KATHY MADER -- Dining Review

I feel well rested, refreshed, revived and well fed. No, not from my

mini-hiatus from writing about food, but from the mini-get-a-way I just

experienced over at Tommy Bahama’s in Newport Beach. Yes, the very same

Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Cafe responsible for Monday’s golf tournament.

The very same Tommy Bahama’s “where life is one long weekend.” And that

is just what I needed.

Let’s get it said right away. Tommy Bahama’s also boasts an “Emporium”

loaded not only with fancy resort clothes in many colors and fabrics, but

with some of the very same tropical knickknacks used to create the

vacation atmosphere in the restaurant, so you can bring it home and get

the very same feeling in your living room. The genius here is that in

this life of instant gratification, it is possible to satisfy two

addictions at once.

Just stepping into the conjoining lobby of the store and restaurant

transports you to that feeling of being on vacation. Familiar strains of

Jimmy Buffet emanating from steel drums, whirring ceiling fans,

Hawaiian-printed bar stools, dark rattan chairs, elegant orchids on the

tables and the smells of Tommy’s “world famous coconut shrimp” take care

of all senses not convinced you have actually left town.

But this is no tiki hut, this is a class act vacation with nary a bug

in sight. The restaurant has an excellent patio, relatively bug-free as

well, that doesn’t miss a tropical beat with its small waterfall, big

umbrellas and various palms; the ideal place to spend a sultry evening

celebrating a birthday party, or just enjoying a relaxing drink.

The drink menu reads like a remembrance of your favorite vacation, be

it Key West with the Hemingway -- an Absolut Currant, lime and cranberry

drink -- or the Bahama Blast and the Banana Colada. Mai tais always take

me straight to Maui, and believe you me, I made a real effort to get

there.

These Mai tais have the sleek, plastic, blue dolphin stirrer that has

inspired my friend Rich and myself to attempt a blue dolphin collection

on more than one occasion. Don’t mock me. I saw a lint collection at the

fair once. I can’t promise where these drinks will take you, but make

sure it is the cab and not the Bungalow Brews that give you the last ride

of the night.

But let me get back to that aforementioned jumbo, deep-fried,

coconut-encrusted shrimp set atop papaya-mango chutney. As far as I am

concerned, they could never serve enough of these crispy delicacies to

satisfy me and, at $12 a crack, I may never get there. But you know I

will keep trying.

In addition to these, you must order Dr. Mambo’s Plantain Combo,

crispy banana-like plantain chips dusted with cinnamon and sugar and

served with black bean salsa and sour cream ($6); a sweet and spicy treat

whose memory can tantalize you in the middle of the night. An addiction

if there ever was one.

Suffice it to say that salads really aren’t my thing, but I know you

people are out there. Tommy Bahama’s South Seas Spinach Salad ($11) was

one of the top three salads I have had in my life. High praise when

ambivalence is the reigning emotion, but the loads of fresh spinach with

chunks of mild goat cheese in a warm bacon and balsamic vinaigrette made

it hard to ignore. I would go back just for this.

Brian ordered the Bungalow Salad ($6) with mixed baby greens, Roma

tomatoes, carrots and scallions tossed in a citrus vinaigrette, which was

good, but a very jealous second to the spinach salad.

Brian was jealous yet again when our entrees came. He requested the

Wha’Jamaican Pork ($18), char-grilled medallions of hot spiced pork

tenderloin served in a pineapple rum sauce, which was very good, but not

as good as the Sanibel Stuffed Chicken ($19), a large breast of chicken

stuffed with alouette cheese and pan-fried in a roasted red pepper cream

sauce, all served with honey-roasted onion mashed potatoes. I thought I’d

died and went to Fiji.

Tommy’s menu -- we are on a first name basis now -- offers many more

interesting entrees using the whole gamut of available tropical flavors,

including a Caribbean version of paella that blends the traditional

seafood of this Latin dish with chicken and chorizo. With names such as

Tahitian Tacos, Martinique Mahi, Forbidden Island Scallops and Salmon St.

Croix, and aromas of mangoes, ginger and coconut, you can’t help but

relax, which just happens to be the mantra here.

The dessert choices are just as interesting and creative with the Key

Lime Pie and the Barbados Brownie, a coconut chocolate fudge brownie

served with fresh banana, as the highlights.

When the bill came, I suffered those back-to-reality blues. Tommy

Bahama’s, like any good vacation, is not cheap. But save your change for

this getaway, and enjoy every minute.

* KATHY MADER’s dining reviews appear every other Thursday.

FYI

WHAT: Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Cafe

WHERE: 854 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight

Friday and Saturday

CALL: (949) 760-8686

HOW MUCH: Moderately expensive to expensive