Fabulous Dinner - Just Okay

Friday, we went on a whim and decided to go out to eat after work. It was perfect because we went at Early Bird Special time.It was nice to sit and eat without the big crowd. We had a nice dinner, but it was without the Early Bird Special pricing.

Restaurant: Bonefish Grill
Appetizer: Bang Bang Shrimp
Drink: Red Sangria
Meal: 6 oz Filet cooked MW, house vegetable medley, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a side Lobster Tail
Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake
Bill Average: With appetizer, salad, two drinks, two entrees and dessert - over $50.00 before tip

Service:
Our waitress was right on top of everything. Being as it was my first time there, she took her time to explain the menu, the options, specials etc. She was attentive to our needs and friendly.

Atmosphere:
It was quiet, with low lighting, and music playing in the background. An overall nice environment.

Food:
The bang bang shrimp appetizer was great. Zesty, a bit spicy, and full of flavor. The main course was okay. The mashed potatoes were flavorful.The steak was cooked right to order, but lacked any flavor. I definitely needed A-1. The vegetable medley was not that great, a mix of corn and over cooked dry lima beans with seasoning. The lobster tail had nothing special about it.It was just a basic lobster tail served with melted butter and lemon. A little on the chewy side.

The Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake
Served with fresh strawberries, a biscuit, whip cream, and pudding.
The strawberries were fresh and the whip cream was not too sweet which balanced the sweetness of the vanilla pudding and strawberries. The biscuit was a little hard. I did like the fact that the pudding helped to add some moisture to the crunchy biscuit. The combination of the whip cream, pudding,strawberries and biscuit was tasty.

Overall:
The service was great, but then again we were eating way before dinner rush. The waitress was very attentive and friendly. The restaurant itself was clean, tidy, and set a nice dinner setting. It did not reek of that nasty rag smell that some restaurants have. However, the staff seemed to have a hang out area against the wall by the restrooms. This was not a good look for the dinning area. The restrooms could have been cleaner, and they were very dark. The food for me did not live up to its "highly" talked about standards. Though, everything looked presentable, some items lacked flavor for the taste buds. I would have preferred that my biscuit served for dessert be heated up, and a bit fresher tasting. I personally don't feel that the restaurant was worth what we paid. It left me full, but a little dissatisfied, and on the fence whether I would go back for a full meal. With that said, I would definitely go back for a cocktail and the Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer because that definitely left a bang with my taste buds. I may go back again to try a different item on the menu, but the bang bang shrimp would be enough in my book.