Bonefish Grill: Good Food, Good Drink, Good Location
4447 Commons Drive, East Destin, 650-3161
By Bruce Collier November 6, 2003 Issue
3/4

Ordinarily at this time of year, getting a table at a restaurant, any restaurant, is pretty much a matter of showing up and being seated. Not only are reservations suggested at Bonefish Grill, they are necessary. We ate there on a Tuesday. It was crowded when we arrived and crowded when we left.

Bonefish Grill consists of two rectangular rooms, divided by a half wall. The first room houses the bar, free standing tables, and a row of tables along the wall. Full bar service is available, as are wines by the glass and bottle.

The second room is the main dining room. It is full of tables and booths. They are placed rather close together, though not so close that one leaves with an earful of unsolicited gossip. The noise level at one point was high enough that we had to huddle up to our server to communicate.

The dining room is dimly lit, with a predominance of warm browns, beige and muted metallic tones on the walls. It looks very grownup, though I saw a number of children here and there. The menu printed front and back, covers it all: appetizers, salads, main courses, desserts, wine list, and a roster of chi-chi Martinis. A small card placed on the table indicates house specials, and I assume is subject to change.

The server took our drink orders, and we quickly decided on appetizers. My friend, who had been there before, recommended the Bang Bang Shrimp, and I chose fried calamari. It’s part of my continuing mission to eat squid everywhere it can be found. The drinks took a while arriving, which led me to conclude that the bar was very busy, or there was a slight breakdown in communication between servers and bartenders.

The battered shrimp were plentiful, crisp fried, and coated with a creamy, spicy sauce with a definite Asian character. An indecent amount of fried calamari was brought out, easily a meal on its own, with a choice of marinara and Thai-style sweet and hot sauce. I preferred the Thai sauce, but I love having a choice.

Other appetizer options include shrimp with tomato garlic sauce and feta cheese, mussels with a tomato, basil and garlic wine sauce, Cajun chicken egg roll, crab cakes, Ahi tuna sashimi, scallops wrapped in bacon, and coconut crusted shrimp. Several salads are also offered.

The drinks arrived, and we ordered our main courses. My friend went for the Fontina chops, two boneless pork chops with a mushroom garlic wine sauce enriched with Fontina cheese. This came with a mound of sautéed vegetables— squash, carrots, and string beans—seasoned with herbs. She also had a bowl of angel hair pasta with marinara, which could have been warmer. The chops were thick, done but not overdone, and not overpowered by the rich sauce. She also had a small Caesar salad. It was pretty good, though I missed the anchovies, which they leave out as a matter of course.

Given the name of the restaurant, I felt I needed to order fish. I got grilled swordfish, chosen from a list that included mahi mahi, salmon, shrimp and scallops, rainbow trout, grouper, Ahi tuna, Chilean sea bass, and lobster tails. The grilled fish is served with a choice of three sauces—lemon butter, lime tomato garlic, warm mango salsa, and Pan Asian. I had the salsa. Instead of a salad, I asked for a cup of corn and crab chowder, which was tasty, and garlic mashed potatoes on the side.

I got a large piece of swordfish, with the aforementioned vegetables, and a scoop of creamy (and genuine) mashed potatoes covered with melted butter. The salsa was good, fresh, more sweet than tart. The fish would also have been excellent with just a squeeze of lemon. By the way, sliced lemons are served at Bonefish Grill in little muslin bags, which prevents you from squeezing seeds onto your food. It’s a nice little detail I wanted to mention.

Other main course choices include pork tenderloin piccata with portabella mushroom, chicken marsala, roast chicken with goat cheese, filet mignon, sirloin steak, grouper piccata, chicken portabella pasta, diablo shrimp fettucine, and pistachio crusted rainbow trout. There are also specials, notably swordfish with a lobster Thermidor sauce, listed on a separate card.

Alongside all this was a basket of warm, soft bread, served with a pesto and olive oil dip, mixed at the table.

As you might guess, we were full, but for your sake, we had dessert. Three are offered. My friend got the chocolate macadamia nut brownie with ice cream, whipped cream and raspberry sauce. I chose a deep dish key lime pie. The third item is a crËme brulée with berries and whipped cream.

The brownie was warm, almost hot, with lots of sauce, ice cream, and real whipped cream. She ate about three-quarters of it. My pie was outstanding, tall, dense, slightly sweet and with a full lime flavor. I especially liked the graham cracker and roasted pecan crust, and the real whipped cream. I ate about three-quarters of it.

As I mentioned earlier, the joint was jumping the night we were there. Some restaurants might have tried to turn us over quickly, but I never felt rushed. On the way out, the hostess handed me menus, including a children’s menu. She took time to pencil in an additional kid’s item, another nice bit of personal attention. Bonefish Grill seems to have hit the ground running in this highly competitive region

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