update: october 2015. much improved service. excellent and moist fish, fresh crispy veggies, and a wonderful quick seared tuna appetizer rolled in sesame. definitely better.
everybody, just calm down.. geez, there is a lot of buzz about bonefish grill off nevada. everyone is jabbering about how awesome this place is. in reality, not so much. sure, it has a hip vibe inside, with an elegant, but industrial decor. the clientele are a mixed bag of all the city's demographics, which is cool. but after some honest introspection, one realizes that this restaurant has a ways to go still, especially given the prices they charge. first, the high points. my wife's fish, the alaskan halibut, was cooked perfectly and seasoned well. she loved the garbanzo bean side, sautéed with spicy sausage and fresh tomatoes. my potato au gratin side dish was also wonderful, rich, and with just the right tang from the sharp cheese. i loved it. there were some areas needing considerable improvement. the shrimp appetizer was not fresh. it was freshly made, but the shrimp had an iodine taste, meaning they were not fresh. i eat shrimp frequently, and both my daughter and i were taken back by that distinctive odor and taste. my wife said she could not detect it, but after one bite, my eight year old was the first to point it out to us. next, i had the larger portion of the alaskan halibut that my wife got for her meal. for about five bucks more, one can get around 2-3 ounces more fish. my piece was seasoned well, with a nice charbroiled flavor and a side of chimichurri sauce. the fish was slightly overcooked, dry on the edges, and not as juicy as the small piece i sampled from my wife's plate to compare. the server told us they automatically cook the fish to medium well. really? i would have liked to have known that at the beginning of the meal so i had the option of adjusting the order to better suit my preferences. no matter what, given the theme of this restaurant, the fish should have been the star of the meal. it was not. the chimichurri sauce was oily, not herbaceous or savory at all. it really needs some work. i was not a fan of the garbanzo bean side, as i found it to be rather pedestrian, a cheap variation, too raw with bits of the chickpea skin still in tact, and simply not that tasty. the service was vacant at times, and our food took a long time to be served, while others who were sat after us were served ahead of us. the only reason i bring that up is to determine if somehow our order sat under a heat lamp for a while and that could be why my fish was so dry. my daughter's fish and chip was perfectly cooked codfish, with a fair side of fries. the waitress took a long while to bring her some malt vinegar, but she enjoyed her meal, eventually. still, bonefish grill has tremendous potential once they focus on the refinement to match both their considerably vaunted self-image, and their hefty price list. if they manage not to get too full of themselves, pay attention to their primary product--the quality fish dishes--and treat all their customers well, they will continue their current success. in the mean time, everyone needs to take a deep breath, settle down about the hype on this place, and keep it real. they're good, just not quite that good.