Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Bonefish Grill, Coral Gables

Dinner at Bonefish Grill's new Coral Gables location. Had never dined at the chain before but I'm a fish fanatic (and a landlubber as well) so I was looking forward to an oceanic tasting odyssey. Portions are generous so be prepared to eat. There's plenty of non-seafood items to choose from and one of our friends gave high praise for the pork tenderloin topped with a portabella sauce. If you're not a fish person, that may be the way to go.
Each fish entree can be made to order by choosing one of 4 sauces (chimichurri, mango salsa, pan Asian and lemon butter). We started with a tuna sashimi appetizer (the large was $16 and a very nice app. size) which came with a delicious ponzu sauce. Mussels were bathed in a mild and subtle lemon and wine broth, not your typical butter and lemon song and dance. I opted for the Chilean sea bass (the large portion - 9 oz. is $22, which is mighty reasonable) with the pan Asian sauce. The sea bass was buttery perfect and - given the New Times review - sacrilicious, I suppose. It came with an addictive potato au gratin. We also tried the grouper with a tangy mango sauce which went well with the meaty fish.
I really admire the Bonefish wine list. For an "upscale casual" chain they know they're not always dealing with wine connoisseurs but they make an effort to have a pretty decent selection at acceptable mark-ups. The wine list is also organized from light to heavier wine (another nod to novices) so folks can choose accordingly. But they don't list vintage so negative points for that. They've got a bottle of Conundrum on there for $47 and a bottle usually goes for around $25 so not too bad. And a Mirassou pinot for $21 which sells for $10 at Publix. A Ravenswood red zinfandel for $25 is not bad considering it's usually $14 and a nice inexpensive red at that.
That night we went with a bottle of Evolution 2006 white (a blend of nine different grapes) for $41. It was crisp and delicious and perfect for a fish feast.

No comments: