Jazz at the Park, Park Hyatt Aviara

3.5 stars — Over the weekend, we attended one of Park Hyatts Jazz in the Park Concert Series where they had Mindi Abair (July 6), Peter White (July 13), Hiroshima (July 20) in attendance; and this weekend, Euge Groove is scheduled. While we would’ve liked to see them all, the only date that worked for us was when Hiroshima was playing. My husband saw them perform in the 90’s and was really excited to see them again.
The cost for tickets were $ 75 per person and the venue is situated outdoors on the grounds of the Park Hyatt, Aviara. If you’re familiar with this hotel, it’s not on the main level, it’s down below in the large grassy area near the tennis courts and along the golf course. It’s a very intimate venue in very scenic surroundings. They have tables set up for those that want to wine and dine but they also have several rows of chairs set up near the stage for those there for the entertainment.
While these jazz concerts have dated back to when this Park Hyatt was a Four Seasons property, this was our first time attending. We went with another couple and decided to make it a date night so we planned to have dinner and drinks. For dinner, it was $ 25 per person and cocktails were $ 10 each – or you could order a full bottle of wine and/​or champagne at various prices. For food options, you can choose from 1 of the 3 different food stations featuring dishes from each of their restaurants at the hotel; Argyle Steakhouse, Vivace and the California Bistro. Menu selection was:
Argyle Steakhouse
–Mixed Grill of California Natural Brandt Farm Beef Top Sirloin, Garlic Chicken and Sausage served with Chimichurri, BBQ Sauce, Charred Tomato Salsa or Chipotle-​Lime Aioli
–Summer Corn and Tomato Salad
–Root Beer Baked Beans
–Double Fudge Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies
Vivace
–Wood Fire Oven Flat Bread with House Made Mozzarella, Pesto and Cherry Tomato Salad
–Apricot and Raspberry Almond Cake, Panna Cotta Cream
California Bistro
–Smoked Chicken Lollipops with Cilantro Lime Sauce
–Zucchini and Grilled Tinkerbell Pepper Salad
–Peach and Macadamia Nut Tart
With our group, we had a one of everything and first off, we were terribly disappointed with the serving size of the plates. For $ 25, it WAS NOT WORTH the money! I’ve been really good about portioning by protein to 3 – 4 oz when I cook at home but this was much smaller than that. They were very stingy with everything.
I selected the dinner from Argyle and rather than going with the red meat and sausage, I requested an all chicken plate. I got 3 small slices of chicken a small scoop of the corn salad and an even smaller scoop of the beans. My friends who got the full meat and chicken combo, received 2 slices of the sirloin, 2 slices of chicken and 2 slices of the sausage. Clearly a lot more than my 3 small slices of the end of a chicken breast so while still small, inconsistent to what I received (3 small slices of chicken).
As far as the entertainment, I would give Hiroshima a solid 4 stars. They were great and their guest vocalist Terry Steele was an amazing surprise. I’m a Luther Vandross fan and he brought a little Luther back to life with his powerful, soaring voice. Combined with Hiroshima’s jazz fusion, it worked wonderfully. We thoroughly enjoyed the show.
I would definitely come back to future shows at the Aviara Jazz in the Park but would not recommend paying $ 25 for the dinner option. We all ended up going out for a FULL dinner after the show. That’s how hungry each of us were a mere 2 hrs after we ate here.