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New Tuesday menu at Bonefish

Sunday, July 26th, 2015

Bonefish Grill launched recently a special Tuesday-only menu called “Hooked on Tuesday,” and I accepted an invitation to try it out. The prix-fixe menu is arranged in three price points–$14.90, $17.90 and $20.90–and to my pleasant surprise, the portions are the same size as their counterparts from the regular menu, meaning you are getting a bargain.

Start with either the house or Caesar salad, then choose from nine entrees and three desserts. As an example of the deal you’re getting, the spicy tuna bowl is $12.90 on the regular menu, but only $14.90 on the Hooked on Tuesday menu. You also can add Bang Bang Shrimp for just $6 (and I did).

In the mid-price point is the Fontina pork chop ($17.90), which is packed with many flavors. On top are Fontina cheese, garlic, prosciutto and mushroom Marsala wine sauce. Actually, I could have just eaten the pork chop with the Marsala sauce–that’s an excellent pairing. The accompanying potatoes au gratin (one of five sides) were nice and fluffy and absorbed the sauce well.

In the highest-price point is the sea scallops + shrimp ($20.90). You get four of the former and five of the latter. Both had a great grilled flavor, and they were brightened by the mango salsa (one of five signature sauces you can add).

Dessert choices are macadamia nut brownie (the nuts are actually sprinkled on top in this decadent dish), classic cheesecake and Jen’s Jamaican coconut pie (super strong coconut flavor; melts in the mouth). Honestly, it was everything in my power to finish such a large but delicious meal.

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Also worth noting is that Bonefish has added a few cocktails to its list. I really enjoyed the watermelon tini ($8.20), which is fresh watermelon muddled with cucumber and simple syrup and mixed with vodka. The frozen watermelon cubes were a nice touch. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something stronger, try the Kiwi Smash ($8.20), a unique mixture of mint, kiwi, tequila, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup.

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See more photos in our Bonefish Grill Flickr album.

Tags: seafood, west side
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Freshii

Sunday, April 19th, 2015

Freshii strives to make “healthy food affordable and convenient.” The chain seems to be doing both well, as there’s enough demand that Freshii is located in more than 60 cities and 12 countries.

The menu is comprised of salads/wraps (you can convert a salad to a wrap), bowls, burritos, soups and smoothies. While all the items are vegetable-based, you can add proteins such as chicken, steak or tuna. Note that one of my visits was by invitation for the restaurant’s pre-opening.

My favorite dish was the Fiesta wrap ($7.49; field greens, black beans, avocado, aged cheddar, corn, pico de gallo, cilantro lime vinaigrette). When you bite into this, your mouth will be greeted with bright, fresh flavors. The tuna ($2.49) I added made this one of the best tuna wraps/sandwiches I’ve ever had.

The Buddha’s Satay bowl ($7.24) seemed promising, but I felt like a rabbit eating it with its overdose of carrots and broccoli. Frankly, the crispy wontons were the only item that gave this salad any flavor, as the rice noodles were extraordinarily bland, and there were only minuscule pieces of steak ($2.49) included (you can’t even see any in the photo).

I liked the density of the Smokehouse burrito ($7.99), which is made with brown rice, black beans, red onions, tomatoes, corn, aged cheddar and a surprisingly wonderful BBQ sauce. I ordered my burrito with falafel ($1.49), and I longed for a side of that sauce in which to dip the burrito.

Out of all the three soups, I tried the Southwestern ($6.99), a soothing concoction of chicken broth, brown rice, broccoli, tomatoes, corn and aged cheddar. All the vegetables were tender.

When you’re thirsty, quaff a juice or smoothie ($5.99). The ones I tried–the Green Energy Juice (apple, cucumber, kale, lemon, carrot, romaine, spinach), the Strawberry Banana Smoothie (strawberries, banana, low-fat frozen yogurt) and the Mighty Detox Juice (pineapple, ginger, apple, celery, cucumber)–were surprisingly not too thick and had semi-sweet, non-grassy flavors. I’d get the strawberry version again if it weren’t for the price.

Freshii is open Monday-Saturday for breakfast, lunch, dinner and carryout. Catering and delivery are available.

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See more photos in our Freshii Flickr album.

Tags: vegetarian, west side
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Twist Bar & Grill

Sunday, March 22nd, 2015

Twist Bar & Grill opened in January in place of Basie’s inside the Radisson Inn. While the decor and atmosphere are a definite upgrade, it needs more work to become a destination restaurant.

Don’t get me wrong. The food is good, but it doesn’t differ much from an Applebee’s or Chili’s. And I understand why: it needs to fulfill the room-service needs of its guests, who are looking for familiar fare. On several visits the place was dead; once for lunch I was the only diner.

To its credit, Twist does try to add its own twist to the Wisconsin-themed menu items. For example, the Cuban sandwich ($12) uses Carr Valley Gruyere and an unpressed ciabatta bun. Overall, the sandwich was a perfectly assembled mashup of flavors, though a bit on the salty side.

There are just five other sandwiches on the surprisingly small menu, and the Neuske’s bacon burger ($13) is one of them. It sports a super thick patty topped with Hook’s cheddar, a fried egg, Dijon aioli and an ungodly amount of sauteed onions. It’s hard to describe this any other way besides “not bad.”

The entrees–rib-eye steak, mac and cheese, grilled pork chop, wild mushroom pasta and seared salmon–also are fairly standard, which is why I didn’t feel any need to try them.

Appetizers include cheese curds, wings and pretzel rolls. I enjoyed the beer cheese soup ($4 cup, $7 bowl) for its creaminess, ample portions of Bavaria sausage and Cajun popcorn sprinkled on top.

If you’re sitting at the brightly lit bar, you can watch sports on one of eight TVs. The Twist theme is prevalent here, too. The Badger old fashioned ($9) contains Bulleit bourbon instead of the requisite brandy, though I gulped it down quite easily. Meanwhile, the Twistini ($10) is comprised of Absolut Citron, Grand Marnier and sparkling wine and is quite sweet.

Twist is open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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See more photos in our Twist Bar & Grill Flickr album.