Summertime Eats at Islands

I’ve only been to Hawaii once but I have fond memories of my visit. It’s such a beautiful place filled with Aloha spirit. During the summertime I especially miss it and long for a little slice of tropical paradise. Recently, I was invited to visit my local Islands restaurant to try out their summertime menu. Islands, founded in SoCal in 1982, is inspired by the Hawaiian Islands. It would be the perfect spot for a little bit of Aloha.

Just in time for the warm weather are two new refreshing drinks – Mixed Berry Cooler and Marga’veza. I went for the Marg-veza – a twist on the margarita with the addition of beer and sweet and sour. Served in a chilled mug it was perfectly refreshing. My companion went for the Mixed Berry Cooler (vodka, berries, sweet & sour). I, of course, had to snatch a sip and it was super yummy. The fresh berries were a delicious treat.

As an appetizer, we shared the Wiqui Waqui salad, Islands version of the bbq chicken salad.

The salad was quite flavorful topped with freshly grilled chicken and seasoned tortilla strips.

Now, I can’t go to Islands without getting a burger. I went for a tried and true favorite – the Hawaiian – and the latest creation- the Hana Hou.

My companion and I split them so we could get the best of both worlds. You can’t go wrong with the Hawaiian – teriyaki, pineapple and cheese make for a yummy combo. The Hana Hou is brand new and has a kick of spice with pepper jack cheese, machete aioli and grilled borracho onions. We both agreed it was quite flavorful but a little too spicy for our palates. For the sides we got both onion rings and fries, mm mm mm.

It was such a filling meal that I had no room for my favorite Islands dessert – Kona Pie. I did manage to grab an entry form for the chance to win a beach cruiser.

Each Islands restaurant is giving away a custom beach cruiser this summer. You can enter until September 22 so head on down!