It’s been a while since I last dined at Tommy Bahama Island Grille. I love the tropical atmosphere and on this day, we opted to sit out on the patio to take advantage of the glorious day we were having here in southern California. The cool breeze made for a very leisurely afternoon indeed. The restaurant has launched Fish Fridays which offers an array of fish dishes for lent and will run until April 18th.
Even though it was lunch, we decided to have a drink because it was just too beautiful a day not to. Raspberries & Rye ($12) with Old Overholt, orange, lime, orange bitters, fresh muddled raspberries was fruity yet strong at the same time. If you like rye whiskey, this is the drink for you. I, on the other hand, loved the Mango Habanero Margarita ($12) complete with Milagro Silver, orange Curacao, mango, scratch sour, habanero and Hellfire Habanero Shrub. Fruity and spicy! Right up my alley.
If you’re looking for good fish and chips, the one here is stellar but you’ll have to visit on a Friday for this. Stone IPA Battered True Cod Fish & Chips ($18) has really fresh fish pieces dipped in batter and served small enough to eat by hand. The fish is moist and flaky and the batter is seasoned well. Served with a Oaxacan chili vinegar, it was a perfect accompaniment, a Callifornian version of malt vinegar, if you will. The jerk seasoned fries were so addicting we couldn’t stop eating them.
New Zealand Green Lip Mussels ($16) was incredible and I’m so happy this will be served every single day until the end of the month! Perfectly tender and wonderfully plump, the mussels were spot on in texture and flavor. The miso broth, with hints of tarragon was so umami-filled if was difficult to not fight for every last drop of that broth. I dipped the accompanying garlic grilled baguette into it and left the plate clean.
I was surprised to see such a generous portion when the Blackened Fish Tacos ($16.50) arrived. I’ve never had these before even though it’s a permanent item on the menu. Topped with a tomato relish, chipotle aioli, lime sour cream and a refreshing Asian slaw, I could only eat 2 of these tacos if I ate nothing else. The tortilla is a special blend of flour and corn giving it a really unique chewy texture. A side of mango salsa adds a sweet tart finish to these awesome tacos.
Another great fish dish is the Teriyaki Grilled Steelhead Salmon ($24). I loved the citrus soy dressing which looked like it could be too sweet, but I was happy to find that it was salty tart. The baby pea sprout salad was very creative as was the baby bok choy which add more greens but in a unique way to go low carb. This will also be available every single day before they take them off the menu! The mussels are calling my name!
One of the dessert specials was Hawaiian Malasadas ($6), sugar-coated doughnuts served with a tropical fruit curd. The tart curd was heavy on passionfruit flavors which made us very happy. This was indeed the ideal way to finish an absolutely delightful lunch al fresco!
Tommy Bahama is offering one of my readers a $100 giftcard to go check them out. Leave me a comment and tell me how you will be celebrating with your giftcard to be entered in this giveaway. Entries close on Sunday 23rd. Good Luck!
Tommy Bahama Island Grille
854 Avocado Avenue
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Tel: 949-760-8686
Those fish tacos look great – fried plantains on the side? And topped with a dessert of malasadas – mmmm! Sounds like a great time to take the family out to lunch on the weekend!
I would take my dad for his birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad!
My husband and I are coming down to OC in June to celebrate my birthday. Tommy Bahamas would be a great place for a birthday lunch or dinner.
Hi Just want to say your posts are awesome. I really enjoy reading them. Hope you are well. Tracey
On Mar 20, 2014, at 8:01 AM, diary of a MAD HUNGRY WOMAN wrote:
WordPress.com Mad Hungry Woman posted: “It’s been a while since I last dined at Tommy Bahama Island Grille. I love the tropical atmosphere and on this day, we opted to sit out on the patio to take advantage of the glorious day we were having here in southern California. The cool breeze made for”
Great review Anita. I would never have thought to try them as felt since themed, they did not and would not do great food. John LOVES fish and chips and I do not make them. It would be a real treat to surprise him with this on a Friday. And since Friday, I want to try that Mango Habanero Margarita with the fish tacos or the salmon. Hmm, maybe have both! Then again, since the mussels go away at the end of the month, we might just have to split an order of those, too.
