I love seafood. I’m a regular fresh water fisher and have done a couple of deep sea fishing adventures off the coast of Florida. Now, of course, it’s going to be a little bit more difficult to find seafood like you can in Florida, but there are a couple places in Des Moines that can provide such quality. I’m from West Des Moines, and once West Glen was put up all I kept hearing about was Bonefish. A lot of people would visit this restaurant for special occasions such as prom and special date nights. Well, I hadn’t taken part in attending the date night/visiting crowd until just this past weekend (3/27/15). I was very excited. I told family and friends that I was going and the first thing EVERYONE told me was to get the Bang Bang shrimp.
Did I order it? Let’s find out:
Walking up to the restaurant was really exhilarating. Why? It’s because you walk into a rotating door and your world turns into a dark and vibrant restaurant setting. The staff was bustling with drinks, and what appeared to be Bang Bang Shrimp. A great soundtrack and an excellent host staff greeted my date and I (contributor Anna Buenneke) and sat us down just in time for our reservation.
Bone Fish Appetizer – Starters
Well, sure enough. The first thing we ordered from our waiter was Bang Bang Shrimp ($10.50). I figured that it would be about 6 pieces of shrimp but no way. It was a bowl that was piled with shrimp. I loved the mayonnaise sauce which had a little kick at the end. Just what I like. We even ate the little salad bed at the end because it had some sauce left over on it – you can’t let it go to waste.
Drinks
My date and I ordered a Moscow Mule and a Blueberry Cold Snap cocktail, respectively. Their Blueberry Cold Snap features a house-made infusion of fresh blueberries + Reyka vodka, organic Art in the Age Rhubarb liqueur + lemon. Finished in seasonal fashion with a hint or lavender bitters + aromatic lavender stem. The really cool part of the drink – it’s served in a glass made completely of ice!
Entrees
Spicy Tuna Bowl
When you hear that phrase it leaves a lot to the imagination. The description promised fresh rare tuna, sliced avocado, white seasoned rice, mango salsa, shredded carrots, sweet chile sauce, and a garnish of crispy wonton strips. That outline didn’t do it justice-when my entree arrived it was bursting with flavor, size, and color. I couldn’t wait to take a bite.
The sesame encrusted tuna appealed to my inner sushi lover instantly. However, if you aren’t a fan of raw meat this dish isn’t for you. Swirled in the slightly tangy chile sauce, it made my mouth pop with flavor.
Another surprise was the rice-it was lightly seasoned but had a refreshingly moist and sticky texture-much unlike the over-cooked, bland rice one comes to expect with their meal these days.
Two finishing touches that sealed the deal were the generous portion of perfectly ripe avocado and raw mango salsa. Flavorfully served on the side, they made the dish irresistible when tossed in with the rice and a bite of tuna. If living vicariously through my tastebuds isn’t enticing enough alone, let me hit you with the fact this succulent dish is under $13.
– Anna
Shrimp + Scallop Firepot
The Bang Bang Shrimp must’ve kept my mind on shrimp the rest of the night because this was the entree that caught my attention. The shrimp and scallop firepot is part of a feature they have going on called the Bonefish Grill Fire + Ice Prix Fixe.
It starts off with your choice of house or Caesar salad. I went with the house salad with some added blue cheese crumbles.
The shrimp and scallop firepot is all about bringing spicy Latin flavors together to create an ultimate summer dish. Big shrimp and nice sized scallops are finished firepot-style with rustic cut vegetables, roasted potatoes, topped with chipotle-infused aioli. It was like I was sitting on a beach enjoying a fire cooked meal. The flavors were bold and the aioli sauce was excellent with the shrimp.
With my dinner, I enjoyed a Menage a Trois Red which was recommended by our waiter.
– Nick
Dessert
Dessert was part of my prix fixe meal. Although, we were tempted by the dessert menu, there was only room left for the decadent doughnuts. These warm, sugar coated morsels came with two miniature bottles of sea salt caramel or chocolate.
They were really fun to make, and extremely delicious.
Betcha can’t just have one – good thing there are three.
Service
I have to give a shoutout to our great waiter, Chad. He was very friendly, did a great job of waiting on us and gave Anna and I excellent recommendations. When you make a reservation, be sure to ask for him! 🙂
All in all, it was a wonderful experience. I’m kind of bummed that I waited this long to visit.
My final note: You know a place is Foodster when they play Andrew McMahon. [specifically this song] [Tweet “You know a place is Foodster when they play @AndrewMcMahon”]
