Small Plates, Big Flavor

The concept of "small plates" is a great marketing tool for restaurants. I thought it was so great to be eating "small" amounts that I ordered seven of them with a co-worker last night at a media sampling hosted by Bahama Breeze Island Grille.

While I bought into the "small plate" idea a long time ago, I have to confess I never really bought into the skinny cocktail craze until last night. I sampled the Skinny Margarita, Skinny Mojito and Skinny Paloma. The Margarita's pucker was deliciously evened out with a little fresh OJ. I enjoy Mojito's but sometimes find them to be a little sweet, this one was just right. However, the Paloma was a little too sweet for me with passion fruit, grapefruit, Fresca and Tequila.

New on Bahama Breeze's small plate menu: Mojo-Marinated Pulled Pork on top of plantains with a smokey BBQ sauce. The sweet plantain, salty pork and tangy sauce formed a nicely balanced trio.

The new Citrus Shrimp was like ceviche. A good portion of shrimp in a fresh, light citrus marinade, accompanied by avocado, cilantro and tomato; my new favorite. An old favorite, the warm goat cheese stuffed in a roasted red pepper. The sweet pepper and spicy creamy cheese mix is a comforting combo.

My least favorite new menu item was the Parmesan Stuffed Zucchini with sauteed veggies. It just didn't have the same great bold flavor of the other dishes, although I suspect it was the most healthful. So for that option, I'm thankful.

The Chicken Adobo Empanadas were a perfect small plate; three handmade pastires stuffed with chicken, mushrooms and onion, served with a black bean and corn salsa and a creamy sauce to cut the heat.

As the table next to us raved about  the Jerk Chicken Pasta, it magically appeared in front of us. I thought I was going to explode but the cream sauce was light, the spice just hot enough and the aspargus was al dente; just perfect. The marathon dining felt more like a sporting event, I could imagine the wait staff saying things like, "$5 the girls can put away one more dish."

Sadly, we had to pass on dessert but they looked fabulous. So make sure you leave some room after trying the new small plates at Bahama Breeze.

***COMMENTS: Thanks to all my Facebook friends for posting so many great comments. I would LOVE it if you could also post your comments here on this blog site. Many people tell me they posted and it never showed up. Disappointing for us both. So click comment, type your comment, check the box that says "comment as" then hit post. If a word verification box does not appear next (a scrambled word to retype) your comment did not post. Thanks!