THE SKY ROOM - LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

THE SKY ROOM

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

THE SKY ROOM

40 SOUTH LOCUST STREET

LONG BEACH, CA  90802

562-983-2703

HOURS:  Monday 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

                 Tuesday thru Thursday 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

                 Friday and Saturday 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM

                 Sunday 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

DRESS CODE:  DRESSY

www.theskyroom.com

Sometimes in life things don't go as planned and that is good.  I experienced this at The Sky Room in Long Beach.  Expected to grab a nice steak and return to the hotel for a nice sleep but ended up celebrating a total strangers birthday and closing the place.  More on that later.  First of all, let me give you a little history on The Sky Room.  This prestigious restaurant is located atop the Breakers Hotel and according to their website is considered the best restaurant in Long Beach.  The Breakers was built in 1926 and was operated as the very first Hilton on the West Coast.  This amazing restaurant was totally restored in 1997 and has hosted some of America's largest stars and celebrities.  Elizabeth Taylor, Nick Hilton Charles Lindberg, Babe Ruth, Clark Gable, John Wayne, Errol Flynn and Carey Grant have all dined here.  This place truly is a blast from the past.  From the time you walk up the red carpeted stairs and see the glowing white chandeliers you feel nostalgia in the air (and smell it a bit).  As you walk through the long hall leading to a single elevator complete with an operator you are surrounded by photographs and displays detailing the history of Long Beach and what life was like in the 1930's.  We entered the elevator and the young operator began to give us a brief history lesson on the hotel and restaurant.  He politely delivered us to the top floor and we entered into a space that totally transformed us back to the 1930's.  The architecture and art deco details immediately overtake your senses.  This place is cool.  Way cool.  Throw in some great views of Long Beach, some wine and great food and it really does not get much better than this. The Sky Room seemed to be a destination for celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and other events.  Seemed like every table around us was celebrating something special.  Our table was so close to the diners next to us that we literally were put into their conversation as you could hear every word.  I mean we were close like sitting at the same table.  I normally hate this type of seating and would avoid it at any cost in the future, but something special happened on this evening.  Something that I will never forget.  The couple sitting next to us (or with us) was celebrating a birthday.  The were local to Long Beach, young and happy.  We could not help to introduce ourselves and begin talking about all aspects of life.  Work, travel, politics and family - we covered all topics as somehow magically a bottle of champagne arrived.  The magic continued with a second bottle and then perhaps a third.  The evening elevated to smiles, laughs and stories of life.  From high school to present day, there was not a moment of silence for the next few hours.  And yes there was food too.  Some really good food.  We ordered the Raw Bar Number 3 ($59).  This three tier tower of seafood was really pretty good.  The lobster tail on the bottom was huge and full of sweet lobster meat.  My friend asked the server for some drawn butter for the lobster.  When the server replied that they did not have drawn butter I interrupted him and said "yes you do have drawn butter, ask the chef".  He said OK but drawn butter was never brought to the table.  After we polished off the Calamari, Salmon and Scallops from tiers one and two, my friend asked the waiter for some "melted butter".  After a little wait we were served the melted butter and it really did enhance the flavor of the lobster.  The Oysters and Clams were the last crustaceans to be consumed and they were delicious.  The Beet Salad ($14) was totally covered in watercress and it overwhelmed the dish to a point where I could not eat it.  There were some beets under that ball of fur somewhere.  The Filet Mignon ($43) was cooked perfectly to medium rare as requested and had good seasoning and flavor.  Served with some really good Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans.  My friend enjoyed the Colorado Lamb ($39) and loved it.  This was a memorable and fun evening of good food, wine and friends.  Cannot ask for much more than this in life.

THE SKY ROOM

MET SOME NEW FRIENDS DURING OUR VISIT TO THE SKY ROOM.  OUR TABLE WAS
SO CLOSE THAT WE ENDED UP MAKING IT ONE

THE SKY ROOM IN DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH

STEP INTO THE 1930'S 

HALLWAY LEADING TO ELEVATOR IS FILLED WITH OLD
PHOTOS AND MEMORABILIA FROM THE EARLY DAYS IN LONG BEACH

PHOTOS OF LONG BEACH HISTORY LINE THE WALLS

ENTER THE SKY ROOM AND YOU ARE TRANSPORTED BACK TO THE 1930'S

YOU CAN ALMOST HEAR THE BIG BANDS THAT ONCE PLAYED THIS SPACE

STILL BUSY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

ARCHITECTURAL AND ART DECO DETAILS ALL OVER THE RESTAURANT

NOT A BAD VIEW FROM THE WINDOW SEATS

SKY ROOM MENU

NICE ASSORTMENT OF DISHES ON THE MENU

GLASS OF VINO TO START THE MEAL

BUTTER WITH SALT

RAW BAR THREE

STUFFED CALAMARI WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE

SALMON AND SCALLOPS

NICE SIZE LOBSTER, OYSTERS AND CLAMS

BEET SALAD AND A LOT OF WATERCRESS

FILET MIGNON

COLORADO LAMB DUO