new look: the tommy bahama island grille

Tommy Bahama Island Grille in Corona del Mar Plaza has opened its new light and bright remodeled Restaurant & Store just in time for summer. The welcoming space reveals the brand’s latest design concept developed especially for coastal Newport Beach.

Tommy Bahama has been a mainstay in the Newport Beach community since 1998 and this dramatically redesigned space with its fresh indoor/outdoor feel is the perfect fit for the Orange County lifestyle.

They’ve even revitalized their iconic menu to include new favorites but have kept several island-inspired favorites from the original menu. The expansive bar and dining area is accented with blonde wood ceiling beams and panels that are a much brighter version of their former space.

Ocean-worthy blue and cream colored tile add dimension to the bar and a tiled floor. The bar has been repositioned as a focal point of the space with seating on all four sides and includes adjacent high top tables.

Serving delicious, native California cuisine, Tommy Bahama Restaurant provides a relaxed environment to refuel and recharge from shopping. Locally sourced foods include Carlsbad mussels, California pistachios, golden state avocados and farm raised chicken from Orange County.

On the patio, cozy fire pits with lounge seating are available for casual drinks and light bites. An upper level raised terrace offers seating with a view of the pretty surroundings.

New menu items include:

·         SANTA BARBARA HOT SMOKED SALMON Grilled Sourdough, Mt. Tam Triple Cream, Red Mustard Greens, Capers, Red Onions, Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes

·         CHAR-GRILLED ARTICHOKE Herbs de Provence, Lemon Tarragon Aïoli

·         “NASHVILLE” HOT CHICKEN SLIDERS King’s Hawaiian Bread, Cajun Dry Rub, Island Slaw, Garlic Aïoli, Siracha, House-Made Pickles

·         GRILLED MISO AVOCADO TOAST Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Jicama, Red Mustard Greens, Pumpkin Seed Gremolata

·         SPAGHETTI SQUASH BOWL Roasted Mushrooms, Lemon Garlic Broth, Roasted Corn Salsa, Bloomsdale Spinach, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pumpkin Seed Gremolata

·         ZA’ATAR & HERB CRUSTED AHI TUNA Beluga Lentils, Chile Oil, Roasted Carrots and Romanesco, Avocado Green Goddess

·         PRESSED HERB CHICKEN & “BRIE” SANDWICH California Free Range Chicken, Mt. Tam Triple Cream, Vine-Ripe Tomatoes, Garlic Aïoli, Green Romesco, Fries

Cajun Blackened Fish Tacos

Za’atar & Herb Crusted Ahi Tuna

Kona Coffee Crusted Rib Eye 

Ahi Tuna Bowl

Piña Colada Cake

Tommy Bahama Restaurant, Bar & Store

Corona del Mar Plaza

854 Avocado Ave

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Restaurant Hours & Phone

949.760.8686

Open: 11:00 AM daily

ciao! fabiana

P.S. I’m on a mini-summer vacation for August, so you’ll be reading condensed versions of summer-inspired blog posts this month.

time for pie

Vintage pie plates are really fun inexpensive collectables. I pick them up here or there at thrift stores, rummage sales or yard sales for only a dollar or two.

Not only are these ceramic pie plates cute, what makes them really fun is that the pie recipe is already printed on them as part of the design!

And I don’t know about your family, but mine absolutely love any kind of pie especially fruity summer pies, so today I’m sharing a few additional recipes that we love.

Martha Stewart’s Strawberry Icebox Pie

Ingredients

10 graham crackers (2 1/2 by 5 inches)

1 cup sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup unsweetened cranberry juice

2 quarts strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced (a few whole berries reserved for garnish)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend graham crackers with 2 tablespoons sugar until finely ground; add butter and pulse until crumbs are moistened. Press mixture into the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until crust is lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar, cranberry juice, 2 cups strawberries, cornstarch, and salt. Using a potato masher, gently mash strawberries. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until very thick, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in remaining strawberries. Pour into cooled pie crust. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours (or up to 1 day).

3. In a large bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over cream and continue to beat until soft peaks return (do not overbeat). Spread whipped cream over pie, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border around edge. Garnish with whole berries. 

Very Berry Cream Tartlets recipe found here

Tommy Bahama's Key Lime Pie recipe found here

Lemon Meringue Pie recipe found here

Homemade Pumpkin Pie recipe found here

Please stop by again later this week 

when I'll share a few of my new vintage finds

from my visit to the Orange Circle yesterday. 

What’s your favorite collectable?

ciao! fabiana

summer eating at Tommy Bahama's

Tommy Bahama's Island Grille, one of my favorite restaurants here in Newport Beach, invited my husband and me to try a few new menu items recently, and boy, were we in for a treat!

Their menu features amazing seafood and yummy island-inspired cuisine, and it’s always a pleasure dining there. We’ve often dined at the TB Island Grille over the years since they opened about 20 years ago, so we were really excited to try some of their new menu items.

World Famous Coconut Shrimp

We were really impressed by several of their new menu items like the Miso Glazed Ōra King Salmon, Togarashi Crusted Ahi Tuna and Halibut Ceviche, along with Tommy Bahama longtime favorites such as Braised Pork Shank, the vegetarian Harvest Burger, and their World Famous Coconut Shrimp.

In fact, here’s the recipe for this crispy and delicious shrimp appetizer, if you’d like to make this at home.

TOMMY BAHAMA'S WORLD-FAMOUS COCONUT SHRIMP

Ingredients:

1⅔ cups all-purpose flour

2 egg yolks

2 cups Kona Brewing Co. Island Lager or similar

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 lb shrimp, 16/20 size, peeled, deveined and butterflied

2 cups coconut, shredded

Instructions:

·         Mix 1 cup flour, egg yolks, beer, sugar, salt and pepper with a wire whisk to form batter.

