Foodfessions: A Good Seafood Fix

When I was a kid, I remember feeling uncomfortable eating with parents other than my own. That's because I never used to order dishes similar to kids the same age as me. For example, if my friends' parents took us to The Cheesecake Factory, a normal 12-year-old would probably order a grilled cheese sandwich or spaghetti in tomato sauce or chicken tenders - which would all be on the kids menu for a reasonable price of under $12. Then there would be me, the strange 12-year-old with highly developed taste buds, who would order the herb crusted filet of salmon or crab cakes both charged at market price.

Thankfully when I got older, I didn't get strange looks from people around me when I ordered a seafood dish! As a seafood fanatic, I get these cravings once in a while for a giant piece of salmon or a plate of oysters. The other day I decided to treat my boyfriend who just got a massive promotion at his job to a seafood dinner at Bonefish Grill.

We started off sharing the Maryland Crab Cakes ($10.50) - which was a giant portion for an appetizer. There were two jumbo lump cakes that had a creamy, salty caper dressing holding them together. It was served with a red remoulade that had a tangy paprika tinge to it.

For my main, I had the Norwegian Salmon ($16.90) which you choose the sauce you want to cook it in. The options are - a warm mango salsa, chimichurri sauce, lemon butter or pan asian. I selected the warm mango salsa. It was superb! The salmon was so fresh and cooked perfectly that it was moist on the inside, and crisp on the outside. The mango salsa was not so much a puree. It was more of mango chunks mixed in a tomato sauce that was sweet and piquant . The salmon came with the choice of two sides - I selected the spaghetti squash cooked in a honey ginger sauce and steamed broccoli with lemon. My meal was fantastic. I was stuffed, but in a healthy sort of way.

My boyfriend ordered the Lobster Thermidor Mahi Mahi with Florida Rock Shrimp. At the bottom was garlic whipped potatoes, with pieces of lobster and shrimp piled scattered on top and finally a gigantic dollop of sherry cream sauce spread all over the plate. He had the choice of one side and he picked the same spaghetti squash I ordered. I had a bite of his food, I liked it but found the creamy gravy too heavy to eat a whole plateful of it.