Folks from Bonefish Grill invited me to sample the new bar menu called the In + Out Bar Bites menu. Anyone who knows me knows that I live on happy hour, but I’m constantly disappointed by the lack of food choices, so I was excited to try these shareable small plates.
Since I had just about every item, let’s go in order of how they are listed. First up, street tacos, which come two per order; I chose the lobster over the ahi tuna tartare for the filling. What I liked was its use of a wonton for the shell, making the taco lighter in texture (vs. stiff tortilla shells) yet still strong enough to support the generous portion of lobster meat.
Oysters (on the half shell or baked Rockefeller style) are on the menu, but I had my eye on the oyster shooters, which are layered with cocktail sauce and salsa verde. I loved the kick from the habanero vodka, an unexpected touch. Another pleasant surprise arrived with the mac & cheese bites (five per order), which amazingly held form (so many often fall apart), were not at all greasy and worked very well with the sweet chili sauce drizzled over the top.
I was most excited to try the dim sum-style sliders, which comes with your choice of chipotle shrimp or BBQ pork and “mantou” buns. The shrimp was full of flavor, and I did enjoy the spiced BBQ sauce, but I’m so used to pork (or pork belly) with mantou buns that the dish just didn’t seem right. Next time I’ll be sure to try the BBQ pork.
Get a second napkin ready if you order the tostadas, which consist of three layers of crispy wontons with fresh avocado, mango, cucumber, red peppers and your choice of ahi tuna tartare or chipotle shrimp. The tuna was super fresh, and the creamy, spicy sauce had just the right amount of heat. Just be prepared to use your hands to eat this dish, as a fork and knife are useless.
This meal ended on a high note with the doughnuts. The three you receive are tossed in cinnamon, and then you get to inject it with caramel and/or chocolate sauce, plus smear it with whipped cream. WOW. The doughnuts will satisfy any sweet tooth, plus it’s always fun to play with your food.
Oh wait–did I forget to talk about the new cocktail on the bar menu? That would be the Mule, a Moscow Mule served in a copper mug. It’s extra ginger-y, as it’s made with ginger syrup and served with candied ginger (in addition to the included ginger beer).
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See more photos in our Bonefish Grill Flickr album.
My goodness, the crazy popularity of Madison’s first 
The rest of the menu is comprised of “Meatless Eats,” muffalettas, pasta dishes, soups and salads (I told you the menu was huge!). The Mighty Salmon Salad ($9.69) scared me at first, as it was so full of beans, beets and nuts that I didn’t initially see any salmon (a big chunk was indeed there). The whole ensemble was a bit bland for me, but it is a supremely healthy salad.
