A Meal Fit For A Queen

Parkers’ Lighthouse – Long Beach, CA

Seafood – Last Visit: July 2021

Despite Tracy and I living in Long Beach for many years, we never made it to dinner at Parkers’ Lighthouse in Shoreline Village, located on the waterfront near the Queen Mary. Tracy and I had both been here for happy hour in the late 80s, but well before we met each other.

We joined long-time friends Greg and Gloria for lunch on a sunny Sunday afternoon in July. The parking lot was jammed on this picture-perfect day, and we strolled along the water looking out at the Queen Mary, dubbed “The Grey Ghost” because of the grey color she was painted during World War II. By the way, that sphere sticking up behind the Queen Mary is where Howard Hughes’ “flying boat” The Spruce Goose used to be displayed before moving up to McMinnville, Oregon, which is where we saw it in May.The colorful stores of Shoreline Village popped, as well.

With a patio overlooking the bay, and views of the harbor and the Queen Mary, it was a gorgeous afternoon to finally eat at Parkers’ Lighthouse. And, as an extra bonus, the food was very good, too!We enjoy dining with Greg and Gloria as they like to share, so we can try many (sometimes too many) dishes. I blame the champagne that was flowing, which must have gone to our heads as we ordered a lot of food! In our defense, we hadn’t seen them in a year, although on this day it seemed like we hadn’t seen food in a year either.

The meal started out on a healthy note with the Spicy Edamame (too healthy to photograph), then quickly faded into semi-gluttony with Parkers’ sensationally decadent Garlic Cheese Bread (cheesy and totally worth every last calorie).   At our server’s recommendation, we also ordered a Lighthouse Roll; shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, cucumber wrapped with Yellowtail, avocado, crunchy garlic and yuzu sauce.

I am not one to usually embrace sushi, but we so enjoyed the sushi roll that we ordered another for lunch along with the Salmon Ponzu Roll; crab mix, cucumber, avocado, seared salmon, onion and garlic ponzu butter, and the I Love You Roll; tempura shrimp, crab mix and ahi with soy paper. Yes, you could say we were on a roll. All of these sushi dishes were excellent, which makes sense as the restaurant is known for its fresh seafood.Greg and I split an Ahi Tuna Sandwich, seared rare tuna with Sunomono salad, Ponzu Coleslaw, Wasabi Mayo on a toasted Brioche Bun. It was so good, next time I’m not sharing (and neither is Greg)!There were lots of other tasty sounding items on the menu like the Garlic Cheese Bread Burger; 8 oz. Ground Beef & Brisket, Sliced Tomato, Parker’s Famous Garlic Cheese Bread. Also how about lobster and shrimp taquitos? Sadly, we knew we had to stop before being reported to Weight Watchers Anonymous.

On the water, people were enjoying a beautiful Long Beach afternoon.

Interestingly, as we left the restaurant, and located just a short distance away stood a lighthouse that none of us had recollected seeing before. “Perhaps that’s because every time we came here, we were drinking,” I mused. As it turned out, alcohol had not obliterated our memory, because the Lion’s (faux) Lighthouse was constructed in 2000, after we had moved out of town. Phew, brain cells still intact.

The four of us vowed to meet again soon, perhaps to dine on the third floor of Parkers’ Lighthouse at the Queensview Steakhouse, described as a place that “has a warm and inviting ambiance like no other dining establishment in Long Beach.” It also offers fish dishes, but as I like to say, “Man cannot survive on seafood alone.” Well, unless you’re a pescatarian.

On a spectacular Long Beach day, Parkers’ Lighthouse patio affords you the best of all worlds … a great meal in a beautiful setting. This is what Southern California is all about.

Parker’s Lighthouse
435 Shoreline Village Drive
Long Beach, CA 90802
562.432.6500
Lunch: 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. ($3:30 Saturday/Sunday)
Dinner: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m., (Friday 5-10, Saturday 4-10, Sunday 4-9
Parking: Paid (discount with validation)
parkerslighthouse.com

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