·         Dredge shrimp in remaining flour, then dip into batter.

·         Prop shrimp by their tails from the bowl’s rim after dipping in batter. After you work your way around, they’ll be ready to coat with coconut.

·         Coat shrimp with coconut, pressing gently to make coconut adhere.

Fry in stockpot or deep fryer with peanut oil at 335°F for 3 minutes.

Yeild: 16-20 shrimp

Ahi Poke with Avocado and Siracha Aioli  

Seafood is definitely at the forefront of the menu at Tommy Bahama’s Island Grille, but there are a lot of other delicious options like burgers, ribs, chicken, salads and my favorite the Prime Rib French Dip! My hubby and I happen to LOVE fresh seafood, so we were loving every single bite of the dishes we ordered.  

Halibut Ceviche with Coconut Mango Broth 

Ahi Tuna Bowl with Baby Lettuce, Roasted Corn Salsa and Avocado

Adobo Braised Pork Shank with Kale and Cauliflower-Potato Mash

Here are a few more new menu items that sound amazing:

• Shrimp & Grits – Stone Ground White Grits, Aged White Cheddar, Andouille Sausage, Jalapeños, Roasted Corn Salsa, Green & Red Bell Peppers, Cajun Brown Butter

• Oven Roasted Mojo Chicken – Charred Sour Oranges, Andouille Sausage, Saffron Plantain Peas & Rice, Tangerine Achiote Vinaigrette

• Cilantro & Ginger Crusted Mahi Mahi – Crispy Furikake Rice Cake, Shrimp Broth, Sautéed Squash & Carrots, Chile Oil

Piña Colada Cake with White Chocolate Mousse

And we haven’t even talked dessert yet… I actually twisted my hubby's arm a teeny bit to have him order the Piña Colada Cake while I had the Malted Chocolate Pie. 

What can I say? I wanted to taste both!

A round-up of all their famous desserts

Next time you’re in Corona del Mar,

stop by the Tommy Bahama Island Grille for a real taste of the islands!

 ciao! fabiana

Tommy Bahama Island Grille is

 located in the Corona del Mar Plaza,

right near Fashion Island.

854 Avocado Ave, Newport Beach, CA 92660

(949) 760-8686

Disclaimer:  I was invited by Tommy Bahama’s Newport Beach Restaurant to try menu items free of charge and am reviewing them at no cost and must disclose that fact. All opinions are truly my own.

weekend happenings

Happy  Sunday!

Just touching base to share with you some of the latest from around here. I’ve been working on a few new tablescapes for a fabulous website I’m collaborating with. We're currently working on a story all about collecting vintage china and how to use it to set a pretty table.

I can't share too much else about that project, but there's a sneak peek above. 

And there's some news buzzing around the neighborhood about Christina from the HGTV show Flip or Flop...

photo by Page Six

She recently purchased this home that may look familiar because it was featured on the Newport Harbor Home Tour a couple of years ago. Here’s a peek at it.  And best of all, she’s right around the corner from me!

welcome to the neighborhood, Christina!

On Friday I was invited to the Tommy Bahama restaurant in Newport Beach to try all their new menu items! What a treat!

I’ll be sharing all the details soon, but I did want to show you one of my favorite entrees, above, the Ahi Tuna Bowl, filled with lots of healthy ingredients like quinoa, farro, island slaw, roasted corn salsa, avocado and toasted almonds… super yummy!

While we were in Geneva last week, we stayed at our friends Craig and Pam’s beautiful inn, The Herrington. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the only place to stay in Geneva. Located right on the Fox River, it’s within walking distance to all the best shops and restaurants in town.

The stone walls of this build date back to 1874 when it was the Geneva Rocks Spring Creamery. Butter and cheese were produced here and kept cold in the Fox River. In keeping with the dairy tradition, the staff at The Herrington bring guests milk and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to their rooms every night!

We also had a lot of family history to explore in Geneva. This home called Ridgelawn, once belonged to my husband’s great uncle, Ernest Oswalt, who was a successful publisher and the founder of the Campana Corporation in Batavia. 

After Uncle Ern’s death in 1955, it became a convent and is still occupied by the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary. Getting to tour this one hundred year old house was quite a treat. It still remains pretty similar to what it was like in the 1940's and 50's when Uncle Ern and Aunt Hazel called this place home.

Our cousin Melinda came along on the tour and had lots of family photos to share with us that all date back to the heyday of Ridgelawn when the Oswalts lived there.

We had a really fun time in Geneva, and even though we’ve only been back a week, I already miss all our fun friends and cousins.

We arrived during a 112 degree heatwave and cooking was out of the question, so Christine opted to order gourmet fried chicken, corn on the cob and salad for all of us to nosh on while we caught up with each other on all the latest happenings.

I miss my sweet Geneva friends, from the top left,
Pam, Lisa, me, Heidi and
front row, Gina, Lori, Christine, and Kristin.

Chicago was all decked out for the Fourth of July. We took the architectural boat tour of the city on one for the hottest days of the year, but still had a really great time!

After the boat tour, we were greeted by the local food trucks and filled our tummies with gourmet lobster rolls and nice cold drinks.  

Back here at home this morning, I set yet another tablescape, this time out in the backyard. And yes, I know it’s a little early for Thanksgiving, but I have my reasons for starting this soon, haha!

I’m going for a blue and white themed Thanksgiving. What do you think?  

 ciao! fabiana