Bahama Breeze Island Grille Legendary Island Cocktails and Appetizers, Review

by EJ on 07/13/12

Not all chain restaurants are created equal. In fact, my Hubby refuses to step foot in most chains yet the other night while dining in one, he proclaimed "This is the best night of my life". Well, I hope this wasn't the best night of his life - his over enthusiasm could probably trace back to the fact that he'd been sampling their alcoholic beverages for over an hour. Even so, we really did have a swell time and this restaurant proved to be the perfect summer dinner destination.

Earlier this week, Bahama Breeze Island Grille invited the monster fam to their Christiana Mall location in Delaware. This location opened its doors earlier this year directly across from the mall. The island-inspired restaurant chain, primarily known for their drinks, has a pretty impressive lineup of appetizers as well. Back in June, I told you about their new appetizers and Skinny Drinks. Turns out, while I wasn't super impressed with the low-calorie Skinny Drinks, there's a lot more flavor and excitement on the Legendary Island Cocktails drink menu (we'll gladly deal with the calories in these babies).

Okay, well I didn't get to enjoy the Legendary Island Cocktails to the fullest extent since I'm a preggo right now (and responsible Mom with kiddies present at the table AND designated driver) but I did steal a sip from Hubby from the less powerful ones to get an idea. Man, was I jealous. I'm an island drink nut and whenever I drink socially, I order something fruity and strong. When you add some steel drums, most definitely some Jimmy Buffet (sorry, can't help it!), good food and a nice summer breeze, then I'm in heaven. See... I told you I was jealous.

Our super attentive waitress Linda put the five of us on the outdoor patio, complete with flat screen TVs, twirling ceiling fans and island music. Since Hubby was taking over as drink taste tester for me for the evening, they immediately brought him the Parrot Passion, a drink originating in Puerto Rico and the must-have cocktail at the renowned Parrot Club in Old San Juan. Hubby's first sip resulted in a 'wow'. He really liked the light and fresh citrus flavors with the texture of the orange and passion fruit pulp. The Parrot Passion includes a blend of passion fruit juice, orange juice, Cointreau and Bacardi Limon.
The waitress presented all of us with four appetizer dishes: Tostones with Chicken, White Bean Hummus with Veggies, the Jumbo Lump Crab Stack and the Skillet Simmered Jerk Shrimp. The presentation of the Crab Stack in particular was glorious. Everything looked delicious. Turns out, two of these plates were beyond imaginable delicious.

The Skillet Simmered Jerk Shrimps were a bit spicy which I loved because I'm not a super big fan of shrimp by themselves. The jerk seasonings and garlic-thyme butter really went well with the accompanying Cuban bread. Our four year old really liked these shrimp which surprised me as they did have an extra kick to them.

My favorite appetizer was the Tostones with Chicken. This was made up of thick slices of fried plantains, shaped almost like little dishes, each holding a mixture of sweet peppers, chicken, mushrooms, onions and cheese with fresh-chopped tomato salsa. I'm not a big fan of mushrooms yet as I previously experienced at this same restaurant, Bahama Breeze can sneak mushrooms into anything and I'll love it. The flavor combinations really blend well and again - my kids loved this one, too. Hubby said, "It's ridiculous how good this food is." I agreed.

The White Bean Hummus with Veggies was pretty good. I love hummus to begin with while this particular batch was much lighter and smoother than what I'm used to. I didn't think the hummus was amazing, although it was good. It was sort of like a watered down version of the thicker, more flavorful hummus I buy at the grocery store. Again, it wasn't bad, just wasn't my favorite. The veggies and flat bread chips were great dippers.

The magnificent looking Crab Stack was equally magnificent tasting. They did not skimp on the crab meat and the crab tasted fresh, totally non-frozen (manager confirmed). Who knew that crab meat, avocado and honey-pepper hot sauce went so well together? Seriously, that's a food combo I will not forget any time soon. Don't forget the apple and mango salsa!

While eating I was also enjoying a non-alcoholic Caribbean Breeze. Something just felt better about drinking like an islander even if I couldn't enjoy the alcoholic side of things. In fact, there's a pretty extensive list of non-alcoholic beverages offered at Bahama Breeze with a zillion different fruity combinations for us preggos or non drinkers.

All the while, Hubby was making friends with other Legendary Island Cocktails such as the Batida de Coco, Goombay Smash and the Barbados Rum Punch. The Batida de Coco comes in a smaller glass but packs a lot of strength.
The Batida, meaning to be shaken, originates from the islands of Brazil and is a coconut cocktail made with Leblon Cachaca Rum, Cream of Coconut and pineapple juice. This drink was actually the manager's favorite but unfortunately, Hubby didn't agree. He did say that while it's super strong at first, it did get better as you sipped.

The Goombay Smash was certainly the prettiest, served in a balloon glass. Goombay is a native drum from the Bahamas and a music style. This drink can be found at nearly every bar in the Bahamas. Hubby said that this was his favorite blend of flavors so far and tasted exactly like you would expect from an island drink. It can be found at nearly every bar in the Bahamas. It's made up of Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum and Meyer's Original Rum mixed with fresh orange and pineapple juice over crushed ice.

Finally, the Barbados Rum Punch was Hubby's favorite in the end. The great color and flavor proved smooth and sweet with a bit of nutmeg crushed over top. The nutmeg, said Hubby, really added some depth that made this drink unique. Apparently, when you fly into Barbados, this is the drink that they hand you whilst you walk into any resort. Mount Gay Rum, lovingly known as the rum that invented rum, is one of the oldest rum brands in the world. This drink includes Mount Gay Eclipse Rum, sweet and sour mix, fresh lime juice with Grenadine and Angostura bitters.

Since Linda jokingly encouraged Hubby to try the remaining four cocktails left on their list of samples, I guess they'll JUST have to invite us back post-pregnancy so that I myself can enjoy these beautiful drinks. Alas, I wasn't about to let Hubby go anywhere near another drink so we had to say goodbye.

Overall, the service was most excellent, the food was surprisingly impressive and different and the drinks, from a short distance, were absolutely stunning. Hubby didn't mind drinking them either. The kids and us adults loved the patio atmosphere, especially given the less extreme temperatures as of this week. Bahama Breeze Island Grille just screams SUMMER TIME!!!! This location and its staff do a stupendous job all around. I really love how knowledgable the staff is regarding the drinks and all the stories and facts behind them. I'm so glad to have this restaurant in Delaware.

EJ of Four Little Monsters Blog and family were invited by Bahama Breeze Island Grille to sample new menu items for the purpose of this review. All opinions belong to the blogger.