We celebrated the return of “Date Night” with a trip to the Tiki Island Bar and Grill in Virginia Beach and I’m sort of wishing we had chosen a different spot to celebrate.
Tiki is a beautiful place. It is my understanding that it has been completely remodeled and whoever was in charge of the remodel did a fantastic job. The restaurant is tastefully decorated, the lighting is beautiful and there are flat screens over the large bar area. There is also outdoor seating provided for when the weather warms up. It is really a nice looking place.
Unfortunately, that is where the praise ends.
I’m not exactly sure who the target audience is for Tiki Island Bar and Grill but I do know that I’m not part of that group. It only took a few moments to go through the menu because there really isn’t that much on it. I was hoping to confirm that information by checking the website but the site is still under construction and could not be accessed. I seem to remember a few steak dishes, a fresh catch, burgers and sandwiches.
As an appetizer we ordered the Oysters Tiki
Interesting dish as it was a spin on the classic oysters rockefeller only this had melted cheese, black beans and corn. It was very pretty to look at but the flavor just sort of sat on my tongue.
As an entrée I had one of the Luau noodle bowls (which can also be ordered with rice instead of noodles)
My bowl was prepared with seared scallops, plenty of vegetables and teriyaki sauce. My problem with this dish is that the noodles and the sauce overwhelmed everything else. The food was literally drowning in the sauce. In my opinion the dish could have been greatly improved if the sauce was more in the background so the flavors of the scallops and the vegetables could have taken center stage. Along with the entrée came a bowl of she-crab soup
It wasn’t bad. Rich and creamy with chunks of crabmeat but it also had big slices of onion and the top was sprinkled with Old Bay instead of sherry which I had never experienced before. For my taste, the onions should have definitely been in the background for a she-crab soup instead of visible as in a vegetable soup. Just my opinion.
One last thing: I usually have a glass of wine or a cocktail with dinner. At Tiki I ordered a cosmopolitan with top shelf vodka. I always do this so I’m used to paying a little extra but in my estimation $12 for a cocktail is totally overpriced.
Clearly, I’m not the target audience and that’s okay because I probably will not be returning. You can check it out for the atmosphere but I would go someplace else for a good meal.
Tiki is a beautiful place. It is my understanding that it has been completely remodeled and whoever was in charge of the remodel did a fantastic job. The restaurant is tastefully decorated, the lighting is beautiful and there are flat screens over the large bar area. There is also outdoor seating provided for when the weather warms up. It is really a nice looking place.
Unfortunately, that is where the praise ends.
I’m not exactly sure who the target audience is for Tiki Island Bar and Grill but I do know that I’m not part of that group. It only took a few moments to go through the menu because there really isn’t that much on it. I was hoping to confirm that information by checking the website but the site is still under construction and could not be accessed. I seem to remember a few steak dishes, a fresh catch, burgers and sandwiches.
As an appetizer we ordered the Oysters Tiki
Interesting dish as it was a spin on the classic oysters rockefeller only this had melted cheese, black beans and corn. It was very pretty to look at but the flavor just sort of sat on my tongue.
As an entrée I had one of the Luau noodle bowls (which can also be ordered with rice instead of noodles)
My bowl was prepared with seared scallops, plenty of vegetables and teriyaki sauce. My problem with this dish is that the noodles and the sauce overwhelmed everything else. The food was literally drowning in the sauce. In my opinion the dish could have been greatly improved if the sauce was more in the background so the flavors of the scallops and the vegetables could have taken center stage. Along with the entrée came a bowl of she-crab soup
It wasn’t bad. Rich and creamy with chunks of crabmeat but it also had big slices of onion and the top was sprinkled with Old Bay instead of sherry which I had never experienced before. For my taste, the onions should have definitely been in the background for a she-crab soup instead of visible as in a vegetable soup. Just my opinion.
One last thing: I usually have a glass of wine or a cocktail with dinner. At Tiki I ordered a cosmopolitan with top shelf vodka. I always do this so I’m used to paying a little extra but in my estimation $12 for a cocktail is totally overpriced.
Clearly, I’m not the target audience and that’s okay because I probably will not be returning. You can check it out for the atmosphere but I would go someplace else for a good meal.
1993 Sandbridge Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
1 comment:
Take a second look at your cleanliness of this restturant:
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/violations-at-tiki-island-bar-and-grill
Post a Comment