Bonefish Grill Now Leads the Pack

I’ve found another GREAT spot to dine on Bluemound! Bonefish Grill. Let’s start with the wine list. The first thing I noticed on the lengthy list was Caymus cabernet sauvignon. The best wine I’ve ever drunk was a bottle of Caymus at a restaurant meal to which a lighting fixture salesman treated us – back in the days when salesmen would take their clients and spouses (that would be me) out occasionally. And here it was again, on Bluemound Road at the Bonefish Grill for a mere $94 a bottle. I price Caymus when I see it at liquor stores. It’s always over $75.

We didn’t order it.

But the Man Who Is Seafood Averse suggested – HE actually suggested! – that we split an order of the crab cakes appetizer ($9.90). Does he love me, or WHAT? After sampling his portion, The Man said this crab cake was as good as any he’s ever eaten (he has limited experience in this category of food, but he has tried crab cakes occasionally when I make frozen ones at home). These came with two sauces, both of which were beyond my spice tolerance. But there was so much tasty crab in the cakes that who needs sauce?

Another appetizer at Bonefish that sounds tempting is the bacon-wrapped sea scallops with mango salsa ($9.90). But these I can make at home (in a kitchen with appliances, of course).

I had a glass of Bridgeview “Blue Moon” pinot noir ($8.50) with the crab cakes, while The Man had a glass of beer. (I forgot to ask what kind – I’m a lousy reviewer. I can only do a couple of things at a time, and sip wine and eat crab cakes about takes care of that.) There were 11 beers on the menu – and 44 wines – by the glass! This is an amazing number of bottles to have open. Bonefish must be serving many wine-drinkers to keep that many open bottles fresh. And my pinot was perky and delicious – obviously just opened and a perfect choice with my appetizer and my dinner.

While we studied the menu, our waiter, Omar, brought us a basket of hot, crisp crusted bread and some great pesto that he mixed at our table with olive oil for dipping. I make a mighty fine pesto (my recipe follows – and this one was deliciously heavy on the basil. Omar mentioned that in addition to the usual Parmesan cheese and pine nuts, Bonefish’s pesto is made with Kalamata olives, another of my favorite foods (besides all kinds of cheese).

After a lengthy conversation with Omar about the many delicious-sounding menu items, I decided on grilled Arctic Charr with a side of vegetables-do-die-for in a butter sauce ($16.40). Charr, Omar explained, is a mild salmon. Doesn’t that sound interesting? There are many interesting choices on the menu, including ten kinds of grilled fish, each with four possible sauces. This is another menu that a foodie, like me, would just like to take home and browse through while soaking in a hot bath. While I tried to decide between two of the sauces, Omar suggested that he would bring two sauces for me on the side – the Mediterranean sauce and the lemon butter sauce. The lemon butter sauce was perfect. I wanted to taste this mild fish and even the herb-laden Mediterranean sauce hid the flavor of the perfectly cooked fish filet.

Bonefish has a pleasantly dark, glamorous atmosphere, with tables far enough apart and the acoustics such that you cannot hear the conversations of the neighboring tables. What added to the gracious feeling of the restaurant was the charming Omar. Bonefish must have a policy requiring the wait staff to sample all menu items. Omar could tell us which herbs were in which recipes, how large were the portions, etc. When The Man Who Loves His Cow Meat ordered a 6 oz. tenderloin filet and said he wanted it to have a hot center, it was cooked perfectly. Omar also brought us a small sample of the soup of the day, a Crab and Corn Chowder with potatoes. It tasted mostly of fresh corn and was light and lovely.

I know I’m going on and on about this restaurant. But I was SO impressed, so pleased with everything here. I don’t think I need to tell you that the bathroom was as lovely as the restaurant. It was. Bonefish Grill now ranks as #1 on my list so far, replacing Louise’s by a hair. Or maybe it’s a tie for the #1 spot. Perhaps if I had just come here for dinner one night, I would not be so enthused, but after all the mediocre meals we’ve eaten in the last few weeks and the less-than-stunning ambiance of many establishments, Bonefish was such a treat. We did spend $69.31, and we would not do that every night.

But would that we could!

Kitchenless in Brookfield

My Pesto Recipe:

3-4 packed cups of basil leaves (I have some to share in my garden, if you need it)
4-5 good-sized garlic cloves, peeled and cut in pieces
1 cup pine nuts (can use walnuts, if pine nuts are out of your budget this year)
1 cup best-quality olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
salt and freshly grated pepper to taste (I like lots of both)

Combine basil, garlic and nuts in food processor. With motor running, slowly add olive oil. Shut off motor. Add cheeses, salt and pepper. Process briefly to combine. Cover and store in refrigerator. It can be frozen. Makes 2 cups, or enough to sauce 2 lbs of pasta. When using on pasta, heat and thin with heavy cream.