Bonefish Grill

4889 West Chester Pike
Newtown Square, PA 19073
(610) 355-1784
Website

I was recently asked to check out the new menu at Bonefish Grill (on the house), so I decided to oblige. They have a seasonal rotation of menus and this one was well worth the trip. I will start off by saying that while they probably deserve 4 cheesesteaks, I have a hard time assigning that rating to a national chain...

I started with a Moscow Mule that was served with crystallized ginger. It had the ginger bite, and the candied ginger was an interesting touch.

They then brought out their house bread with herbed oil. This one hit the mark. I am usually not a chain restaurant person, but sometimes you have to love knowing just what you will get. I ate all of this bread, and then asked for more.

The most famous (arguably) appetizer is the "bang bang" shrimp. When I told friends I was going here, this was the unanimous "must try", They are lightly battered, fried, and served in a creamy spicy sauce. I found these quite addictive.

The creamy sauce did not make the crust into mush, maybe it was because I ate them in about four minutes. But I could see coming here to get a beer and at the same time CRUSH some of their bang bang shrimp.

Just enough sweet and spicy chili sauce to keep it interesting and they hide some romaine under there too, which makes me feel like I'm really just eating a salad. A healthy bowl of smothered and covered fried shrimp over ribbons of lettuce drenched in that incredible sauce.

Even though I had already eaten quite a bit of food, the entrees were now on their way.

Next up were the Blackened Baja Fish Tacos- Alaskan Cod with three warm tortillas, mango salsa, lime crema and shredded lettuce.

The cod itself was nicely blackened, I liked the sweet mango salasa and the lime crema. It was a lot of food but obviously I powered through. The tacos were pretty well balanced and had a good combination of flavor.

Fries were good but nothing out of the ordinary. Like I needed fries anyway...

The Chilean seabass topped with lump crab, truffle mac and cheese, and crab fried rice were my next victims. The fish was again, nicely cooked, with a crunchy crust, and the lemon and herb sauce went well with the flaky white meat.

The fish was cooked exceptionally well and despite the look of it, the lemon butter drizzle was quite light and rather delicious.

Crab fried rice was an interesting approach, and for an extra $4.50 it totally was worth the upgrade.

The truffle mac was another up-sale that I couldn't deny and you could probably get a day's worth of calories out of one order. I still ate the whole thing. Creamy and rich, this had just the right smack of truffle essence. It's definitely not for anyone watching their waistline. But I'm not watching mine.

I was pleasantly surprised at the food, as I didn't have any expectations coming in. Everything worked well, and was hot an timely. For a chain experience at this price point, I don't think I have had better and if my parents want to take me back, I would not argue. At all.

Quisqueya

345 N 12th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 366-1063

And so, after that disappointing not-lunch/one taco at aforementioned Union Taco up on Girard, my buddy and I still had a hunger for something, anything more, and because they wouldn't let us BUY anything until after their opening charade that ended after 2pm that afternoon, we didn't have a choice but to go elsewhere.

A quick drive down 7th, a right on Callowhill and 5 blocks west put us at Quisqueya.

It was one of those "what's that, let's try it," slam-on-the-breaks sort of deal, and there we were - inside this bizarre, empty diner that serves 'Spanish + American' food. Which apparently equals Latin American food.

The chafing trays at the buffet counter were pretty much empty. There was one dude at a booth not eating and another dude across the expansive dining room in mesh shorts and a hoodie looking pretty content with his rice, bean and meat platter.

The lunch special is whatever they have available in those trays for $8 from 11-3, M-F and so we heard what he had to offer. Today there was chicken, pork, beef and fish - which, I imagine is the every day selection, but there was no way to know because there is technically no lunch menu cooked to order, only dinner.

Anyway, it's a pretty good deal because you get a ton of rice, some beans, the protein, fried plantains and a side salad.

I went with the beef, my companion the fish - tilapia I think. The beef was ready to go in a scoop, but the fish took some extra prep time, fresh off the flat top I assume, and then we were on our way.

The proportions were a bit off, there was A LOT of rice and very little meat & beans to match the pile.

That said, the beef was meltingly tender, lean and delicious. It didn't look that appetizing, but it was full of flavor and tasted like some Peruvian spiced, slow-cooked short rib meat.

It fell apart with the slightest touch of my fork, with no strange bits or gristle to interfere with the meat itself. I imagine they cook it for hours to render any fat because this was spot on.

The plaintains were there too. Not much to be said of them other than they added another gritty texture, same as the beans. They had a little sweetness, but I'm not a huge fan, so they just sat on the side.

Just like the salad. If you can even call it that. I thought maybe there was a burger hidden somewhere and these were the toppings. But alas, they supplied a little container of creamy Italian dressing that also went untouched. A not unfortunate loss.

Here's the fish. I heard it was good, but he had the same complaints with regard to the ratio of rice to everything else.

All in all, if you're in a pinch, in the neighborhood and have a hankerin' for some Latin American comfort food at the right price, give it a try. You (probably) won't regret it?