07/31/09

Quinn's Lighthouse dinning by the Marina

by mejennings

Saturday (7/18/09) dinning with the view of the marina for a surprise 60th birthday celebration for a friend of the family...none other than Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland.

LOCATION: Off of Embarcadero with plenty of street parking else park in the lot across the street for some business (not gated & pretty open parking on wkends). Note there is 1-flight of stairs into restaurant (like 7 steps), & I can't say I notice a ramp. Bar area upon entrance then dinning area directly to the left & more restaurant space upstairs to the right. All wooden chair seats seem to have arm rests, so not ideal for a man/woman that's a 4X or larger, but then again I didn't ask if they had armless chairs. I wouldn't say really handicap, or elderly friendly overall, but a good location for families, kids, couples, & groups.

CUST SVC: Overall service for this birthday celebration was great! About 2-3 staff members waited on party of about 17-18 people; all patient with taking orders, prompt service upon request for this or that, & thorough w/ check-up throughout the entire meal w/ drinks & clean-up. Keep up the good work team ;-)

DRINKS & FOOD: Birthday dinner celebration had a preset menu that was selected by birthday lady's son & daughter in law. Their (unsweetened) Iced Tea & Sparkling Pink Cranberry Lemonade were tasty, both get recommendations. House Pear Salad was just "'ok" & so was their Clam Chowder. BF-Jayson & I were hoping to be "awwwed" w/ the Chowder, but felt it was canned so lines up there w/ Progresso (& sure Progresso likely cheaper)..cute how they made the croissant-fish tho. Dinner entrees on our preset menu included: Seafood Pasta Linguine, Slow Roasted Prime Rib, BBQ Baby Back Pork Ribs, Chicken Tuscany, & Stuffed Salmon. BF-Jayson had the Chkn Tuscany...we couldn't fig out what to do w/ the avocado that was placed on top of chkn (as if last min on Iron Chef or something)...didn't really compliment the dish, but dish was good. I had the Stuffed Salmon, which I really did enjoy..the mushrooms, bay shrimp & lemon butter sauce all came together very nicely. My sis-Estella had the BBQ Pork Ribs...the ribs were cooked tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone good, but still a great bite. Collectively we all thought the string beans were "blah"...crunchy, no seasoning, & just cooked really.

DESSERT: Chocolate Cake was more dense/dry than moist. Their choc cake makes the perfect promo for "Got Milk" commercials 'cuz U reeeally need some milk after 1-2 bites of this...unfortunate, they don't serve milk (no even for kids *bummer*). Now the Lemon Cake a la Mode, SCRUM-DIDLY-UMPTOUS! Moist lemon cake w/ a scoop of creamy vanilla bean ice cream was awesome...5 stars for this & a definite recommendation!

END OF DINNER: The birthday lady had a great dinner ringing in her 60th w/ family & friends, & all guests enjoyed the food, drinks, & service here. We'll see the next time "Mary & Jayson" visit, but I'd recommend this place & would come back ;-)

• Pros: Great cust svc, good food, & easy parking
• Cons: Didn't seem handicapp & elderly friendly

12/18/08

Good seafood, atmoshpere

by baggotny

The seafood dishes here taste fresh and normally come in very good portions. The atmosphere is very laid-back and it's a nice place to have a comfortable meal and a few beers in the East Bay. I recommend the jambalaya, very good assortment of seafood though could use a little more spice. Can be a tad pricey, so this isn't really a "cheap eats" find, but prices are still very reasonable and the food and atmosphere are worth it.

11/14/07

Fun, inviting, warm place for a meal!

by smm777

This restaurant has it all! Lovely dining room downstairs and fun, "peanuts on the floor" Pub upstairs. Both serve the same menu so no matter where you sit, same great food. Their menu has a huge variety of eats, so there's something for everyone. Staff is friendly and laid-back. Pub offers great music too. All this in a historic landmark Lighthouse! Great views of the estuary, especially on the Pub deck. Check this place out, you won't be disappointed!