It’s Only Been Forty Years!

Forty-one years ago this past April, one of my co-workers came through for me!  She convinced a young gal to go out with me on a blind date.  Laurie was hesitant given my age (almost 10 years older) but she was assured that I was harmless…

The rest of the story is history!  We were married exactly 1 year from the day we went on that first date… For our fortieth anniversary dinner, Laurie wanted or “needed” lobster, so we chose Bonefish Grill.  We hadn’t been there in quite a while…

We arrived a little after 5 PM on a Saturday…and Bonefish Grill was already busy.  The atmosphere in the dining area is always pleasant and the casual dress code is right on the money for retired guys who no longer even own a sports coat that fits me. (In case you’re speculating, the jacket is too big!)

We’ve been eating low carb for quite a while, but what the heck, it was our anniversary!  We quickly devoured this great tasting loaf of warm fresh bread with the accompanying well-seasoned dipping sauce…

We ordered adult beverages…a Miller Lite for me and a Vodka and Tonic Tall with 2 lime slices for Laurie.  Then we focused on an appetizer.  We selected the Thai Coconut Shrimp. ($11.90) There were 6 jumbo coconut shrimp with sweet Thai chile sauce…and they were spectacularly good!

 

They were so good that the next time we go to Bonefish Grill, I’m ordering a salad followed by this appetizer with a scoop of jasmine rice as my entrée!

Cecil was our efficient and pleasant waiter.  He saw me taking pictures of our food and knowing that it was our anniversary, he offered to take our photo…

As I mentioned earlier, Laurie was all about a lobster dinner.  It is her number 1 food item if available…steamed with butter or in lobster roll format!  This was her Cold Water Lobster Tail entrée…twin 5 to 6 oz. lobster tails, seasoned and steamed then served with warm drawn butter. ($30.90) For her sides, she chose steamed asparagus and Jasmine rice.  The asparagus is a ‘premium side’. ($4.00)

I had a very happy wife!  Loved her lobster!

I followed up the appetizer with a Caesar Salad. ($4.90) It was just fine, not outstanding. (no photo) 

Then there was my entrée… I love a good tuna steak so I ordered the Bonefish Ahi Tuna Steak. ($19.90) The first one I was served was overcooked and it had a strong fishy flavor.  Tuna isn’t supposed to have a strong flavor…as it’s a mild fish.  Bonefish’s manager stopped by and I told her what I thought. 

So the second photo isn’t the second Tuna Steak I was served…it was the third!  The second one still had a strong taste and it was almost raw…undercooked this time.  The third attempt was just a little better…cooked properly and parts of it didn’t have the strong flavor…but I was done trying.

Kudos to Cecil (who was concerned) and to the manager.  She tried to fix the problem…twice…and she took my entrée off the bill. 

For my sides I had the Jasmine rice as well as a ‘premium side’, this huge order of Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Ham. ($4.00) I don’t know what the sauce was that they drizzle over this dish…but combined with the caramelized Brussels sprouts and ham, I thought that it was excellent!  The ham tasted more like rich pieces of pork belly.

FYI…I also wasn’t charged for this premium side.

We were both pretty stuffed but hey…it was our anniversary!  So we decided to share this slice of coconut pie. ($6.90) It was very nice…with a 'custard like' filling and lots of coconut flavor.  Best yet…it was comped by the manager!

And…since it was our anniversary dinner, Bonefish gave us this box containing 4 nice chocolates.  Laurie even give me one! 

In summary…with the exception of the Ahi Tuna, the food ranged from OK (the salad) to very good and excellent.  The appetizer, Brussels sprouts and the pie were excellent and Laurie’s lobster was very nice as expected.  I certainly can’t whine about the service.  Cecil was attentive and the manager bent over backwards to solve the problem with my entrée.  Perhaps it just wasn’t the best shipment of tuna… FYI, Cecil was tipped as if I’d been charged the gross amount of the bill.

We’ll be back!  This Bonefish Grill is located in the Turkey Creek shopping area at 11395 Parkside Drive in Knoxville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-966-9777.  The Company’s website is at https://www.bonefishgrill.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave