Bahama Breeze - Southcenter

Normally I do not patronize corporate style chain restaurants, but due to the necessity of bi-monthly trips to Southcenter, I have frequently dined at Bahama Breeze.  My last visit to this restaurant was on February 14, 2010 so this review will be pertaining to that experience.  http://www.bahamabreeze.com/

My son, Angelo, and I were there [out of necessity] around 4 p.m. on February 14th.  We were surprised at how crowded the establishment was, until we realized that it was Valentine's Day and many families were celebrating the occasion with an early dinner.  Seemed like an odd place and time for such a celebration, but who am I to judge?

I love the decor at this restaurant...very much a Caribbean theme, and the bar is very cool - has the appearance of being outdoors on a covered patio (despite being located in a corner of the large Southcenter parking area).  They usually have live tropical themed music playing out here and it has just a generally festive ambiance.

As always, we were greeted enthusiastically and seated fairly quickly.  Our waiter was attentive and also enthusiastic...might be part of the job training?  My favorite part of the experience was the waiter mistaking us for a couple!  My son quickly put this notion to rest by saying "this is my MOM, dude!".  Nevertheless, he earned a good tip by this alone :-)

Both the food and drink menus are extensive and tantalizing.  Always a difficult task to decide what to order.  I generally tend to order seafood, so on this occasion I decided to give the Seafood Paella a try.  Paella has been a disappointment at other restaurants, so I did not have high hopes.  However, I was very pleasantly surprised when my order arrived.  The paella was beautifully presented, hot and very tasty - full of seafood, chicken and sausage combined with a savory saffron rice. 

My son was less adventurous.  He ordered the oak grilled chicken sandwich and chose french fries as his included side dish (he could have chosen fresh fruit salad or vine-ripened tomato salad or yellow rice with black beans).  Judging by how swiftly he consumed it, I would assume it was quite adequate and he shared that it was excellent.

This was probably my fifth or sixth visit to Bahama Breeze and I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal at this establishment.  It may be a chain restaurant, but they do it VERY well.  In the past I have sampled numerous appetizers and dinner selections.  One appetizer that stands out in my mind are the tostones with chicken - awesome!  The coconut shrimp are also pretty compelling, although the satisfying crunch of the deep fried coating never fails to fill me with guilt. 

So - this will probably be my sole corporate chain style restaurant review, but I do feel this restaurant is unique in that category - very good quality, selection and value to be had here.