic athletes and for restaurant customers across the country.  But Renee is most at home when he’s preparing country-club type cuisine in a setting far removed from a country club.  Just because the Magnolia Grille is located on the first floor of Valley Baptist-Harlingen (it’s in the newer part of VBMC-H off Treasure Hills Boulevard), don’t assume that it’s not going to be delicious in every way.

“We have a country-club type menu in a place where you don’t have to be a member of a private country club,” Renee says. “Our first-time customers here at the Magnolia Grille are always very pleasantly surprised when they come into our restaurant. They come expecting cafeteria food, but instead they find a restaurant that is beautifully decorated where they can actually sit down and order and be waited on by a very friendly staff.”

Renee, who has been cooking since 1977 (when he was 18 years old), says the secret of success in cooking is to work hard and to learn from everyone you meet … whether it’s a dishwasher, a cook or a master chef.

“Cooking is a life-long learning experience,” Renee says.  “At the Magnolia Grille, we serve a combination … fresh food and hearty, full-course meals. If you have good service in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, people will leave happy.”

You can see Renee in action for yourself by coming out to the Magnolia Grille on Easter Sunday -- or by taking in lunch at the Grille any weekday, Monday through Friday, between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.  The phone number to call is (956) 389-1370.