BANG BANG

Bonefish Grill

Had a most interesting evening last night. A co-worker and I had some work-related issues to work out. I suggested we discuss them over dinner. He’s 26, smart, brash, a real go-getter. I think he looks like Judd Nelson. Anyway, I’m trying to mentor him. We get along well but, on occasion, we clash. Hence the dinner to iron things out.

We arrived only to find a packed house. An hour wait. We decided to wait it out and have a drink. We talked. Attitudes and egos faded, issues were addressed, and friendships restored. We lucked out because two seats at the community table {pictured} opened up. That’s when it got really interesting.

Have you ever gotten a chance to eat community style? Eat with strangers so-to-speak? Of course, the Old Me had always shied away from this experience. New Me is now all for it. So many interesting people you can meet. Plus, who knows what it can lead to, right? We sat down across and aside from two women. We exchanged the usual ‘hello, how are ya’s.’ Things quickly changed when our appetizer arrived. My good friend girl from Florida always told me if I ever go to Bonefish Grill, I have to order the shrimp appetizer. The Bang Bang shrimp appetizer, to be precise. Not only is it an amazing combination of spicy flavors dancing on your taste buds, but it is also a tremendous conversation piece. The shrimp arrives in this huge mountainous presentation. An overgenerous portion of orange glazed shrimp piled high. Let me tell ya, when that arrives on your table, people talk. And people did. Everyone at the community table, including us, was ‘wowed!’ I offered to pass it down but people politely refused. And ooh the taste. Lightly crunchy, tender shrimp with an amazingly spicy sauce that had a nice kick to the back of your throat. If you love spicy food, you gotta order the Bang Bang.

And so the Bang Bang opened up a whole conversation with us and our lady friends. They were extremely friendly. We learned they liked to play golf, adored fine wine and fine food, loved to travel, loved to meet people and converse. We learned they were from Boston. One was well-off, her friend not so much. But they seemed like great friends. All four of us got along so well. We talked about what they did for a living, what we did, why we were here, and what we wanted to do with our lives. The well-off one had a second home here. We discussed probably every restaurant down here. The discussion came back to Bonefish. Apparently, they had eaten there just yesterday and liked it so much that they came back for more on their last day in town before returning home. We talked about what we ordered for dinner. I ordered the pistachio encrusted Rainbow Trout sautéed in a basil-lemon butter sauce and topped with artichoke hearts. My friend ordered the grilled Swordfish topped with a lime-tomato garlic sauce.

Oooh baby, when our food arrived, more ‘wows!’ And man was it ever good. Huge portion and the fish exploded with flavors. We chatted with our lady friends as we ate. They were a course behind us. Naturally, they ordered the Bang Bang. They loved it. I helped one of them select a nice Cabernet to go with her filet. Such a great time we had. I know, I know. You all are wondering when I’m going to get to the part when all four of us hook up for some wild sex orgy.

Well let me tell ya. These women were totally nice and totally cool. Once again, I had a better time with them than I have had with most of my dates. Could we have hooked up? Hmmm, I dunno? The well-off one was married and her friend was widowed. Not that *that* means anything. We probably could have. Thing is, they were probably a good 20+ years older than me and you can add another 15 for my friend. I doubt they were even on the prowl although I sometimes wondered based on eye contact and body language. Yes, these ladies were sweet, nice, friendly, and could teach a lot of younger women how to act naturally and gracefully.

Thanks my Boston friends. I had a helluva nice evening.