Ooh! What a FUN giveaway! Thank you for offering it. I have never been to Tommy Bahama’s Island Grille, but I checked out their menu, and the coconut shrimp and crab/avocado salad sound delish! And you can never go wrong with Filet Mignon. They have a wonderful sounding menu. Whether or not I win, I have to visit their restaurant!
I would celebrate with my best friend, my partner, my better half. He is an LAPD office and works hard and he has two boys one is 11 and the other 14 and we don’t get to go out to dinner very often so this would be a special treat.
I haven’t eaten at Tommy Bahamas for 20 years but I go by everytime I go to Sur La Table and Savory Spice. Your salmon dish looked fabulous so I will give that a try!!
What lovely descriptions you give of the dishes! One of my best friends has a birthday in 3 weeks. We would drive up the coast, go for a long walk and have a delicious meal! The mussels are calling my name!
I would celebrate by taking my pops, he loves the clothing, so I know he would dig checking this place out.
I follow and enjoy your posts. I’m visiting my parents that live in Irvine and I have 4 restaurants that I’m going to try that you recommended. It would be a huge bonus to get to take them to Tommy Bahamas since they’ve never been. Thank you for expanding my palate! Laura at lauraelliott58@att.net
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The Hawaiian Malasadas look great, sugar-coated doughnuts are awesome and then add fruit! Its on! Plus the environment in that shopping center is such fun, I would likely take sister and mother out for a Thursday girls only lunch! YUM! (PS Love the blog)
an anniversary coming up & a lunch out in newport beach sounds perfect. thanks
If I win the gift card I’m going to take the “Hungry Dog” with me and we are both going to wear print shirts and post selfies on our instagram accounts! That alone is worth a prize of admission never mind a gift card!
Cool! Didn’t know there was a Tommy Bahama restaurant. I’d celebrate my hubby. He’s going through medical testing, and I hope and pray we can celebrate a non-diagnosis. A clean bill of health would be good news.
I took my wife here on our first date and would love to surprise her by going back to celebrate our upcoming 7th yr anniversary!
I would have lunch with my dad — his birthday is near Father’s Day. And, I’d let him use the rest of the $ for a souvenir. 🙂
My husband and I would gladly celebrate our 10th anniversary here. The fish and chips look good!
Yummy!! Everything looks amazing. I would celebrate the gift card by trying the mussels, fish and chips and most definitely the malasadas!
congratulations you are the winner
I’d love to use the gift card to take my parents out to dinner. They’ve been visiting us for the past 2 months and will be returning home soon. It’d be wonderful to send them off with a delicious good-bye in the hopes that they’ll come back very soon!
I would drink myself silly…..but of course, I would have to have some of those stone IPA beer battered fish and chips too!
I would like to celebrate by going for the first time! I’ve never been but always wanted to. I would get the Malasadas as they remind me of so many happy memories of eating them in Hawaii!!!
I”d like to celebrate Lent with some fish and chips…yum!!!!!
Omg… Habanero margarita, fish n chips AND malasadas! I think stopping here after a round of golf would be a perfect day!!
Perfect place when homesick for the islands!
I think I’d have lunch on that wonderful patio and then come back for drinks at the bar when they are having live music! Its been so long, I forgot all about this place! It deserves more love.
wow, that photo of the Malasadas is amazing! This place would be great after running one of my 10ks!
The Newport Beach location has two lovely patios, and that tropical indoor and outdoor feel with open windows. The also have music some evenings. I would probably take hubby and the coconut shrimp is lightly breaded and a show stopper. Loved your selections Anita! Especially the Teriyaki Salmon. The photos are so good I could eat the screen! Love all the bright colors!
Looks delicious! If we won the giveaway, we’d start off with a Mai Tai for the lady and a nice cold IPA for me. Definitely will have to try the green lip mussels & fish tacos, too!
I am a foodie! My son is a chef and daughter a winemaker…I would celebrate with my mom and godmother who rarely get out to enjoy a beautiful ambiance and great fine dining fare!