My papa had to work all day so we decided to take him out for a nice dinner to celebrate his special day. Normally, we opt for Thai food when we go out to eat – it’s the typical “brown” thing to do. But my sister was pretty set on taking him to Tommy Bahama’s Island Grille in Newport Beach. 

Aside from Sissy, none of us had been there in years and didn’t really have fond memories from the place so we were hesitant to try it again – especially because it wasn’t cheap (Yelp says $$$ and we know what that means…). If we’re eating expensive, it’s gotta be good. (Would also like to point out that my dad’s a really simple guy. He just wants what tastes good and suggested we go out to Chipotle for dinner. Love him.)

We got the tortilla soup to start out with. It was nice and hot – just the way dad likes it. Really flavorful, but not overboard with the spices.

I ordered the chicken burger w/a side of sweet potato fries. It was your average chicken burger – but they added a mango aioli that made it really stand out. And it’s hard to really impress me with sweet potato fries – I’m very partial to the sweet potato fries at Father’s Office in Culver City and no other restaurant has wow-ed me enough to want to eat them.

Dad got smoked and grilled chicken with a side of the most butter-y tasting, melt-in-your-mouth kind of garlic mashed potatoes. Also, they said it came with a side of string beans. But they brought asparagus. Maybe they’re just dumb and don’t know the difference? But I like asparagus better anyway. =)

Mom got a Veggie Burger – I was jealous of the guacamole she got with hers. They also added some sort of tomato jam that made it REALLY yummy.

Sister got a Miso Marinated Hawaiian Butterfish (she’s the most expensive date). Didn’t take pictures of that, but the fish was surprisingly good. I don’t eat fish usually (or ever), but I really liked it.

The overall experience wasn’t bad and I liked it more than I expected I would, but I still would have preferred Chipotle. 😉

What did you do to celebrate Father’s Day?! =)