Tom Ham’s Lighthouse
2150 Harbor Island Dr. (Harbor Island)
619-291-9110
Dinner prices: Appetizers, soups and salads, $5 to $12; entrees, $24 to $38

Frank Sabatini Jr. | Downtown News

Everything feels new at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse, the iconic bayside restaurant where conservative fare and an aging nautical design were held largely in check since it opened in 1971. Now, with a $3.5 million redo under its belt and a savvy chef helming the kitchen, the working lighthouse on top signals that the generational divide has been erased.

The remodeled structure greets with a casual-elegant atmosphere that begins in the ground-level foyer incorporating a glass-enclosed room stocked with beer kegs. Enlarged maps depicting the evolution of San Diego Bay from 1857 (long before Harbor Island was built by sand) to present fill the polished stairwell leading to an expanded bar lounge and sprawling dining room. Amid lighter colors, the space is defined by tall beamed ceilings, contemporary West Elm-ish chandelier lighting and arched picture windows that have been lowered to knee level.

A roomy deck along the restaurant’s south side was also added, though without infringing on the coveted views of Downtown’s skyline and the Coronado Bridge. The landmark lighthouse, technically known by the Coast Guard as Beacon #9, remains quaintly intact.

Seafood takes center stage.

“We wanted lots of it on the new menu,” said Andy Baumann, whose late grandfather, Tom Ham, founded the restaurant after establishing Bali Hai Restaurant across the bay on Shelter Island. That too, still remains in the family and recently underwent a pricey remodel.

Executive Chef Lance Repp was brought onboard from La Jolla’s La Valencia Hotel. He also held chef positions at a few country clubs around the nation and assisted the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team in Germany several years ago, which netted gold medals.

Gone are the weekend prime rib specials and the blue cheese swordfish that clung stubbornly onto the menu before Tom Ham’s reopened in May. Although dishes like paella and seafood bouillabaisse, which appeared here for a short time in the early 70s, have been resurrected.

The latter on this particular evening featured a chockfull of halibut, swordfish, scallops, clams and Maine lobster (tail and claw meat), all cloaked poetically in a delicate saffron broth.

But our initial delve into the sea began with an iced platter containing velvety P.E.I. oysters, baby clams and jumbo shrimp. My companion, a fearful newbie to raw oysters, was immediately sold while dabbing them with the accompanying shallot-vinegar mignonette sauce and fresh horseradish.

Modern-day starters like pistachio-crusted pork belly, Padron peppers and grilled octopus with sauce vierge (herby olive oil with lemon) now appear. We chose tenderloin tips dressed exquisitely in red wine, blue cheese and bacon, and served alongside a fresh arugula salad. Grilled asparagus strewn with Jamon and pecorino followed, prompting us to plow through their tender green tips with wild abandon.

For the poached pear spinach salad harboring candied pecans and Point Reyes blue cheese, the chef mingles bacon with unique honey-wine vinegar sourced from Utah, resulting in a superior sweet-smoky dressing that wowed our palates upon first bite. Another salad revealed some of the juiciest figs I’ve encountered this season, paired with burrata cheese and pistachio dust.

Seafood continued calling, so we skipped over duck leg confit, dry-aged New York steak and a Jidori half chicken cooked under brick, a dish that helped Repp land the position here when he made it for the Baumann family.

While I savored the bouillabaisse, my companion fed from a quartet of Maine scallops, each yielding nearly five bites apiece. Cooked to pearly perfection, they were adorned brilliantly with chestnut and chanterelle mushroom ragout that added a soft, earthy flavor you don’t normally associate with scallops.

From a list of ala carte sides, the Fontina-spiked polenta became the winner with its creamy texture and subtle tanginess. We had higher hopes for grilled baby artichokes with grabiche sauce, a French mayo-like condiment that combines hard-boiled egg yolks with mustard, herbs and pickles. But neither the sauce nor artichokes made much of a statement.

Repp sources fresh lobster and scallops from Maine while working mostly with local fishermen for other species that appear on the menu such as bass, blue prawns, swordfish and others. Nothing is ever frozen.

The wine list reveals a huge breadth of whites that no seafood house should be without, spanning from Rieslings and Viogniers to Sauvignon Blancs, Carneros and sturdy Chardonnays. Reds are in abundance as well, with plenty of Napa cabernets leading the way.

For dessert, we reveled in an inventive cranberry upside down cake accented with candied sage and hazelnut brittle. The “New York style” cheesecake was also refreshingly unique in that it’s made with goat cheese and citrus. Indeed, both the restaurant and bill of fare have entered into the land of today.

Frank Sabatini Jr. is the author of “Secret San Diego” (ECW Press), and began writing about food two decades ago as a staffer for the former San Diego Tribune. He has since covered the culinary scene extensively for NBC, Pacific San Diego Magazine, San Diego Downtown News, San Diego Uptown News, Gay San Diego, and Living in Style Magazine. You can reach him at [email protected].