Lighthouse remains a beacon of fine waterfront dining

The Lighthouse has been something of an island unto itself for more than a decade. The regal white edifice surrounded by lush landscaping stands sentry at the entrance to ultra-tony Port Sanibel, allowing visitors a tantalizing peek at the lush homes and million-dollar boats that lie beyond its well-secured gates.

Situated along a relatively barren strip of Summerlin Road on the way to the Sanibel Causeway, it comes as something of a surprise to passing motorists. Its imposing countenance serves as the bait that initially attracts them while the idyllic water view from the opposite side provides the hook that reels them in.

Then there's the food. Over the years, it's been good, not so good, good again and… well, you know how that goes. Right now it appears to be operating at close to the top of its game.

Executive Chef Brad Kilburn has hit upon a menu that showcases his talents with sauces and seafood. There's an appealing mix of original dishes and old familiars so that both adventurous diners and those of more traditional tastes will have plenty from which to choose.

. This yellowtail snapper with almonds and fresh berry chutney is a popular special. We sampled a bit of both and found that the kitchen handles both with ease.

A crock of French onion soup ($6.99) had the requisite savory sauce with a hint of sweetness imparted by an abundance of onions, all tucked beneath a firm wedge of toasted bread capped with a layer of chewy, melted Gruyere that had been gently bronzed.

From the nightly specials we tried a colorful tuna tartare ($11.99). Cubes of ahi tuna, lightly dressed in lime juice and sesame seeds, came tucked into leaves of Belgian endive, accompanied by avocado, pickled ginger, wasabi, wakame, soy sauce and lovely yellow sprouts. The artfully crafted dish was a symphony of fresh Asian flavors and textures.

Glasses of well-chilled Ferrari-Carano fume blanc ($9) complemented both appetizers and were refreshing on what had been a particularly hot and nasty day.

Entrees all come with a salad (or soup, if you'd prefer). The house salad consists of a mix of greens dressed in a light, creamy balsamic vinaigrette. A couple of glitches here included the presence of an inch-long piece of crumpled plastic wrap sitting on the edge of one plate. I assume it was a remnant from a cover placed over the salads, which are generally made ahead of time, then unwrapped and dressed as needed. If we saw it immediately, it would seem whoever prepped it for the table would have, too. The other lapse was that our server failed to offer us fresh-ground pepper, which we later saw being dispensed at nearby tables by other servers.

. Customers have been known to come in just to have a piece of The restaurant's signature Key lime pie. In keeping with the restaurant's waterfront grill theme, the menu offers a wealth of seafood, much of which is available grilled, as well as steaks, veal chops and even a char-grilled half duck.

The Lighthouse's land and sea combinations ($36.99) allow diners to pick two of eight options — a choice of four steaks, lobster tail, baconwrapped scallops, tiger prawn or gulf shrimp — to create their own surf and turf.

I tried an 8-ounce ribeye and four jumbo shrimp, which arrived cooked as ordered, accompanied by lively Jack Daniels barbecue sauce and a milder smoked tomato hollandaise plus grilled scallions and tomatoes and

choice of rice or potato. The steak had a well-seasoned charred exterior with a pink moist interior and minimal fat. Its flavor stood up well on its own although the tangysweet barbecue sauce added some zing. The scallions and tomatoes provided more color than flavor and the baked potato — admittedly not the best choice this time of year — was bland even with butter.

Our other entrée came from the nightly specials. It was almond-encrusted yellowtail snapper with whole berry chutney and hazelnut beurre blanc ($28.99). The fish was flaky and properly cooked, topped with a generous amount of almonds and colorful chutney containing blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. The creamy sauce rounded out the flavors nicely. Cinnamon-infused butter accompanied the sweet potato.

Our server assured us that everything on the dessert menu but the ice cream was made in house, so we tried the Lighthouse's signature Key lime pie ($7) and a chocolate lava cake ($7). The ubiquitous lava cake generally has a liquid center that's supposed to ooze onto the plate when cut. The middle of this one resembled pudding more than sauce, perhaps because it was served at almost room temperature, rather than arriving warm. It wasn't bad, but I've had better.

The Key lime, however, was delicious — not too sweet, with a custard-like texture that wasn't heavy or cloying. I can understand why the management proudly calls this a house specialty.

Overall, service was good. Lapses were minor and appeared to be the result of the rotating server style, in which servers are assigned parties on a rotating basis rather than getting a specific set of tables. The idea is to spread out the business equally, but this also causes servers to run from one end of the restaurant to the other, making it far more difficult for them to keep a close eye on all of their tables.

There's little to criticize in terms of ambience. The dining room is large but narrow, taking full advantage of the water-

front view. With few exceptions, all of the tables have a water view, with those on the sprawling screened patio the most scenic. Even on a hot and humid evening, there were quite a few patrons who chose to dine outdoors and none appeared withered from the heat.

Waterfront restaurants with good food and service aren't abundant in these parts, but the Lighthouse is a shining example of this rare breed.