At Bonefish Grill, happiness starts when you walk in the door. The restaurant offers guests unique fresh fish from all over the globe, hand-cut daily and grilled to perfection. Each night there is a new special. Whether you're looking for fish tacos, Chilean sea bass, Ahi tuna, shrimp and scallops, or lobster all of these can be found on the menu. Of course there are many other options too. The entrees are served with delicious sides like garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Certain choices of fish are paired with signature sauces that are mouth wateringly delicious. How does Longfin tilapia paired with a lemon butter sauce or a Chilean sea bass with mango salsa sound to you?
When I had the chance to review Bonefish Grill, I jumped at the chance. I had heard of the restaurant previously and had always wanted to dine there. Visions of lobster and salmon danced through my head. Unfortunately in the end, I wasn't able to make it. I had to send my friend and my assistant for me. They were delighted at the opportunity and I knew I could trust them for an excellent post.
They dined at the Fort Lauderdale location last night. My assistant called the restaurant to get exact directions because she wasn't exactly sure how to get there. The hostess on the phone couldn't have been nicer and gave her exact directions. She was very pleased with the customer service so far.
Once they arrived at the restaurant, they liked what they saw. They loved the aesthetically pleasing decor of the restaurant. The walls were adorned with various fish decor and signs. The bar had a large variety of many bottles of wines and alcohol to suit anyone's needs. The restaurant was spacious and clean, and the tables were roomy as well. They gave the reservation name to the friendly hostess and they were immediately seated.
They had Michael Bourke as their waiter. He was attentive and extremely knowledgable about the menu. Any questions they had about certain items on the menu, he answered extensively. It was clear he excelled at his job. They ordered drinks, appetizers, and their main entrees. Both of my guests did not want to order anything too spicy, and Michael did a great job in steering them to choices that he knew they would enjoy. They really enjoyed how the waiter truly cared about their needs and wasn't rushing through the ordering process to leave.
Drinks were made to order. A beer and a glass of wine were set on the table soon after that. The beer was ordered with two slices of orange which were delicately placed inside the glass. The wine was half poured in the glass, and a carafe containing the remaining amount of wine was brought with it. My friend really liked that because once she finished the glass, there was still more in the carafe to enjoy.
They enjoyed bread with their drinks. The bread was perfectly chewy on the outside and warm and soft inside. It was extremely fresh and served with a delicious pesto dipping sauce on the side. The fantastic dip paired excellently with the large loaf of bread.
The appetizers then arrived next. Two large crabcakes and a caesar salad that they both shared is what was ordered. They asked the waiter how the crabcakes were prepared. He told them they were fresh, not frozen, and contained a subtle hint of pepper to give the cakes a boost of flavor.
The large crab cakes were served with a lemon slice and remoulade sauce. Remoulade is made from mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, garlic and paprika. It is the perfect accompaniment to serve with crab cakes. My guests loved the remoulade sauce on the crab cakes. The cakes contained large fantastic lumps of jumbo crab meat. They were perfectly warm and fresh and melt in your mouth delicious. The lemon was squeezed over the cakes in order to bring out the flavor of the crab. The crab cakes were lightly breaded but you could still taste the crab meat with no problem. My guests said they enjoyed the fact that the crab cakes were not heavily breaded and the breading did not mask the taste of the crab. There was a light peppery kick with each bite that they enjoyed. In no time the crab cakes were devoured.
The caeser salad was fantastic too. The dressing generously coated the lettuce and large homemade croutons were sprinkled throughout. The dressing was delicious and tasted freshly made, definitely not from a bottle. They enjoyed the crunchy lettuce, flavorful croutons, and smoky cheese throughout the salad. The waiter checked in to make sure that the food was to their liking.
It was good that they were sharing the appetizers so they both still had room for their entrees. Soon after that, the main entrees arrived.
My assistant had Pompano fish, and my friend had scallops and shrimp. The Pompano fish was locally caught. It was lightly breaded and topped with fresh crab meat. The entree was served with garlic mashed potatoes on the side and steamed broccoli. The scallops and shrimp were served with mango salsa, garlic mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli. These entrees were truly fit for a king!
Do you see those incredibly large chunks of crab meat? Heavenly!
The portion of the Pompano fish was very large. Two fillets were served. The crab meat on top of the fish was an excellent idea. My assistant loved having a bite of the fish and crab meat at the same time. The flavor of the fish was subtle but very pleasant. It was lightly breaded but not overly battered. The fish was very fresh and juicy. It was melt in your mouth delicious. The steamed broccoli was excellent and cooked just right. The garlic mashed potatoes contained just the right amount of garlic to provide them with a sophisticated flavor. They were soft and creamy and everything you could want in mashed potatoes. My assistant could not finish the entire meal and actually brought it home with her.
My friend had never been served mango salsa with shrimp and scallops before. The salsa was sweet and extremely flavorful. Large chunks of mango and pineapple covered them. The salsa paired marvelously with the large juicy scallops and shrimp. My friend could not have asked for a better sauce or salsa to atop the seafood. He absolutely loved it. The sweetness most certainly brought out the flavor of the shrimp and scallops. Both were very fresh and you could tell they were made to order and not waiting under a heat lamp in the kitchen. The scallops were thick, dense, and bursting with grilled flavor. The shrimps were grilled perfectly as well. Just like my assistant he enjoyed the garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.
The waiter was attentive throughtout the meal. He routinely checked in to make sure the food was good and to see if they needed anything else.
The entrees were finished and the meal was winding down. Both my guests decided they could not pass up the key lime pie and they had to share it, even though they were both very full all of the delicious eats they enjoyed!
The decadent treat was set out in front of them, and what a beauty it was!
The portion size of the pie was large. It was just the right size for two people to share. The pie was perfectly sweet and tart and bursting with fabulous key lime flavor. The lime flavor was very prevalent throughout each bite. The consistency of the pie was very creamy, almost like cheesecake. The crunchy graham cracker crust was very fresh and added great texture to the dessert. The whipped cream was soft and fluffy and was a great topper for the pie. This was hands down the best piece of key lime pie that they've had in quite a while.
The manager came to their table at the end of the meal to see how they enjoyed everything. They commended Micheal on his fabulous service and told the manager that they couldn't have asked for a better waiter. They thoroughly enjoyed the meal and raved at how delicious it was. They advised the manager that they certainly would be coming back very soon.
The waiter did not know that the meal was being reviewed until they asked him at the end if he knew. He said he was very glad he didn't realize this because he would have been very nervous!
My guests had a wonderful experience at Bonefish Grill and will recommend it to anyone looking for a fabulous seafood restaurant in the Fort Lauderdale area.
*DISCLOSURE* A huge thank you to Bonefish grill for faciliating this review by offering a complimentary meal. All thoughts and opinions are provided by my guests and and not influenced by anything else.
I love their bang bang shrimp
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