Bonefish Grill in Northern Virginia
 

A new franchise called Bonefish Grill has opened up in Fairfax and Centreville. I am looking for a seafood restaurant in Northern Virginia (Fairfax area) for a nice family birthday dinner.

Anybody familiar with this restaurant or have any other recommendations? Price is no object. ((b))

Budman, I have yet to find a decent seafood restaurant in Northern Virginia and I've been here 9 years. Even DC has slim pickings when it comes to good seafood. Market Inn, Kincaids, and Legal Seafood are about as good as it gets. Most everything else that labels itself "seafood" really means crab and not much more. I'll have to look into Bonefish Grill.

the Bonefish Grills in Jax Fl are very popular, very crowded, and expensive!They don't take reservations here so it is sometimes a pain in the neck waiting for a table.
I think it might be great for a family birthday dinner !

Bonefish Grill has good, fresh seafood, but is certainly not extraordinary. I think of it more as a middle-of-the-week restaurant. I've also seen large family groups eating there and enjoying themselves. No reservations for small groups, but I've seen tables set aside for large parties.

For a special night out, I'd suggest Bob Kinkead's Colvin Run Tavern at Tysons Corner. In addition to the excellent selection of seafood, this restaurant carries a lot of meat dishes, unlike Kinkeads in DC.

Hi Budman

We've tried a Bonefish Grill in Bradenton FL and it was pretty good. It is part of a chain but the entrees ranged around $15 to $20 pp. I wouldn't classify it as great but I'd probably go back to one around DC.

Too bad you couldn't say that travel time was no object cause I'd recommend coming over to the Annapolis area for some decent crab, shrimp, fish dinners.

Thanks for the inputs. I have to check out Bob Kinkead's Colvin Run Tavern.

LN, We always stop at Annapolis on our way back up North for brunch at the Rams Head. Any idea how the crabs are going to be running this year. Last 2 years were terrible. ((b))

We just went to the new Bonefish in Gainesville, VA and have been to the one in Centreville on several occasions. It's a good choice for a family dinner with a good kids menu. I've always been pleased with the food as has everyone in my party, and surprisingly, I had some of the best mussels ever there last week. It's owned by the same management company that owns Outback so figure that level of dining (although I think the service as a whole has been better at Bonefish). I dont' think you can go wrong here (try the calamari and bang bang shrimp). Both are killer appetizers.

Oops, forgot to mention that we've always made reservations at both locations (the one in Gainesville indicated they only reserve 1/4 of the restaurant but we were able to make one for our small party of 4. You might want to check with the particular location for their policy.

karen, Outback isn't a management company they are a corporation that owns most of the restaurants and are in partnership with the general manager. They are what is called a joint venture partnership so the person's name who is over the front door has a vested interest in whether or not you enjoy your meal.

Outback also owns Roy's, Carrabbas, Leroy Selman's, Cheeseburger in Paradise, and Flemings.

I like Bonefish Grill a lot. My favorite is the sea bass with the mango chutney.

Hi Budman

It's too early to judge the size of crabs but there are always some GOOD places to get crabs around here. When you're getting ready to head this way over the late summer post a note and try to give you a good place to try.

How is brunch at Rams Head? - somehow I've never been really taken with the place. And yes, I've gone back at least 4 times. They've gotten like Galway Bay and a bit unattentive of their customers.

We've eaten at the Bonefish Grille in Jax Beach, and it is one of our favorite restaurants. Seafood Can't be beat.

Sparked by this thread, my wife and I journeyed to Fairfax on Saturday night to dine at Bonefish. The place was crowded, but since we were dining late (8:30) there were tables open. Aware that Bonefish was owned/run by the same outfit that owns/runs Outback, we expected a very casual decor. We were pleasantly surprised that the atmosphere was decidedly different than Outback and much more in line with a nicer restaurant. Not fancy or anything, but nice.

My wife had a house salad and one of the specials, medallions of Monkfish wrapped in proscuitto with marsala sauce. I went for the caesar salad and basic grilled salmon. Both meals were very good. Other menu possibilities included lobster tail, mahi mahi (regular and a special macademia nut dusted variety), ahi, sea bass, and grouper. A decent selection although I was surprised they did not have flounder. In fact, I don't recall them having shrimp and I know they didn't have crab. That is a good thing actually, since many DC-area "seafood" restaurants offer nothing but crab.

Service was exceptional. Prices for the entrees, which included your choice of salad, bread, vegetable, and a choice of starch (garlic mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, etc.) ran from about $14.50 to $19. Nothing spectacular about the wine list, but enough choices that everyone will find something they like.

All in all, we were very impressed and will certainly go back. Although not up to Market Inn, both of us felt the value, and to some degree the food, was better than Legal Seafood. Bonefish is a winner.

The original Bonefish Grill was not owned by Outback. It was a restaurant in St. Petersburg, FL. The Outback group (which is from Tampa) liked the concept and the name, bought it, and opened the first Bonefish Grill in Tampa on Henderson Blvd., a couple of blocks away from the original very first Outback Steakhouse.

MikeKing, thanks for the report. I appreciate your going out of your way to check it out. That was certainly above and beyond. My daughter will be pleased. We're going to try out the Centreville restaurant.

Sorry we can't hook up in Ireland. I would like to buy you a Guinness. Maybe we can meet at a Washington GTG. ((b))

We used to eat at Blue Ridge Seafood. It was south of Gainseville on 29/211 and before the traffic light with rte 15. A blue, weather beaten looking building, but the food was excellent. Bull Run Hunt members used to get together there. They later opened a second one in Gainesville behind the 7-11 Citgo station. Haven't been that way in five years so don't know if either still exists.

Ronkala, I live down the road from where you describe. The original Blue Ridge SeaFood on Rte 29 is still there but the second one closed and is another restaurant called SteakMasters which I heard is awful. The new Bonefish on 29 is the one I'm referring to and it's been quite good.

We live closeby to Colvin Run in Tysons and ate there when it first opened. It's very pricey and although the food was very good, it didn't have a large selection of seafood. It was more eclectic when we went. Everything else in the Tyson's corner area is upscale steak houses, Mortons, Capital Grille, Sam & Harry's & Don Schuller's. For Seafood, we have Legal Seafoods not as good as in Cambridge, MA.

I agree with others that the restaurants and especially seafood restaurants in Northern Virginia are not that spectacular. (I'm originally from the Beantown area).

I had never heard of the Bonefish Grille, we'll have to try it sometime.

Bonefish Grill restaurants I have visited do take restaurants and have terrific food. However, it is a chain restaurant and not a true local experience, if that is what you want. Also, the menu is almost all fish and some seafood - be certain that the guests all prefer this because there are not many other options besides the token chicken breast. One of my FAVORITES is their appetizer, can't think of the name but it is shrimp tossed in a spicy sauce. It is their signature dish and terrific. Their food is very good, at least the BFGs that I have visited. I did not experience crowds referenced in earlier posts and found the two restaurants very quiet and intimate IMO.