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Tommy Bahama

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sararevell
sararevell
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
3
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Editor Pick

Tommy Bahama: Good Couture, Great Cuisine

  • November 26, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by sararevell from London, United Kingdom
Tommy Bahama: Good Couture, Great Cuisine

I was initially very skeptical about the idea of eating at the Tommy Bahama restaurant. I guess I’m a bit of a purist and believed that a clothing retailer shouldn’t venture into the food world, but as restaurants go, Tommy Bahama ain’t half bad. The seating area downstairs was fairly full but we were advised that we could try upstairs for outdoor seating if we wanted to.

We were happy that we did. Not only was there plenty of seating on their veranda, but it was much nicer than being stuck downstairs. If I closed my eyes (and shut out the noise of the traffic) I could almost… almost, believe that I was dining on a Hawaiian beach or on the edge of a sugar plantation. It’s a bit of an imagination stretch but the lush warm decor and distant palm trees make an effort to transport you to another time and place.

We had a short wait for a table but after a bathroom break, they were ready to seat us. Before we could even look at the food options we were already salivating over the drinks menu. Mojitos, margaritas and coladas of all kinds were listed. I opted for a Mango Colada but soon wished I’d stuck with the traditional Piña Colada. The mango version seemed somehow diluted to me and I was really looking for the strong tropical taste that the pineapple version always seems to deliver.

One thing that’s immediately noticeable about Tommy Bahama’s is that it’s expensive and we paid about 15% more for lunch than we had at The Greene House.

I ordered the pricey Aruba Arugula Salad, minus the chopped nuts. All servings at Tommy Bahama’s are generous so you need to arrive hungry or consider splitting with a friend. Our waitress’s recommendation was the pork sandwich, which one person in our group ordered and seemed very happy with. My salad came with crunchy, peppery arugula, sliced papaya and topped with a handful of meaty grilled shrimp and scallops. It was possibly one of the most delicious and different salads I’ve had in a long time and definitely worth the price.

We finished up our meals and reluctantly passed on the dessert menu, which included an incredible sounding Piña Colada cake. We took our time leaving. The warm breeze blowing across the deck doesn’t encourage you to make a quick exit and had it not been a business lunch, I would have been quite happy to spend more time that afternoon poring over their drinks and dessert menu.

From journal Business Lunch in Phoenix and Scottsdale

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