On the banks of the Intracoastal, where powerboats frolic and lighthouses send lightbeams spinning into the night, sits a glass-walled restaurant called Jetty’s with a wide, wooden deck overlooking the water. There, seafood and steaks are served to the well-tanned and well-heeled residents of Palm Beach and their visiting offspring. Jetty’s isn’t cheap, but if you’re willing to eat ridiculously early (if you’re visiting grandparents, you’re probably already used to Early Bird Specials,) entrees are only $12.95 each. Here’s how it works.

The restaurant opens for dinner at 5pm. By then, there is already a line out the door of folks eager to save some money. As long as you are seated by 6pm, dinner entrees are $12.95. I’ll probably get in trouble for saying this, but the maitre d’s at Jetty’s are all too happy to take "tips" to secure you a waterside table on the deck. If the "tipping" makes you uncomfortable, just be sure to arrive before 5 to ensure a table outdoors. The best waiters are assigned to the deck and ours, Jeff, was what made the dinner a success. He was part of the fun without being part of the party – quick with a joke or comment, but knew when to leave us alone. He also seemed a bit older than the waiters serving the inside tables, and it made a difference. Reassurances like "Don’t worry if it starts raining, I’ll know it before you do and I’ll get you out of here" made us feel taken care of, and I thoroughly believe that Jeff would have appeared with a stack of umbrellas if the slightest drop of rain had disturbed our dinner. He was infinitely patient with the particular needs of the elderly, and didn’t blink an eye when the five of us split one dessert.

Oh – and the food was great, too! Jeff warned us to set aside a few orders of trout even if we weren’t ready to order yet, in case they sold out. It was so fresh we wondered if they were still swimming when Jeff brought us our calamari. Unfortunately Jeff’s glowing recommendation resulted in three orders of trout, so I can only comment on the snapper (a big hit) and the vegetable plate (tasty, lightly buttered and wonderfully fresh veggies with the requisite baked potato.) Vegetarians shouldn’t go there for the food - they don’t have so much as a pasta plate on the menu - but for me, the ambiance was worth the standard-issue veggies-and-potato meal.

Dessert was a tasty brownie a la mode, with five forks. It was good enough that we ordered a second piece. Jeff whisked them away and returned with five plates, each bearing a sliver of brownie and a dollop of ice cream and sauce. Now that’s what I call working for a tip. He was handsomely rewarded, thanks to the money we saved on our $12.95 entrees!