Life's a Beach at Bahama Breeze!

By Pete Allman

Life is a beach in The Caribbean. That's what many travelers feel and that's why Bahama Breeze has brought their tropical ambiance to 31 of their restaurants around the nation.

In Las Vegas, where's there's plenty of sunshine, locals and tourist alike can drive to Flamingo and Paradise and enjoy specialty drinks made fresh, like a Strawberry Beach, with strawberry, banana, and pineapple, or a Virgin Pina Colada with cocoa, mango, pineapple blended with strawberry and slush ice and fresh squeezed lemonade with sugar cane. All are available with or without liquor, for a modest $4.00. There's so much to enjoy for their happy hours, with over 150 colorful cocktails, not to mention half off on their appetizers. What's not to like with $2-$3 dollar draft beers and $5.00 cocktails.

So why not enjoy those delightful drinks and escape to the Caribbean from 4-6pm Monday - Fridays and on Sundays from 9pm till closing. But, enough already, there's a new added menu at Bahama Breeze, prepared by the corporate chef, Peter Olsacher, just for you. According to Jesse Samaniego, the general manager of the Las Vegas Bahama Breeze, and Brett Leja the Bar Manager, most of the new dishes are only $13-15. Together, both gentlemen pride themselves in making sure each customer has a celebration of fine Caribbean cuisine, live music on the weekends and exciting tropical drinks.

"The customer is our main focus. That's why we are giving away gift cards to show our appreciation for their patronage," states Jesse Samaniego.

On a Friday evening I invited International correspondent Rossana Huang and former game show host Mark Richards. Mark likes spicy cuisine and Rossana is a vegan. This makes for an interesting culinary journey starting with the West Indies Vegetarian Curry and the Vegetarian Asian Tofu, this was indeed very tasty entrees. The West Indian Curry, which can also be prepared with chicken, is delicious. The chicken is sautéed with chick peas, tomatoes and simmered in a traditional West Indies curry sauce with coconut, served over basmati rice with an order of naan bread and some chutney sauce.

The Vegetarian Asian Tofu, a popular dish for vegetarians, is prepared with tofu, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, bell peppers, edamame, with a sweet chili and ginger sauce, on a bed of basmati riced topped with peanuts. People from different regions of the country very with the kind spices they enjoy. At Bahama Breeze they can order their entree either light, medium or hot. The Shrimp Creole for instance and the Chipotle Beef are two items that can certainly enhance the taste buds, with a selection of hot sauces on the side.

Since I'm learning more about vegetarian dishes and what vegetables to eat, I like to change things up a bit. That's why I recommend the vegetarian dishes at Bahama Breeze. For the seafood lovers, the Shrimp Creole for one, has sausage, corn sweet peppers, olives and tomatoes. According to Mark Richards this was one of his favorites, along with the Carmitas Bowl. This dish is prepared with slow roasted pork, sautéed with chorizo sausage, fresh corn, sweet plantains and garbanzo beans in a curin citrus sauce, served with yellow rice. That is to say the least. So, when you and your family want to escape to the Caribbean, why not try Bahama Breeze for your celebration, not to mention some of their home made deserts.

src='/images/writer/allm50.jpg' class='newspicl'>Pete Allman is a Las Vegas-based commentator, broadcast personality and celebrity interviewer. He also produces inspirational messages for television and other media. Contact him at peteonthescene@yahoo.com or (702)265-9099. Visit www.CelebrityScene.com Read more stories by Pete Allman.