Social Hour at Bonefish Grill

Our Happy Hour adventures this week brought us to Bonefish Grill at 4501 E. 82^nd St. Indianapolis. We have visited there before, but only took advantage of the Bang Bang Shrimp special they have on Wednesdays. This time we aimed to pick from their “Social Hour” menu, which you can check out here by clicking on Social Hour Menu at tinyurl.com/Bonefish82ndMenus.

Bonefish Grill offers these specials “every single day” from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Priced at $7 and $9, there are five items to choose from plus special drink prices on cocktails, wines, drafts, and certain call drinks. Mrs. K ordered off the regular menu for her Kendall Jackson Chardonnay ($15.90 for a nine-ounce pour) and I opted for the Paper Plane ($7) – a Makers Mark concoction.

Our server/bartender Emily brought out some bread and herb-seasoned oil along with our drinks. She was very busy as the bar area was a bit fuller than the last time we had been in. When she came back to take our food order, we decided on Shrimp Toast ($9) and Bangin’ Chicken Bites ($7).

While we waited, we decided we’d like to try one more menu item and asked Emily to add Crispy Cauliflower ($7) to our order. Very soon, one of the managers, Dillon G., brought out our Shrimp Toast and chatted for a while. The Shrimp Toast is really something to behold. It consists of “roasted shrimp … in a savory cream sauce … with diced tomato and avocado … served on toasted pesto butter crostini.” It is a generous serving with five or six slices of bread and so much delicious sauce that we wound up taking a good bit of it home as a leftover. The sauce definitely has a distinctive spice flavor that added a great deal to the dish.

Bangin’ Chicken Bites at Bonefish Social Hour. (Photo by Ken Klingenmeier)

Next, the Bangin’ Chicken Bites arrived. This item is a copy of the Bang Bang Shrimp, only with chicken substituted. The same signature creamy, spicy sauce is used for both. We dug into the plentiful serving and agreed that, although we like the shrimp a bit better, the chicken was pretty darn good.

Finally, the Crispy Cauliflower came out. While we were filling up on the Shrimp Toast and The Bangin’ Chicken, we both thought maybe we shouldn’t have ordered this last dish – but it was very special and it turned out to be Mrs. K’s favorite of the three. This is breaded cauliflower florets tossed in a Asian spiced glaze – very unique and very delicious.

We had plenty of food left over to pack up in boxes and take home for later. The tab came to right at $50 before tip and I think it was very well spent. We have been to Bonefish Grill for dinner a lot over the years and we always have been very happy with our meals. The Social Hour specials are just as pleasing with a wonderful variety of choices.

Ken Klingenmeier offers this series of columns, called “A Seat at the Table,” wherein he reviews Indy-area restaurants – specifically their Happy Hour offers. Keep reading The Reporter for future restaurant reviews.