FORKS + CORKS: *OTB with Samantha Bey for a restaurant review of Tom Ham’s Lighthouse

Lighting the Way

Tom Ham’s Lighthouse celebrates 50 years as a beacon in San Diego’s restaurant scene

Story and photos by Samantha Bey

It was the late 1960s and Tom Ham had just turned his recently acquired Bali Hai restaurant into a booming success in the San Diego restaurant scene. Wanting to continue his restaurateur pursuits, he walked along the then-barren harbor island with his daughter, Susie, looking for a promising plot of land to build a second establishment. He found the perfect spot, but soon learned there was an easement there for Coast Guard Beacon #9, a navigational light that had been put in place to guide incoming ships in the water before the San Diego Bay was dredged.

the Way

Chocolate fudge brownie Calamari with honey chili lime dipping sauce Paella sauce

Rather than letting go of the land that beckoned him, so to speak, he decided to work with it. He built the entire restaurant around the navigational light, and in 1971 Tom Ham’s lighthouse was born — a bayside seafood restaurant with a nowiconic light tower that is still maintained as a navigational beacon by the U.S. Coast Guard.

According to Ham’s grandson, Andy Baumann, who is now the general manager of Tom Ham’s Lighthouse with his brother, Grant, Ham traveled all over the east coast visiting some of the country’s oldest lighthouses to gather artifacts for the restaurant. He acquired antique barometers, bells, signage and lots of other maritime artifacts to adorn the walls, but found an especially wonderful collection of various ornate figureheads from the bows of old ships. A longtime local favorite is the prominently displayed and very voluptuous “Saucy Sally,” after whom their popular signature cocktail is named.

Fifty years later, Tom Ham’s Lighthouse still lights the way for San Diego’s restaurant scene, where family-run businesses with decades of history have become a rarity. Baumann attributes the restaurant’s success to family ties — both within the company and in the community at large.

“My mom is still owner of the restaurant she took over when she was 27,” Baumann said. “Grandpa’s great granddaughters work at the hostess stand. My dad and my brother Tommy manage the Bali Hai together, and we all live within blocks of each other. Those family ties are so important.” And because

Shrimp Ceviche Cheese plate Tenderloin tips

the restaurant hosts many weddings and other special events, he said, “We’ve been woven into the fabric of the local community for so many families’ important milestones, and people come back again and again to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.”

Josh and I had never been to Tom Ham’s Lighthouse, so we were excited to get to try this community staple, long-celebrated for its views, its seafood, and its delectable Sunday brunch — which, according to Baumann, sells out weeks in advance. The restaurant is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Just as the last beams of sunlight sunk below the Pacific, casting golden light along the downtown buildings in the distance, we sat at our table tucked along the glass wall of the patio. The views are phenomenal, and we got to watch the lights of the city twinkle on along the waterfront. We instantly saw why Tom Ham selected this spot five decades ago, even when at the time, the El Cortez Hotel was the tallest building downtown.

Watching the last few boats cruise along the bay, we ordered a delicious bottle of an Argentinian red blend that we knew would complement several different dishes on a chilly night. The Luigi Bosca was velvety and mellow and easy to drink, as I often find red wine.

Heeding the advice of our charming waiter, Brad, who’s been a server there for three years, we ordered the beef tenderloin tips and the calamari to start. The beef was moist and savory in a veal demi glaze atop a creamy fontina polenta and aside fresh

frisée greens. The calamari was a refreshing step above the ordinary, as it’s served perfectly crispy with a honey chili lime dipping sauce that gives it an edge of Asian flavors.

As we decided on our entrees, Brad explained that the daily market fish special is always fresh caught, pointing across the bay to the Pacific Ocean beyond “just off the shore there,” and that it’s most often yellowtail.

Another popular dish, he said, is the paella, so we opted for that. It came to our table steaming hot with the intoxicating scent of saffron, packed with fish, shrimp, mussels, clams, pork chorizo, peas and peppers, and they managed the always-tricky feat of getting the rice crispy without burning it. Next time we go, we’ll try one of Baumann’s favorites, the linguine with either clams or shrimp. “There are about three sticks of butter in there and you’ll want a nap after,” he said. “But man, it’s so good.”

Since it was a day that ended in Y, I was in the mood for cheese, so I also ordered their cheese board to munch on alongside the paella. It came with three, 3-ounce pieces of cheese: a Danish bleu, a Gouda, and the “Drunken Goat,” a goat cheese soaked in red wine and aged for three years. They were served with fresh honeycomb, fruit, crostinis, and spiced nuts.

For dessert, we finished our flavorful meal with a truly decadent, warm chocolate fudge brownie topped with caramel sauce and delightfully crunchy little caramel balls. Sitting there under a roaring heat lamp, enjoying a phenomenal view after a delicious meal, and chatting with Baumann about his grandpa’s vision all those years ago, it was abundantly clear why Tom Ham’s Lighthouse — a navigational beacon in more ways than one — has become such an iconic establishment in our city. “This place is special,” said Baumann. “It really is a gem.”

• Samantha Bey is a freelance writer who lives in Coronado with her husband and four children.