Back to Bahama Breeze: New Rice Bowls!

At the beginning of the year I was invited to a blogger’s event at Bahama Breeze to taste their new Legendary Island Cocktails (click for post).

Last week they invited me back to sample items from their Late Night Happy Hour menu and new Rice Bowls! “From Caribbean Creole to an
Asian-island inspired sweet chili and ginger sauce, each bowl brings
a distinct international island flavor to the table.”

I was greeted this time by manager Talia Rivera (Talia, forgive me for forgetting to take your picture). Thanks for being such a great host.

As we learned in my last post, Bahama Breeze takes their cocktails seriously, so choosing a drink was the first order of business. I decided to go for their signature drink this time the Frozen Bahamarita. Look at the cute little shot that comes with the drink. It’s Cactus Juice Schnaaps (made exclusively for Bahama Breeze) You pour it over the Margarita and it mixes beautifully with the strawberry, mango and kiwi ice.

Bahama Breeze features a short Business Happy Hour from 5-6pm weekdays, so they can offer a more lively, extended Late Night Happy Hour (10pm – close) Sunday – Thursday.

My Happy Hour Menu sampling consisted of :

Conch Fritters in a roasted corn and red bell pepper batter. If you’ve never had it (this was my first time) conch tastes similar to a

scallop, very mild, but the texture is more in line with a shrimp. – 3 Tines

Pork Sliders w/ Guava BBQ Sauce. This pork is slow roasted until it can be formed into a minced, loose patty, it’s not shredded pieces, but it’s very savory and fills the bun. – 3.5 Tines

Beef Empanadas the filling is mixed with West India Curry. These are hearty, with a pot pie crust. An order of empanadas and you don’t need dinner.- 3.5 Tines

Then we moved on to the new menu items making waves at Bahama Breeze – The Island Rice Bowls, each with it’s own distinctive sauce made daily:

Shrimp Creole – Tender
shrimp sautéed in a Caribbean Creole sauce, chorizo sausage, sweet
peppers, olives and tomatoes served over basmati rice. $12.99 – Very nice, love the Puerto Rican inspired green olives. However, my suggestion would be a slightly more noticeable sauce. As you can see, all the bowls are brimming with ingredients, but this one was a little dry. – 2.5 Tines

Carnitas – Slow
roasted pork, sautéed with chorizo sausage, fresh corn, sweet
plantains and garbanzo beans in a cumin-citrus sauce served over
yellow rice. $12.49 – My personal favorite. I do love my pork. This slow roasted version is completely different from that of the Sliders. Nice big hearty pieces and lots of chorizo. This bowl has a rich, flavorful sauce and I’m glad they used the yellow rice rather than the Basmati with this dish – 4 Tines!

West Indies Chicken Curry –
Sautéed chicken, chickpeas and tomatoes simmered in a traditional
West Indies curry sauce with coconut milk. Served over basmati rice
with warm Naan bread and roasted pineapple chutney. – Didn’t sample this one. But I love coconut milk inspired dishes, so will have to try this one on my own.

Chipotle Beef –
Sautéed beef sirloin, fresh corn and black beans in chipotle sauce
served over basmati rice and cheese; topped with sour cream, fresh
salsa and ripe avocado. $13.99 – This was Talia’s favorite. The chunks of avocado really make this dish. I like it’s Mexican influence, but it’s also reminiscent of beef stew. – 3.5 Tines

Vegetarian Asian Tofu –
Sautéed tofu, Shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, bell peppers and
edamame in a sweet chili and ginger sauce; served over basmati rice
and topped with peanuts. $11.49 This was super good. Especially when you want a lighter entree. The veggies stayed nice and crunchy. Chicken can be substituted for the tofu, but believe it or not, I liked it with the tofu! This would have been a 4 Tine dish except they missed the mark on one thing – it should be served with a jasmine sticky rice, rather than the basmati. – 3.5 Tines

Talia asked, “Do you have room for dessert?” That’s like saying, “Do you like free money?” The answer is always YES!

She brought out their newest offering a Pina Colado Bread Pudding with Coconut Shavings $5.99. The pineapple is the main influence of this dessert. It’s lighter than you’d think for a bread pudding. Pleasantly, had a more cake-like texture. – 3 Tines

I hope you didn’t think I ate all of these dishes in their entirety. I’m good, but that’s gluttony. I was however, happy to be sent home with the left overs. Look at Talia’s artwork! The only rice bowl that doesn’t heat up that well is the Asian Tofu, cause you lose the crispness of the vegetables.