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Tommy Bahama’s Laguna Beach

December 10 by Priscilla 14 Comments

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Since I missed the pre-grand opening media dinner of Tommy Bahama’s Laguna Beach while traipsing around Cannes and the City of Lights, and then heard from my foodie friends how freaking awesome it was – I had to experience it myself as soon as the dust settled after Thanksgiving. Let me tell you right up front – TB’s is not your typical chain with an island twist, in fact, this outlet (Tommy’s 13th) is not even like their sister restaurant in Newport Beach – it’s menu items and decor are thoughtfully unique to Laguna Beach.

The dining room boasts clean craftsman-style lines and the mellow warmth of wood while scattered historic photos and glass enclosed vintage bathing suits pay homage to the beach playground history and artistic roots of Laguna Beach. We arrived early in the evening and lucked out with a window table where we were treated to a just-another-day-in-paradise sunset view over the Pacific.

So what better way to kick off the evening than with one of their inventive, hand-shaken cocktails with beach-inspired names, the problem was which one! General Manager Michael Lowney, whose bronzed surfer good looks seem tailor-made for Tommy’s, stopped by our table and answered all our questions with a detailed description of each cocktail to aid us in our selection. The Don decided to turn the heat up and try the jalapeno-infused and garnished “Sunburn” and I had to give their Lemon Drop, made without any sweet & sour – hallelujah! – my seal of approval. Both were excellent, but the “Sunburn”, with its citrusy heat was really unique (photo right).  On the left, is the Grapefruit Basil Martini – my second martini, *happy dance* – a sublime concoction of  fresh squeezed grapefruit and muddled basil which had me in a frenzy trying to recreate it at home the following night.

Thanks to Michael for saving us another major decision by having the kitchen prepare us three of their signature appetizers. Everything is fresh, local, and sustainable with an island twist that’s a bit more refined. Like the Ahi Tuna Tacos – no taco shells here – instead, served in light, crispy wonton shells with a crunchy Asian slaw and wasabi-lime infused avocado sauce. And my favorite of the evening – the Lobster Corn Dogs with a sweet corn batter that was unbelievably light and fluffy and accompanied by a deeply flavorful Sriracha Mustard and Mango Ketchup for dipping. The mussels were plump and sweet in a garlic-buttery broth that begged for more than two pieces of toast for sopping.

Considering there were only two of us, we probably should not have polished off the appetizers the way we did… if we had seen the desserts first, we probably could have exercised more restraint. But before I tempt you with the desserts, I need to tell you how taken I was by the Mahi Mahi with Quinoa and Meyer Lemon Beurre Blanc (pictured below).

I love fish and it’s usually my first choice at any restaurant; the bold and exotic coriander dill rub was perfectly balanced by the silky, Meyer-sweet citrus flavor and the mixture of red and white quinoa with arugula was the best quinoa I’ve ever tasted! The Poblano Chicken with cornflake-almond crust, whipped Yukon Golds, and haricot vert was total comfort food, but it could use a bit more pizazz in the presentation – perhaps an artfully placed chile to adorn the plate.

We had to go the nostalgia route with dessert: we just couldn’t resist the Root Beer Float made with Abita Root Beer from Abita, Louisiana and I haven’t seen a Banana Cream Pie on a menu in eons. With a funny story about Elvis and root beer floats, we slurped up the vanilla’s sweet cool goodness and sassy Abita soda and oohed and aahed over the caramel drizzled, rich banana custard with hints of toasted coconut wrapped up in a tart-like graham cracker crust  – paradise indeed!

And, when you’re finished you can even knock out a little Christmas shopping at the adjoining store which also carries merchandise exclusive to Laguna Beach, and its not all about the camp shirt. I was pleasantly surprised to find that half the store is devoted to casual ladies sportswear and spied some great gift ideas, like these classy shot glasses – you probably have someone on your list that would really love these 🙂

Tommy Bahama’s Laguna Beach
400 South Coast Hwy.
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

(949) 376-6886

Open 11:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Sun. – Thurs., till midnight Fri. & Sat.

Banana Cream Pie photo courtesy of Holly Wong. Thanks, Holly 🙂

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Category Laguna Beach| OC Dining| Restaurants| She's Cookin' Tags Tommy Bahama's Laguna Beach

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Victoria

    December 10 at 6:46 pm

    Wow, everything looks so good! My favorites are the lobster corn dogs, the mahi mahi, and the banana cream pie! Amazing 🙂

    Reply
  2. Jean

    December 10 at 8:13 pm

    Priscilla, I’ve been to the Tommy Bahama on the Big Island–great food! I bet the Laguna Beach themed menu is stellar, too. That Banana Cream Pie is calling my name; one of my faves!

    Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  3. Pachecopatty

    December 11 at 8:04 am

    Hi Priscilla, My husband and I had a wonderful lunch at the Tommy Bahama on Maui at Wailea near the Fairmont. We also had a Jennifer Aniston sighting which was pretty cool. I like your photos and I know it takes an effort to photograph the all the food and drinks before everybody dives in:) I love your sunset photo, makes me want to go on vacation!

    Reply
  4. Rosa

    December 11 at 4:40 pm

    What lovely food! Yummy. A great place too.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  5. Angie's Recipes

    December 12 at 9:44 am

    A very beautiful sunset view! Food loos great, that Mahi Mahi with quinoa is extremely delicious!

    Reply
  6. Monet

    December 12 at 10:19 am

    You had me at those lobster corn dogs! Corn dogs remain one of my guilty pleasures, and I can only imagine how GREAT these more sophisticated dogs must be. What beautiful food and scenery. Thank you for sharing with me. Your kind words on my blog mean so much, just so you know 🙂

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      December 12 at 10:52 am

      @Victoria @Jean @Monet The lobster corn dogs and banana cream pie were amazing! Wish we could go there together 🙂

      @Patty – Thank you for recognizing the time and effort that goes into taking and editing all those photos 🙂

      Reply
  7. rebecca

    December 12 at 8:06 pm

    wow this place looks amazing adore fish tacos

    Reply
  8. Sandra

    December 12 at 10:51 pm

    Amazing photos, and delicious food! Nicely Done!

    Reply
  9. Sommer @ A Spicy Perspective

    December 13 at 10:29 am

    Holy heaven! Everything looks delightful. But that grapefruit basil martini is what I’d go for first!

    Reply
  10. Amanda @ bakingwithoutabox

    December 14 at 8:22 am

    How cool that it’s distinctive from the rest of the chain just for the location. Okay, I’m going back up to drool over the photos some more.

    Reply
  11. Magic of Spice

    December 18 at 10:20 am

    I love Tommy Bahamas…That is were we need to go, Laguna…I have not been there is awhile and love the shops 🙂

    Reply
  12. Kim

    December 21 at 8:17 am

    What a descriptive review; I can’t believe you managed to eat all that food?! But it all looks incredible – especially that martini.

    If you want to go back, I’ll gladly meet you there. 😛

    [K]

    Reply
  13. Judy / Bebe Love Okazu

    December 21 at 9:43 pm

    Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve been to TB in Newport but I’d love to try Laguna. This looks like a great excuse for a date night, which has been rare for us but my new year’s resolution is more date nights! 🙂 Thanks for a great review and I know my husband would love to try the float for dessert!

    Reply

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