Caught in a most horrific storm on my way back from the northern Long Beach Peninsula, not willing just yet to cross the Columbia River, I sought refuge in the immediate area of Seaview. It was after 8 p.m. on a Tuesday; not the best time to look for a hot meal that you’ll have time to enjoy. I knew what was likely in store for me that night: bar food. But I’ve found decent bar food in the past; I’ve even written a couple of columns on the subject.

Because I thought it was worth a shot, I pulled off to see if my favorite place in the neighborhood, The Depot, was open before I’d head back up the strip to see what I could find there. Fruitless. I knew they were closed on Tuesdays.

Then I noticed a bright, shining sanctuary just across the street. How is it that I never noticed Rod’s Lamplighter before that night? They were quite busy, and serving dinner for another hour. The lounge would then stay open even later. Plenty of time to let the torrential downpour subside. And a fireplace perfect!

The Lamplighter is a pretty big space, featuring a large dining room with booths and family seating and an equally large lounge with its own fireplace, two pool tables, a jukebox, several tabletop game machines, Golden Tee golf, a hunting arcade game, a vending machine, TVs, pulltabs galore and a poker table. With bright lighting, stiff drinks, plenty of distractions and a fry-heavy menu, this was turning out to be the polar opposite of The Depot, but I was determined to find some things that I liked. After all, I wasn’t going back out into that weather until things had calmed considerably.

The menu selections really run the gamut, including bar appetizers, burgers, cold sandwiches, grilled sandwiches, an entire pizza menu, fried seafood plates, giant salads, steaks, soups and classic comfort-food selections. I eventually tried a little bit from every section over a few visits.

I mentioned earlier that the menu is heavy on the fried fare. Of the 11 appetizer options, just one, the nachos, were not (entirely) fried.

The usual array of bar apps was not enticing, but I was intrigued by a single exception, Chicken Gizzards. Although I’d seen them basking in the glow box at convenience stores before, even my drunkest hour of need never saw me purchasing them. The freshness factor was the only thing keeping me at bay all that time, so I bought a basket. The gizzards ($7.95) were a bit as I’d been warned: chewy, thick with tough cartilage and a little crunchy. Not crispy crunchy, but how I imagine cooked knuckles would chew. They weren’t entirely bad, but the coating was a bit salty, and the tartar sauce accompaniment unfitting.

A clubhouse sandwich ($9.95) was satisfactory but not above average. I ordered one and knew I was going to scratch the roof of my mouth as I tried to bite into the dry toast double-decker. The ham and turkey were of the mid-range slicer-meat quality. Not cheap and pressed, but not a true, house-roasted cut.

Upon one visit we encountered “Meatloaf Night” and decided to give it a shot. The plate contained two half-brick sized slabs of meatloaf ($5.99), at least a pound and a half worth. This would become three additional lunches later. The loaf was well seasoned, with the traditional ketchupy glaze on top. It went well with the mashed potatoes and brown gravy, the latter of which was surely not a scratch endeavor. The vegetable medley was a mushy, waterlogged affair, but hey, six bucks.

The captain’s seafood platter you see around the area in places that do fried seafood is indeed represented at Rod’s. I’ve just never seen one so gargantuan. For the $21.95 price tag, you get a massive piece of fried halibut, three coconut prawns, three beer battered prawns, three fried oysters, three fried scallops and eight big fried clam strips. This also comes with tartar and cocktail sauces, a choice of fried potatoes and square, garlic-seasoned yellow toast I’m informed was “Texas style toast.” I never saw any of that in Texas, but I’ll take their word.

I found it strange that out of the melange of greasy, battered seafood, it was apparent that some was done in house, and some was factory made. The battered prawns, oysters and halibut were dipped fresh in the kitchen. The scallops and coconut prawns were bought frozen, as evidenced by their respective crumb and panko coatings.

Pizza was good overall, the prefab crust and sauce dull and ordinary, the cheese and toppings well applied and of good quality.

A 20-oz. Porterhouse steak ($23.95) seemed to be the grandest thing on the menu, so we ordered one, extremely rare. Although a 20-ouncer, T-bones can be wide, depending on a number of factors (cow size, cut area, etc.). This one was from the lesser end, therefore flatter and wider. Most of the New York strip side was medium rare to medium; the tenderloin section was medium well. A far cry from extremely rare.

There was atonement in store, however. The salads, though based in iceberg, were massive and contained plenteous amounts of ingredients. The chef salad ($9.95) was loaded with strips of ham and turkey, Swiss and cheddar, tomato wedges, cucumber slices, hard-boiled egg, sliced red onion and radish. But dressings are not made in house. Avoid the raspberry vinaigrette specifically it was syrupy in sweetness as well as viscosity.

The burgers are something I can wholeheartedly recommend. I was taken aback at the half-pound, hand-formed, quality beef-iness of them. I honestly expected freezer pucks, but was pleasantly surprised. The Guiding Light burger ($8.95) is of the sauteed mushroom and onion with melted Swiss variety, and the bun was above average. Fries, tots and onion rings are factory made, but served seasoned and crisp.

I don’t generally gravitate toward restaurants like this, but for bar food, it’s pretty good. In both senses of the word, Rod’s didn’t really “butcher” anything.