Bonefish is located at 2115 Gunbarrel Road as part of Hamilton Place Corner. Click to enlarge.
photo by Janet Wilson
Chattanooga has long needed a GOOD seafood restaurant – and finally we have one. Bonefish opened on October 25 at 2115 Gunbarrel Road as part of the Hamilton Corner renovations.
I particularly like the fact that they do not use frozen fish. According to the Bonefish web site, their “fish is flown in and received fresh every morning, inspected for quality and then cut and weighed by hand.” Due to the use of fresh fish, they may not have certain species available year round.
On our second visit to Bonefish, there was an hour wait for a table – obviously Chattanooga has been waiting for fresh seafood! Wayne and I decided to sit at one of the “Community” tables. These are three tables lined up just as you enter the restaurant where eight people (per table) can sit with people you may or may not know, but can easily get acquainted.
For Starters, there is so much to choose from it would be nice if they offered a Sampler Platter! Judging from “watching orders go by” during the two times we have been there, it seems that one of the more popular items is the Bang Bang Shrimp (tender, crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce), $7.90. This comes served atop a small lettuce salad and is wonderful! It is to be eaten with chopsticks, but we were only furnished with one pair – so one of us had to use a fork. The sauce is a tad spicy and really enhances the shrimp.
The Crispy Calamari is another recommended appetizer ($6.90). It is lightly fried and served with a Marinara Sauce as well as Thai sweet hot sauce. We found the Calamari to be very tender and easy to eat – not rubbery and chewy as some we have been served. I have it from another reliable source that the Coconut Crusted Shrimp ($7.90) is a definite “worth” ordering.
The list also includes inviting items such as Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops topped with Mango Salsa Chutney ($9.50); Crab Cakes ($9.90); and Mussels Josephine (Prince Edward Island Mussels sautéed with tomatoes, garlic, basil and lemon wine sauce) for $7.90. A couple of our “newly-made” friends ordered the Mussels and said they were absolutely delicious.
After looking at the entrees, I decided on the Pistachio Parmesan Crusted Rainbow Trout, sautéed and topped with artichokes and a basil lemon butter ($17.20), while Wayne selected the Diablo Shrimp Fettuccine (tomatoes, capers, onions, green chilies with spinach fettuccine in a white wine garlic cream sauce), $13.50. Each entree is served with a house or Caesar salad, fresh vegetables and a side item. The house salad is a chopped salad of greens, tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, heart of palm and pine nuts tossed with citrus herb vinaigrette – and if you add Imported Feta Cheese it is very similar to a Greek Salad.
On our first visit I had the grilled Rainbow Trout and was very impressed with the taste. All fish is cooked over a wood-burning grill and has a definite “woody” taste which we found very appealing. For our side items, we have tried the Potatoes Au Gratin as well as the Angel Hair with Marinara and would order either again. I did notice several hours later a reminder of the garlic. I wasn’t sure if it was from the Marinara or the Olive Oil/Pesto dipping sauce for the bread. For my own personal choice, I preferred the potatoes – although they do have several items to choose from.
The trout was quite moist and was seasoned just right I thoroughly enjoyed it – even though I could only eat half of it. Wayne’s fettuccine was a large portion and he had to bring close to half of it home. The sauce was rich and creamy with a small amount of spice from the green chilies.
We did think the service was a little slow and assume it will get better with time. It was thirty-one minutes for the arrival of the appetizer. Maybe if they could cut about ten minutes off that time your stomach wouldn’t be growling so much by the time it shows up. Since they do prepare it fresh, we understand there is cooking time, but twenty minutes would be more acceptable. We were given ample time to eat the appetizer, as our salad arrived at forty-four minutes – a good time-space from appetizer arrival to salad. Our entrees were served as we finished our salads so that was perfect.
There were two items we did have a problem with – the first is regarding our “Community” table. There were people waiting for tables, who seemed to think our table was a “propping mechanism”. Even though there was a full number at our table, all with meals, people felt compelled to lean over our table to prop themselves or to sit their drinks – you know, “intruding into our space”. It does not make for a comfortable meal to have someone leaning back against you and/or your table (within inches of plates of food) while you are trying to eat. I guess I have a problem with rudeness.
When one of the couples at our table left, a lady commandeered their chairs and just sat there – waiting for someone else to arrive. When he arrived a “quiet” argument ensued about her having to wait for him. It made for an uncomfortable situation with them sitting there bickering while watching us eat – at close range – and occasionally commenting on our food (but not to us)! Our server was very nice and several times she tried to give people a “hint” of what they were doing, but if seemed to fall on deaf ears. Maybe an eye could be kept on this situation and people should not be allowed to cling to the tables, but rather to move to the “real” waiting area if they are not going to be ordering anything. After all, it may be costing them money – there may be people wanting to sit there to actually order!
The other problem was the length of time it took to get our bill. From the time we finished, until the arrival of our bill, it was twenty-five minutes. She did apologize for taking so long to get back to us.
Bonefish is open seven days a week: Monday through Thursday from 4:00 PM until 10:30 PM, Friday and Saturday until 11:30 PM, and Sunday until 10:00 PM.
Don’t forget – the 2005 ADVENTURES COUPON BOOKS – DINING AND ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE – have arrived and are waiting for your orders. This is the perfect gift for your Christmas or Hanukkah list – or Birthday, Anniversary, Congratulations, Retirement - whatever the happy occasion. Or just make it a gift to yourself!! Go to the Dine Out web site and follow the ordering instructions for quick receipt of your book(s). You’ll find the link next to any restaurant featured in the book. 71 restaurants in all – plus other entertainment venues. You will find a complete list on our site.
ChattanoogaDineOut.com has submitted this article to www.Chattanoogan.com for publication. It may not be reproduced, all or in part, without the expressed written consent of Chattanooga Dine Out.
(Chattanooga Dine Out, is devoted solely to reviewing restaurants in Chattanooga and the surrounding area. For a complete directory of all area restaurants, visit our website at
CHATTANOOGA DINE OUT )