Tropical breezes

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

Every year we spend two glorious weeks with our best friends, who live in California, on the tropical island paradise known as Aruba. Right around now we start to get afflicted with island fever. What better way to temporarily cure this “fever” than by going to the Bahama Breeze Island Grill in Schaumburg.

You can’t miss the restaurant. It looks like a piece of the Bahama’s suddenly appeared in suburbia. The white hurricane shutters on the outside are just a taste of what is to follow on the inside.

The Reggae music hits you as you walk in and notice the Caribbean flare in the décor with palm trees and brightly colored ceiling fans. The restaurant is huge with a large wrap-around bar and two dining areas on the inside. On the outside, there is an enclosed gazebo with a functioning fire pit, a large open dining area, and a small bar.

We wanted to start our fantasy island dinner with the Crab and Three Cheese Dip ($15.49). This was a quarter-pound of crab in creamy cheeses, served hot in a skillet, with warm tortilla chips and lime. This was everything we hoped it would be. There was crab in every bite, and the creamy cheese was brightened up by the lime wedge that we squeezed on top. This is a must have appetizer!!!

My cabana boy ordered the Crispy Chicken and Johnny Cakes ($16.99). This was two crispy chicken breasts served with four johnny cakes, and cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes. Jim topped the johnny cakes with their habanero-maple syrup and the chicken was topped with pickled veggies. What’s a johnny cake you ask? It’s basically a cornmeal pancake. The chicken was crunchy and tasty on the outside and juicy on the inside. The heat from the habanero syrup, the sweetness of the mashed sweet potatoes, and the pickled veggies all worked in unison to compliment the entrée. This was a definite tropical treat.

My island queen wanted to try a new item on their menu which was the Cabana Crunch Chicken Salad ($15.49). This light and breezy salad was supposed to be jerk chicken, chilled, sliced, and tossed with pineapple, tomato, shaved coconut, almonds, and honey chipotle dressing with a spicy coconut-peanut drizzle. Nancy didn’t seem too thrilled with her salad and kept saying, “something’s not right. The flavor is just off.” Picking up her phone she Googled the menu and realized what she had was not right at all. Her salad contained green and red peppers plus tortilla strips. The coconut and almonds must have been blown away by the trade winds. She called the waitress over and explained to her the problem and the waitress replied, “it looks like you got the wrong salad.” Nancy said “just give me some shaved coconut and almonds and we will call it a day.”

The manager came over with the missing ingredients and a menu and started reading it. She said, “oh yes, this salad is supposed to have the red and green peppers and the tortilla strips. I will send an email out to corporate immediately telling them to change the menus.” She offered Nancy a new salad, but why??? Why would she do that if the salad was made correctly??? Seriously, just because we are old doesn’t mean we are stupid. Needless to say, Nancy’s island cruise sunk.

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.

The ticket price for this island getaway was $61.45, dreaming of Aruba, priceless…

Everything was great except for Nancy’s salad. Why didn’t the manager just admit the chef made a mistake making the new menu item instead of trying to con two senior citizens.

Jim’s take: I wasn’t a fan of sweet potatoes until today. I love them made this way.

Nancy’s take: I loved the crab dip. A manager lying to me, not so much….

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com

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