RESTAURANT REVIEW:

After a mediocre dining experience at the old Tommy Bahamas, I was eager to try the restaurant again after its retooling of the menu and the dining room.

The Tommy Bahamas Tropical Café gave way to Tommy Bahamas Island Grille, and in addition to changing the name, the restaurant changed its décor and menu.

They did keep some of the old menu favorites, such as the coconut shrimp, crab bisque, old San Juan shrimp and scallops, saba steak salad and piña colada cake.

The bisque is a favorite of mine, and I was glad to see it survived the menu change.

The café seemed more suited to tourists, and the management recognized that the establishment was frequented equally by locals. They underwent the renovation to appeal to both groups of diners.

“With the Island Grille concept, we’ve kept our island-inspired roots and added more regionalized and seasonally fresh cuisine in a setting that’s casually elegant,” said W.C. Wells, president of the restaurant division for Tommy Bahama Group. “We believe this will have great appeal with our local guests.”

I brought two locals with me who had eaten at the restaurant pre-remodel and wanted to see whether the improvements were worth the wait.

Before, the restaurant had a tropical, almost Polynesian theme to it, but the dining room now looks more Moroccan, which I thought worked well for the space. The colors are deep brown, Chinese red, gold and ocher mixed among dark woods and silk-wrapped lighting fixtures and dark rattan ceiling fans.

“We’re refining our look,” Wells said. “We’re stepping it up, and we think our guests will appreciate the changes that we’ve made.”

I thought the dining room was very inviting, and wasn’t blindingly bright. The music was a touch loud.

The patio is quite nice, enclosed and spacious. It is a great place to be when the weather is warm. We wanted to sit there, but its popularity precluded us from doing that, so we settled for a nice table inside.

One of the new menu items is The Fillmore wild mushroom flatbread. Shiitake and oyster mushrooms are laid on the wafer-like seasoned bread, with tomatoes, spiced jack and Reggianno cheese melted on top. The white truffle oil and fresh basil are a nice touch as well.

Another new item I was eager to try were the Santa Barbara sliders. There were two of them, one with filet mignon and the other with scallops. Inside the bun there was a tomato slice and some chipotle aioli. Crispy onions garnished the top of the mini-burgers.

They offered quite different tastes. The filet was like a mini steak sandwich, while the scallops were firm, but obviously much softer than the red meat. It was a nice dichotomy of textures.

My one friend was satisfied with his cheeseburger, but said he has had better. The beef didn’t seem like high-quality meat to him, even though the menu says, “prime.”

The chicken sandwich my other friend had was a substitute for the tuna she really wanted. She is several months’ pregnant and staying away from fish — especially tuna.

The Capo Beach chicken sandwich she ordered was a bit dry, but the avocado and mango aioli covered that up sufficiently. It wouldn’t have been my choice for a sandwich. I think I would have opted for the Habana Cabana pork sandwich.

Other items I would recommend are the Lobster Cove grilled cheese and the Pasadena pork tenderloin.

I like the overall look of the restaurant, and there are items on the menu that I enjoyed or would like to try in the future. Locals will also like the changes and will find the restaurant much improved.

ADDRESS: 854 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach

PHONE: (949) 760-8686

CUISINE: American

SPECIALTY DISH: Santiago Sea Bass, changes daily

ALCOHOL SERVED: full bar

DRESS: casual

FAMILY FRIENDLY: yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, MasterCard and Visa

RATING: ***

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.