Bahama Breeze Birthday

Going out for Sarah's birthday is never just an event; it's a process. We asked her where she wanted to go and she said, "somewhere new and far away." New to her, that is, not necessarily a new restaurant. "Far away" means a drive of about an hour --preferably longer--not in the heart of town. She has always loved long drives, from the moment she was born. (But that's a whole 'nother post to be categorized under "colicky baby.") This night she would be ordering a drink as she was turning the legal drinking age of 21. She was more excited about being carded, to be honest.

After that, she decided she'd rather go south, not north. So even though Philly is far away, it's north. Even though south could mean Annapolis, it was already 6:15 when she got home from babysitting and all of us were hungry. We didn't have the patience to drive an hour. A 30-40 minute drive plus a 40-minute wait was pushing the limits. Finally, following much online searching and Paul suggesting restaurants he'd been to with colleagues or heard good things about, Sarah decided on Bahama Breeze in Towson.

The hostess told us it would be a 40 minute-or-less wait. The "patio" is seat-yourself, first-come, first-served, where live music was playing. Not sure if the singer was Jamaican, but he could certainly pull off the calypso sound with natural flair. His voice was better than his diction, but his smile made up for some garbled words. I must say, he made Air Supply's "All Out of Love" lyrics sound more like a celebration of break-up than a ballad of a heartsick Romeo.

More entertaining than he, however, was Sarah, whose social commentary amuses me often. Her subject this time? A couple she surmised were an e-Harmony pair --early 40s; woman was a bottle blond and somewhat into him. He looked like a jerk from Atlanta who was really into her. I didn't like his Joe-Cool mannerisms, red wine in hand, leaning to blondie's face; Sarah agreed he was trying too hard, but "people on alcohol get like that," she said. They had started at the bar, then made their way to the patio area for self-seating when a table came available.

"Just look at them, they're too affectionate to be married, and too old have met the normal way," she concluded. Then there was a couple barely out of high school who had been there maybe ten minutes, who rudely made their way ahead of e-Harmony Couple. "Watch; I bet they're gonna get in a fight, Mom. That e-Harmony guy has been waiting a long time. He's gonna say something to that rude dude." Both of us were disappointed when e-Harmony got called to a regular table in the main part of the restaurant. No fight to watch.

Once seated in the main part of the restaurant ( 40 minutes exactly from check-in), I ordered a fabulous mango mojito. Sarah got a Caribbean Sin, which she wished was named something else. She said, "Mom, should I ask her what Caribbean Sin is like?" I said, "Probably like sin anywhere." Unfortunately, she didn't get carded. "I must look 35," she said. (Sorry, there's not a picture of her drink, but here's mine.)
Mojito Cubano
Bacardi Superior Rum, crushed spearmint, lime, sugar cane


The appetizer we chose was Crab, Shrimp, Mango and Avocado Stack
Jumbo lump crabmeat, chilled shrimp, fresh avocados and apple-mango salsa layered and stacked; with a spicy honey-red pepper drizzle. Generous amounts of shrimp, plenty of jumbo lump crabmeat, finely diced mango, with the perfect amount of avocado, baby greens, slivered almonds, and a deliciously sweet-hot red pepper sauce. We thought it should be served with six tortilla triangles, not two, but other than that, we thought it was delightful.

The birthday girl chose the chef's special, boneless fried chicken over mashed potatoes with spinach-cream sauce, black beans and corn. Every bite fantastic.

I had a hard time narrowing my choices, but finally went with Calypso Shrimp Linguine
Tender shrimp in every bite…sautéed with garlic, scallions, tomatoes, Creole spice and a touch of cream. Some restaurants claim to put tender shrimp in every bite; Bahama Breeze delivers on their promise.

Paul ordered NEW Cuba Libre Shrimp Salad
Chilled shrimp tossed with a rum and cola glaze; served with fresh greens, pineapple and candied almonds tossed in sugar cane vinaigrette.The presentation of this was show-stopping with the top of the fresh pineapple and the bright yellow flesh supporting the major players.

Joel's entree came from the very limited kids' menu. He chose chicken fingers with fries--some of the best salty fries I've had in a long time. Usually kids' meals taste like afterthoughts, but not so this one.

Each dish tasted so good that we decided from the get-go that we'd eat for three minutes and then rotate clockwise, except for Joel, who took a couple bites here and there from the rest of ours, but who was quite content with his selection, thank you very much.

The service was excellent. Two managers came to the table after we told the waitress it was our first time. They made us feel very welcome--great PR, if you ask me. I love the atmosphere: romantic, friendly, dim but not dark, with classy Caribbean decor. E-Harmony couple sat three booths away, on the same side of the table, which is so high-school if you ask me when nobody's on the other side. At least Sarah and Joel sat opposite Paul and me, so we wouldn't be mistaken for star-crossed lovers. How embarrassing that would've been to our kids. His only complaint was the giggling gaggle of the bachelorette party seated near us, but they left after 20 minutes, and I didn't find them at all distracting. I was too busy enjoying every bite and sip of Bahama Breeze.

Our new favorite restaurant.