1902 Tavern, Lighthouse Inn

6 W. Guthrie Place, New London

www.lighthouseinn.us, (860) 709-7883

Cuisine: Classic fine dining fair, tavern-style

Service: Friendly and helpful in that “Glad to be a part of this” context

Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 4-9 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 4-9 p.m. Sat.-Sun., closed Mon.

Handicapped access: Steps into the building and then up into the main floor

Reservations: Recommended

Credit cards: Yes

When we moved to New London in October 1997, one of the first indelible impressions was of the proprietary and (to us, anyway) utterly New England-y presence of the Lighthouse Inn.

We soon barged in and elbowed locals out of the way, figuratively, in terms of our relationship with exalted place.

It didn’t hurt the small home we rented on Lower Blvd. literally backed up to the circular part of Guthrie Drive that surrounds the property. Through our back windows, we could see directly into one of the Lighthouse Inn dining rooms.

Several of our first meals and cocktails as New Londoners took place in the Inn; it was a week before the truck with our furniture, kitchen accouterments and belongings arrived from Texas, and it was too easy and seductive to simply walk across the street and avail ourselves of the hospitality and food.

Later, the Inn’s chef – whose name sadly escapes me – became fond of our two dogs. If we walked out the backdoor to take the dogs down Guthrie so they could indulge in their passion for surfing, and the chef saw them, he’d race out of the kitchen door – presumably leaving the swordfish or veal cooking on the Vulcan 6-burner stove – and provide sausage treats. Sometimes we shared them with the dogs.

Oh, there’s also the time that The Day thought I was the proper kook to spend Halloween night at the Inn and write about my experiences inasmuch as the place is long rumored to be haunted. My wife Eileen and I bunked in a room that, over the years, had the most remarks from staff and guests suggesting a spectral presence. I was also given free access to roam the wine cellar and every other behind-the-scenes part of the layout. Alas, no spook-ness, but I emerged from the experience with an innate knowledge of every square foot of the place.

Ah, good times in the Lighthouse Inn!

Sprint forward to early fall 2022 – a quarter-century later, and, after troubled times and years when the property fell into disrepair, the Inn is back!

Or at least the 1902 Tavern is open for dining and drinks, and hopefully the full dining room and guest rooms will follow, maybe by beach season next year.

In the meantime, after allowing a few months for the 1902 Tavern staff to get rolling, Eileen and I and are friends Ellen and Marty visited for dinner on a recent Saturday.

It was tremendous.

Just walking into the foyer brought a nice quiver of anticipation and nostalgia. Though the large main dining room straight ahead isn’t quite ready for service, it looks elegant and set to go. The view through the huge picture window down to the sound is something you’d be delighted to see on a souvenir postcard rack, and not just because it didn’t have MYSTIC emblazoned across the top.

The tavern area occupies the same bar space as always – a hard left from the front door, past the iconic winding staircase and down a small hallway. The bar is to the left with a central fireplace around which winds a variety of dining enclaves.

The layout is reassuringly familiar but meticulously and lovingly refinished. There’s much elegance – dark, glossy wormwood plank paneling, polished wood floors, mellow globe lighting and wall sconces – and spacious seating in either tall-top or regular tables. Our server, Heather, was a delight. Friendly, quick on her feet and with recommendations – and she even remembered a go-box we’d forgotten at the end of the meal.

The menu is modest but represents a variety of favorites across the spectrum of appetizers, soups/salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts – and almost all of it was very, very good.

We split two starters, brussels sprouts ($12) and calamari ($14). The former were quartered and roasted to ideal crispness and accented with craisins. The tangy sauce was ladled properly and didn’t drown the vegetables. The calamari was the only iffy note of the evening – and only because they were a bit tough and chewy, distracting from the otherwise perfectly spiced sauce.

I also inhaled a bowl of splendid New England clam chowder ($12). The thick broth was redolent cream, pepper and a hint of butter, and nicely diced clams and potatoes were provided with a bit of pop from strings of onion.

For our main courses, we tried two items from the regular menu (Niçoise Salmon, $32, and pasta fresco, $22) and a pair of evening specials – country fried chicken ($30) and short ribs ($30).

Eileen, perhaps more commonly known in town by the Day-associated acronym TVWWAU (The Vegetarian Who Walks Among Us), has come to loathe zucchini and summer squash they seem to be the go-to ingredients in local restaurant vegetarian dishes.

But, when the Inn was out of Eggplant Parmesan, she was forced to go with the pasta fresco – and ended up quite happy. It was anchored by perfectly textured fresh pasta and a delicately proportioned pesto – judicious use of spinach and basil – with blistered grape tomatoes providing pop. As for the zucchini and squash, they were julienned to a pleasing texture and utilized in a complimentary rather that star-of-the-show fashion.

Ellen’s Niçoise Salmon seemed to be a deconstructed version of Salad Niçoise with salmon substituting for tuna and otherwise utilizing the usual haricots verts, baby potatoes, greens and a lovely vinaigrette. The salmon was a huge filet, moist and toothsome, flavorful, and cooked medium rare.

Marty’s short ribs were a delight – fork-flakey beef in a rich gravy – and my country fried chicken was similarly wonderful – a perfectly tender, large, boneless filet in a thin, brittle batter that provided a fun and crunchy contrast. The brown gravy was a bit of a surprise to a Southerner expected a cream gravy – but it worked well. Both specials were served with perfectly rendered mashed potatoes and crunchy, tasty haricots verts.

Dessert, anyone? We luxuriated over tart/sweet key lime pie and a huge blond brownie with clouds of whipped cream and a playful caramel sauce.

All four of us agreed that it was a grand evening of food and company; the Lighthouse Inn – or at least the 1902 Tavern – is going to become (again!) a go-to New London destination. Let’s hope the rest of the facility follows suit soon.