Which Dish at Bonefish

Did you know that October was National Seafood Month? Bet you almost missed it. The only reason I found out was that Bonefish Grill invited to buy me dinner, so I could try out a few things on their menu, in celebration of the occasion. And the lovely Melinda from Crumbs Around the Capital agreed to come along too.

It felt like I was cheating on Albany Jane a little bit. But somebody hasn’t updated her blog in like five months!

This was my first time at a Bonefish Grill. So I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. My goal was to find one standout dish to share on the blog. And I’m glad to report that the expedition was a success.

There were a few things the publicist wanted us to try. Two of which were the specialty fall cocktails. Let’s put aside for a moment that both the fall apple ($9) and fresh pear ($10) cocktails are billed as “martinis.” The apple drink was based on a fresh apple infused vodka, and the pear involved both muddling fruit and squeezing lemons.

Both were on the sweet side for my taste, but the pear was balanced a bit with the acidity of lemon juice. Melinda preferred the apple, and I went for the pear.

Interestingly, I think she preferred my Mahi Mahi Oscar ($26) with crabmeat and lemon butter, and I thought her swordfish and pumpkin ravioli ($23) topped with feta and crispy onions was the better dish.

But the real winner of the night was the Bang Bang Shrimp ($11).

I guess I know why this is the restaurant’s signature dish. During the month of October, Bonefish Grill is running a dinner for two for $50 special. Part of that involves sharing an appetizer and sharing a dessert. The Bang Bang Shrimp is the shared appetizer. And at first, I was skeptical about the idea of sharing an appetizer.

In my experience, appetizers are typically smaller plates offering a few bites of deliciousness.

Let me tell you something. After Melinda and I split the appetizer of the Bang Bang Shrimp, I was already full. Which is amazing, because I arrived for our seven o’clock reservation hungry. But this dish is a pile of fried shrimp slathered in a creamy, spicy sauce. If you aren’t into mayonnaise, this isn’t the appetizer for you.

It’s hard to believe that an order of these crispy, tender, hot, morsels is only 840 calories. That means half an order would only be 420 calories. I wouldn’t think that would be enough to satisfy my hunger. But it was actually a push to make it through the final two that remained in the bottom of the pile. However, I persisted.

Seriously, I would return here just for these. But I would bring a friend, so we could split them. And we would sit at the bar, and maybe even share a bottle of wine. On my visit, Bonefish had a Terra d’oro chenin blanc viognier blend on special for $30. And that would go beautifully with the Bang Bang.

If you’re still peckish at the end of it all, one slice of the coconut cream pie ($6), split two ways would more than top off the tank. That’s another 800 calories of warm coconut custard, enriched with a rum sauce, and topped with cool whipped cream. There’s so much shredded coconut in there, that the dessert eats like a meal in itself.

I was only able to get through a couple of bites. But even though I was full, I kept on eating. That has to be a good sign.

Thanks again to Bonefish for the experience. I suspect that Albany Jane would have really loved those Bang Bang Shrimp too. Come to think of it the chenin blanc viognier is probably up her alley as well. And after today’s post I think I’m going to owe her a visit for her birthday or something.

Have a great weekend. Next week I’ll have more teasing tales about lapsed bloggers.