Islands Restaurants

Reggae and ska music played a little too loudly, semi-tropical décor, fake thatched roofs wherever they can be used without interfering with diners or employees, lamps that may or may not be made from actual puffer fish, a bar that looks like it was transplanted either from the Caribbean or Disneyland’s Jungle Boat ride serving tropical drinks, and with supposedly tropical plants virtually everywhere, Islands certainly does try to live up to its name. Of course, in all likelihood, the only person in the place who had actually lived on an island was my wife, but that’s just splitting hairs.

Here’s the negatives: they served ranch dressing with the Buffalo wings instead of blue cheese dressing (a major and common faux pas), and the dressing was too thin, almost watery. The Junior Tiki Tenders were moist and tender, but slightly bland and didn’t come with any dipping sauce. That about covers the negatives.

 I started off with the aforementioned Buffalo wings. Despite their gaffe with the dressing, the wings were terrific; the second best I’ve had. They were not as crispy as the best (which used to be served at the Mad River Brewery in Humboldt County, but that was before the original owner, Mario Celotto of Raiders football fame, sold the place), but the sauce was perfect, the chicken was tender and flavorful and the pieces weren’t tiny. They came with celery, of course—and it must have been organically grown, because it had actual flavor—and several carrot sticks, which is not standard with Buffalo wings but came as a pleasant surprise.  

 My main course was the Big Wave burger with cheese; I asked for it medium rare, and that’s how it came. It was exactly as advertized, tasty, juicy, not nearly as messy as a Carl’s Jr. Superstar but just as succulent, perhaps even better, and for ten bucks it had better be! The fries were crisp and flavorsome, not as delectable as the limp but fabulous fries at MacDonald’s, but considering you’re entitled to endless refills, who’s complaining? They also have endless refills on soft drinks if you order an entrée, certainly a point in the restaurant’s favor. In addition, the kid’s drinks came with tight lids in spill-proof containers… smart!

 My wife had the chicken quesadilla (which always means that I ate half, as she is tiny and I am humongous), which was fabulous, one of the best quesadillas I’ve ever had: juicy (actually, it dripped all over me, and I couldn’t have cared less), exploding with flavor, especially that of the green chilies (Anaheim, I believe) and cheesy without overdoing it.

As a natural born pig, I used this excuse: “I need to sample everyone’s food so I can write a review” in order to beg a part of everyone else’s meal. Fortunately, I have wonderful and obliging friends, so I overate to my heart’s content.

Big Kahuna Burger

One friend got the Hawaiian turkey burger. Lucky for me, the teriyaki sauce was on the side and the piece I had contained no pineapple, as I am a fan of neither. Like all turkey burgers, it was a bit dry (because it has to be cooked completely and it contains virtually no fat, all turkey burgers are by necessity a bit dry) but otherwise very tasty, worthy of begging a second bite. She also had the sweet potato fries, and although I have never liked sweet potatoes as anything more than ammunition for my potato canon, I actually enjoyed them, too.

My other friend ordered the soup and salad. I didn’t sample the salad (Italian dressing is somewhat boring to me), but the tortilla soup was surprisingly appetizing and seemed close enough to real Mexican food to please even me.

The service was superb. Our waitress showed up often to refill the drinks and see that we were enjoying ourselves, present enough to be very helpful but never smothering; always smiling, eager to please, gracious when accepting praise and always courteous. Some other guy—who may have been a waiter but I suspect was actually a hands-on manager—also dropped by frequently, seeing to all our needs and desires. And when our food was brought out, a small army of employees served all eight of us simultaneously, and everything was exactly as we ordered.

The prices were a bit high, but considering the quality of the food and service, I found it extremely reasonable, so reasonable that I left a 25% tip, which I don’t do often.

This was our first time to Islands, and we already plan on returning in two days. It’s a comfortable, relaxed place to eat; it isn’t garishly trendy (thank God!) and is perfect for gatherings with friends or a meal out with the family.

http://www.islandsrestaurants.com/