The Visit Comes to an End - Last Meal

The night before Bonnie and Bill, Laurie's sister and brother-in-law, flew back to St. Louis Missouri, we had one more restaurant choice to make.  I had a long list...2 pages...of restaurants that we either like or want to try.  

As Bonnie and Bill are usually adventurous, I was surprised when they selected Bonefish for our last meal together...at least for a while.  Bonnie told us that Bonefish is one of their 'go to' always good...always safe...dining options.  Of course, the fact that Bill loves seafood might have something to do with their choice.  On the other hand, Laurie and I consider Bonefish to be one of the stable and consistent restaurants we can always rely on as well.

This is the Bonefish Grill location in the Turkey Creek Shopping area of Knoxville.  I've written about it several times in the past 15 years.  It is located at 11395 Parkside Drive in Knoxville.

Given the fact that it was a Saturday night in August, neither the bar nor the restaurant were overwhelming busy.  The fellow at the table in the bottom photo seemed very agreeable about my photo taking...

Our little group did indulge in a couple of adult beverages... The ladies started out the 'last meal' with the 'special' for the day, the "Lemon-tini". ($7.00) but then the server kind of sold them on the new martini on the menu, the "Watermelon-tini". ($10.90) Bill stuck with a Blue Moon. ($5.50) As for yours truly, I was driving so it was water with lemon.

This is a photo of something that you used to automatically be served in most restaurants...but you don't any longer.  A nice crusty bread (or rolls) with seasoned oil (or butter), something that, as a bread fanatic, I really appreciate.  

We had to have an appetizer didn't we?!  It had to be something that all of us would enjoy, so we ordered the Bang Bang Shrimp. ($18.90) For this offering, Bonefish's crispy fried shrimp is tossed in their signature creamy and spicy sauce and then served on a bed of shredded lettuce.  It was a favorite for all of us!

For her entree Bonnie ordered the Blue Moon Miso Halibut. ($26.90) The wood-grilled halibut is coated in a house-made savory Blue Moon Miso sauce.  Then it is plated on top of jasmine rice and sauteed spinach.  Bonnie really enjoyed her meal.

Bill ordered the Grilled Salmon, in this instance topped with creamy spinach and lump crab 'dynamite' topping. ($24.90) It was served with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli.  

I don't recall what problem we had, but I think it had to do with Bill's order.  Perhaps they had to redo the order...but I just don't remember what happened.  I know that he got his meal after the rest of us already started eating ours.  In the end, he did enjoy his entree.

Mexican Street Corn was a seasonal special, either as an upgraded side dish or separately. ($5.90) This offering consisted of creamy pan roasted corn tossed in a spicy aioli sauce and then it was topped with a smoky chili seasoning and crumbled feta cheese.  I believe that Bill ordered it based on a positive previous experience with this dish.

For my entree, I went for Lily's Chicken. ($24.80) The grilled chicken was covered with goat cheese, a bit of spinach, artichoke hearts and then finished off with a lemon basil sauce.  It came with the Jasmine rice as a standard side dish.  Out of curiosity, I ordered the Mexican Street Corn so I could try it.  It was a side dish upgrade. ($3.90) 

Lily's chicken is my 'go to' favorite at Bonefish Grill, despite the restaurant's focus on seafood.  It never disappoints me and it didn't this time either.  As for the Mexican street corn, I was underwhelmed.  If it wasn't for the feta cheese, it would have tasted like corn with a little chili seasoning...

Whenever we dine at Bonefish Grill, Laurie loves to order the pair of Cold Water Lobster Tails. ($39.00...now listed at $41.00 on-line) The 5 to 6 oz. lobster tails are seasoned and steamed and then served with warm drawn butter.  

Laurie wasn't attracted to any of the usual or 'signature' sides...whipped potatoes, seasonal vegetables, Jasmine rice, coleslaw or French fries.  She ended up with 2 premium sides ($3.90 each), the steamed asparagus and some parmesan risotto topped with house-made herb oil.  Lobster makes her happy and she might order it twice a year...so happy wife means happy life, that's my philosophy.

By this time, we shouldn't have wanted and certainly didn't need any more food.  However temptation overcame us...just a little.  We ordered a single slab of Key Lime Cake for all of us to share. ($10.50) This is a vanilla citrus cake layered with sweet yet tart key lime frosting and then lightly dusted with toasted coconut.  I'm not much of a cake lover, but we all agreed that this was quite nice indeed...

Given the economy and current prices, eating out in any restaurant is not for the faint of heart.  It's hard for 2 people to even go out for breakfast and spend under $30.00 including tax and tips.  As you will have noted, dining at Bonefish Grill has become more of a treat than a place to regularly have a meal.  The good news for us is that without asking, our server Kendall adjusted the bill due to the problem with Bill's meal.  We were comped for both the Bang-Bang Shrimp and that slab of cake...total $29.40.  Our next meal at Bonefish will probably be for Laurie's birthday.

This Bonefish Grill location is at 11395 Parkside Drive in the Turkey Creek Shopping area in Knoxville Tennessee.  There are 166 Bonefish Grill locations across the USA.  The website for this particular location is found at https://locations.bonefishgrill.com/tennessee/knoxville/11395-parkside-drive.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave