From the simple to the decadent, Bonefish Grill delivers the goods
In 2006, Tampa-based Bonefish Grill opened its first Kansas location at 5021 W. 135th St. in Leawood.
At the time, the 135th Street corridor was still developing — picture a handful of restaurants and shops with empty fields in between. “There was not a whole lot out here at all,” says managing partner Jason Gajan.
Eight years later, 135th Street is full of places to get food. Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and Barley’s Brewhaus opened last year. The area’s first Sprouts Farmers Market opened in nearby Corbin Park in early 2014. And plenty more eateries, including a new
Stroud’s fried chicken restaurant
, are on the way. But Bonefish Grill didn’t seem to be sweating the competition on a recent Saturday night. At 8:30 p.m., even diners with reservations had to wait for a brown paper-covered table in the dim, packed dining room.
The seafood restaurant cultivates “a polished casual” vibe, Gajan says. It’s one of those rare restaurants where customers feel comfortable wearing everything from jeans and T-shirts to dresses and suit jackets. The music selection is upbeat and varied — everything from Blind Melon to Bruno Mars — and the bar serves Boulevard beer, bottles of California wine, and a cocktail list featuring a Cold Snap Cosmo ($8.50) that can be served in a glass made entirely of ice. The pleasantly sweet-tart cocktail, available through the end of April, is made with Reyka vodka, Solerno blood orange liqueur and fresh blood orange juice.
Bonefish Grill servers undergo extensive training, Gajan says, and I could tell: My friendly and attentive server had the lengthy drink and food menus memorized. All of the servers wear white chef’s coats and move quickly from kitchen to table carrying still-steaming plates.
The night I was there, almost every table had an order of Bang Bang Shrimp. The bestselling signature appetizer ($9.90, or $6 on “Bang Bang Wednesdays”) is a mound of fried shrimp coated in an addictively sweet and spicy sauce made with garlic, chili oil, mayo and Sriracha sauce.
Over-the-top decadent toppings are big at Bonefish Grill. Take the Tilapia Imperial ($18.30) entree. “It’s pan-seared, lightly seasoned tilapia,” Gajan says. “Then we’ve got this topping that’s Gruyere (cheese), Parmesan, crabmeat, scallops and shrimp. It’s all kind of baked in to the fish. Then we top that with lemon-caper butter.”
When I went, the special of the night was Lobster Thermidor Dorado. The $20.90 entree starts with sweet and mild mahi mahi. Up top: A pile of lump crab and sweet lobster meat in a buttery-smooth sherry-spiked sauce.
Not everything on Bonefish Grill’s menu is so rich: Customers who prefer seafood prepared simply (or follow a special diet) have their pick of grilled or pan-seared fish, from salmon and tilapia to sea scallops, rainbow trout and Chilean sea bass. Gajan says all of the fish on Bonefish Grill’s menu is flown in fresh daily. It’s cooked over a gas-fired grill stocked with damp oak wood that gives off a distinct smoky flavor.
The Shareable Mixed Grill ($17.90 per person, or $22.90 per person for the premium version) is a good way to sample several of the seafood restaurant’s grilled specialties. The multi-course meal starts with your choice of Caesar or house salad. Bonefish Grill’s house salad comes with tender hearts of palm, kalamata olives and tomatoes.
Each person gets to choose a vegetable side (garlic whipped potaotes, steamed asparagus, lemony quinoa), but the three entrees are shared. The premium mixed grill comes with a center-cut filet steak, a nice hunk of Ahi tuna with a sweet Asian glaze, and a coldwater lobster tail served with a side of warm butter. The feast is served family-style on two rectangular plates — but the portions are so generous that you won’t be fighting with your table for that last bite of steak or lobster.
If you’re a lobster lover, go to Bonefish Grill mid-week for Tuesday Tales of Lobster. The “lobstercentric menu” features lobster tails for $9.90. Bonefish Grill also makes a lobster grilled cheese sandwich for $7.90, dispelling the notion that lobster is only for special occasions. The lobster grilled cheese sandwich is also on the Leawood Bonefish Grill’s brand-new lunch menu, which debuts Saturday.
This story was originally published April 1, 2014 at 4:59 PM with the headline "From the simple to the decadent, Bonefish Grill delivers the goods ."