I’ve lived in Orlando my entire life and never once stepped inside Tommy Bahama’s restaurant. I always assumed it was a generic, tropical, frozen food type place, but I couldn’t have been more wrong! Last week we visited Tommy Bahama’s I-Drive location and sampled some of their new burgers and beers.
We were lucky enough to have the chef serve us each of the courses and talk us through our meal. The burgers were creative, dripping in juiciness and all wedged between locally made brioche buns. Our meal started with chilled lobster amuse-bouche with corn salsa and Bibb lettuce on a brioche bun. It was a perfect refreshing, light start before indulging in four gourmet burgers.
Smokehouse Bacon Burger – A dripping, savory custom Buckhead Beef burger with thick-cut, smoked bacon, sharp white cheddar cheese, barbecue ketchup, garlic aïoli, vine ripe tomato and sweet onions. Basically, heaven on a bun. A mix of interesting flavors that was a nice departure from your average “bacon burger.”
Ahi Tuna Burger – Who needs beef when you can have tuna wedged between two buns? Tender Ahi Poke is side-by-side crispy kale, garlic aïoli, wasabi avocado and Asian slaw. My favorite burger of the night – so tender and uniquely flavored – you won’t miss the beef.
Hawaiian Pork Burger – A taste bud tantalizing pork burger with pineapple and papaya chutney, smoked bacon and spicy mayo. Stacked between pillow soft locally made buns – it’s the perfect way to experience a taste of Hawaii.
Turkey Burger – I know what you’re thinking….who actually orders turkey burgers? There’s no sacrifice of flavor for a bit of health with this sky high burger of smoked Gouda, bacon jam, grilled pineapple and chipotle aïoli. The bacon jam and sriracha mayo are the stars of this burger as they complement the turkey in an exceptional manner.
We also enjoyed some GolfBeer and sweet treats. Designed by pro-golfers, GolfBeer is locally made in Lakeland and making quite the splash in the beer world. Shaped to enjoy on the golf course in the sweltering heat, their Scandinavian Style Blonde Ale is a nice accompaniment to these rich burgers.
For the final course we were treated to some authentic Key Lime Pie with a classic graham cracker crust that’s topped with a white chocolate mousse. It’s a classic, perfectly executed dessert that was an absolute treat to taste. For the last few bites we indulged in some Pineapple Crème Brulee served up in a pineapple. It’s sweet confection that’s sure to be memorable.
If you haven’t tried Tommy Bahama’s restaurant, get yourself out to I-Drive this weekend! Plus take advantage of their free valet parking and prepare yourself for a tasty, tropical evening.
